Celebrating LGBTQ+ Chefs and Foodie Creators

It’s officially Pride month! In fact, last year was an important one, as it marked the 50th anniversary since the annual celebration of Pride first ever began - paying homage to the Stonewall Riots, which were protests to change gay rights in the US and paved the way for many across the world. Pride is all about equality and accepting love in all forms, without judgment - which here at Sorted is a life-long value that we have and always will proudly stand by!

We could talk about many iconic foodie figures, but with the help of some of your suggestions, we’ve narrowed down the list to a select few of your favourites. Let’s dive in…

1. Ruby Tandoh

Born and raised in Essex, Ruby first came onto the foodie scene as a finalist on the Great British Bake Off in 2013, and hasn’t looked back since! Ruby is now a notable recipe columnist, cookbook writer, pastry chef, and more.

Ruby’s written many articles, aka, ‘kitchen notes’ for The New Yorker, with the most recent being ‘The Studied Carlessness of Great Dessert’... And it was a fantastic read! Ruby cleverly captures the transition from being a cook, to suddenly feeling like a performer when facing the pressures of making dessert dishes for dinner guests. Her first-ever cookbook, ‘Cook as You Are: Recipes for Real Life, Hungry Cooks and Messy Kitchens’, has rave reviews and won multiple awards. It’s all about inclusivity and making delicious, easy, and budget-friendly meals accessible to everyone - no matter their circumstances!

2. Max Miller

Max was quite a popular pick from our community for his epic YouTube series, ‘Tasting History’! As it says in the name, cook and YouTuber Max Miller recreates global dishes/drinks that were popular throughout time and breaks down the history behind them. Examples of this include the original peanut butter and jelly sandwich from 1901, medieval French toast, mac and cheese from 1845, and so much more! To match this popular series, Max also has a New York Times bestselling cookbook, called ‘Tasting History: Explore the Past through 4,000 Years of Recipes’. 

3. Kristen Kish

The awesome Kristen Kish won Season 10 of ‘Top Chef’ in 2013, which sees chefs from around the world compete in various culinary challenges… And she became the second ever woman to win the title! Since then, Kristen has continued to venture into the world of television, including shows such as Fast Foodies, Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, and most recently, Restaurants at the End of the World (The National Geographic channel). This series follows Kristen on the ultimate foodie adventure, as she travels to hotels and restaurants around the world to learn the challenges chefs have had to overcome, as well as their cultures and traditions. In the first episode, Kristen travels to Brazil to visit a floating restaurant. 

4. Andy Baraghani

With a whopping 328k followers on Instagram, Andy has definitely won over the hearts of many in the foodie community! Most notably, Andy is the author of his bestselling cookbook, ‘The Cook You Want to Be: Everyday Recipes to Impress’. Filled with 120 every day, easy recipes such as pomegranate-glazed chicken legs, roasted beetroot with mint and sesame, and more…  It’s no surprise that the book is a New York Times bestseller! According to Andy, his love for flavour-forward food comes from the “comforting dishes of his Iranian parents' immigrant household”.

In an interview from last year with Bazaar, Andy spoke more about the book intro, which reveals that he wanted to avoid cooking as a career and switched to editorial and fashion for a while… But then found that nothing could replace his true love for food!

5. Melissa Thompson

We absolutely love London-based foodie writer and cook Melissa Thompson’s no bullsh*t tagline of loving “ice cream, fried chicken and anti-racism”! Melissa is the founder of the ‘Fowl Mouths: Food & Recipe Project’, but wasn’t always on the food scene to begin with. Initially, she was an award-winning journalist, but this all changed when she had the lightbulb moment of starting her very own supper club. Selling Japanese food directly from her home blossomed into a popular restaurant pop-up which was sought out by pub kitchens and cafes across the UK! After having a baby in 2018, Melissa paused this operation and shifted her focus to developing recipes and indulging in hospitality writing. She’s now a BBC Good Food columnist, as well as having published work in the likes of Waitrose Magazine, The Guardian, and more.

It’s important to say that here at Sorted, we believe that whilst it’s so important to celebrate Pride, it’s even MORE important to support the LGBTQ+ community all year round and continue to showcase our values - both on and off-screen. Our Sorted family means the world to us and we continue to learn so much from you all! Who is your favourite LGBTQ+ chef or foodie creator? Tag us on Instagram or Twitter and let us know!

Love,

Sorted Food x

Try Sidekick For Free Now!