In the battle against climate change, it’s essential to find alternatives to mass animal agriculture.
That’s why SOSV Managing partner Sean O’Sullivan, Apeiron Investment Group founder Christien Angermayer, and Good Food Institute CEO Bruce Friedrich decided to take advantage of Oscars week in Los Angeles to host a star-studded luncheon featuring remarkable culinary creations with one thing in common: ingredients from startups taking climate friendly approaches to food production.
“Activism is not just about marches and tweets,” O’Sullivan told the 100+ guests at the Four Seasons Hollywood, “It’s about personal choices that reflect the change we want to see in the world. If we want a sustainable planet, we have to end our addiction to factory-farmed animal agriculture. Taste the future to begin ensuring our future.”
Matthew Kenney, the world’s leading chef in animal-free foods, produced a seven-course luncheon featuring products from Abbot’s Butcher (plant-based meats), California Cultured (sustainable chocolate), Formo (cultivated cheese), Grounded (hemp-based vegan cheese), NotCo (plant-based dairy), Perfect Day (animal-free dairy and protein), The Every Company (animal-free protein), and Trip (adaptogen-infused drinks and supplements). A mixologist-inspired poured cocktails using ingredients from spirits innovator Endless West (molecular wine and spirits). Here is the menu:
- Grounded Foods Grilled Cheese served with tomato on sourdough
- The Every Company Hibiscus — Lime Agua Fresca made with Every Protein
- Abbot’s Butcher Taco Duo: Chorizo, fennel-red onion salad, lime crema; Beef, shredded romaine, pico de gallo, toasted pepitas
- NotCo NotBurger™ Slider served on brioche with baby gem, heirloom tomato, ketchup, and pickle
- Perfect Day Animal-Free Soft Cheese Ravioli served with English peas, leeks and lemon herb broth
- Questlove Cheesesteak made with Impossible, sautéed onions, vegan cheese sauce, banana peppers and pickles, served on an Amoroso’s roll
- California Cultured Chocolate
The afternoon would not have been Hollywood without celebrity co-hosts, and the named co-hosts included Uma Thurman, Questlove, Liam Payne, and Paul Wesley.
MCs for the day, Angermayer and O’Sullivan, welcomed founders, investors, influencers, and media in opening remarks and, as each course was served, introduced the founder behind each featured ingredient. They recounted how their foods were made, their motivations for starting their company, and their hopes for the future. The guests were excited to realize that they were literally tasting a future that few, if any, others have yet to enjoy.
“We have been making meat in the same basic way for 12,000 years, and it’s past time to figure out a better way,” Good Food Institute’s Bruce Friederich said. “The current system is a climate and biodiversity nightmare, it’s inefficient, and it’s likely to cause another pandemic or lead to the end of modern medicine through antibiotic resistance. Fortunately, the food tech vanguard has arrived — come and taste the future.”
SOSV sees a bright future in food innovations and is committed to supporting companies and technologies that will improve both human and planetary health. The SOSV Climate Tech 100 is a powerful demonstration of SOSV’s commitment to humanity’s future. The Taste the Future luncheon was an effort to start influencing consumer tastes for new products that will help set the food industry on a more climate healthy direction.
