Shef Named Finalist in the Corporate Social Responsibility Category of Fast Company's 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards

From a 3D printed vaccine patch to an electric truck, a seawater-powered lamp, and countless other bold innovations, the sixth annual awards honor the products, concepts, companies, policies, and designs that are driving change, tackling issues from climate change to inequality, and so much more.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The winners of Fast Company's 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, honoring clean technology, innovative corporate initiatives, brave new designs for cities and buildings, and other creative works that are supporting the growth of positive social innovation, tackling social inequality, climate change, and public health crises.

Shef, the nation's leading online marketplace for homemade food, was recognized as a finalist in Fast Company's 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards in the Corporate Social Responsibility Category for opening its platform to Afghan refugees resettling in the United States. Shef helps talented local cooks earn meaningful income selling their authentic, homemade dishes to people in their community.

In August 2021, Shef announced it would expedite the applications of any Afghan refugees to cook on the platform and set aside $3,500 per refugee to provide cooking supplies, food safety training, and marketing for their new businesses. This initiative offers an immediate opportunity for Afghan refugees to earn income once they have settled in the U.S., helping people rebuild their lives by selling authentic, homemade food in their new communities.  The existing Shef community has also played a huge role in helping Afghan families feel welcome and supported in the U.S. Under the leadership of Afghan Shef Laila Mir (recently featured in this PBS Newshour piece), local cooks have donated nearly 1,000 homemade meals to newly arrived families across the Bay Area, which has one of the largest concentrations of Afghan refugees in the country. Shef also launched a donation program in partnership with Women for Women International for customers to donate directly to relief efforts in Afghanistan.  Since launching in the Bay Area in 2019, Shef has expanded to 10 states across the country and currently serves more than 70 million people. Thousands of local cooks representing 96 countries – 75% of whom are women and 80% people of color – have joined the Shef community, and more than 37,000 people have applied to date. Shefs have served more than 2 million homemade dishes, generating tens of millions of dollars of income to support themselves and their families. 

Since launching in the Bay Area in 2019, Shef has expanded to 10 states across the country and currently serves more than 70 million people. Thousands of local cooks representing 96 countries – 75% of whom are women and 80% people of color – have joined the Shef community, and more than 37,000 people have applied to date. Shefs have served more than 2 million homemade dishes, generating tens of millions of dollars of income to support themselves and their families.

Now in its sixth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 39 winners, 350 finalists, and more than 600 honorable mentions—with climate, social justice, and AI and data among the most popular categories. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 2,997 entries across transportation, education, food, politics, technology, health, social justice, and more. In addition, several new categories have been added this year including climate, nature, water, and workplace. The 2022 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Switzerland to Hong Kong to Australia.

Fast Company's Summer 2022 issue (on newsstands May 10, 2022) will showcase some of the world's most inventive entrepreneurs and companies tackling global challenges. The issues highlight, among others, probiotics for coral reefs, easy-to-assemble kit homes for refugees or disaster survivors, a 3D printed vaccine patch, an electric truck, a system to heat homes from the waste heat of a name-brand factory, and prosecutor-initiated resentencing for overly long prison sentences.

"Immigrants and refugees are at the heart of Shef's story," said Alvin Salehi and Joey Grassia, founders and co-CEOs of Shef who are both sons of immigrants. "Building a new life in a foreign country isn't easy, especially when it comes to earning an income. We see it as our duty to do whatever we can to help those in search of safety and new beginnings for themselves and their loved ones."

"We are consistently inspired by the novelty and creativity that people are applying to solve some of our society's most pressing problems, from shelter to the climate crisis. Fast Company relishes its role in amplifying important, innovative work to address big challenges," says David Lidsky, interim editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "Our journalists have identified some of the most ingenious initiatives to launch since the start of 2021, which we hope will both have a meaningful impact and lead others to join in being part of the solution."

About the World Changing Ideas Awards
World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company's major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.

About Shef
Shef is an online marketplace for local, homemade food. Shef helps talented cooks who are food safety certified connect with customers in their community and earn a meaningful income selling their authentic, homemade dishes. With its wide selection of global cuisine, including unique and hard-to-find regional specialties from across South Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, Shef delivers a taste of home for those missing it, and a world of flavor for those looking to try something new. The service is currently available in several markets across the United States, including San Francisco, New York, New Jersey, Seattle, Chicago, Houston, Austin, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. To order food from a local cook in your area, or for more information on how to become a shef, visit www.shef.com.

SOURCE Shef