Bio  /  The Book  /  Speaking  /  Some Samples  /  Contact


Josh Schonwald is an award-winning journalist and author of The Taste of Tomorrow: Dispatches from the Future of Food, a critically acclaimed look at the people, trends, and technologies that could change the foods we eat.

Schonwald has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Slate, Salon and many other publications. He has appeared on radio programs in the United States and internationally, including NPR's On Point with Tom Ashbrook and WGN Radio's Extension 720 with Milt Rosenberg.

Schonwald's provocative presentations weave together insights, personal stories, scientific research, culinary history and predictions gleaned from his more than three-year exploration of the world of food innovation.

A graduate of Macalester College and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, Schonwald lives in Evanston, Illinois with his wife, children, and indoor aquaponic system.

Lecture Topics

Five Foods of The Future. What will we eat in 2035? Josh highlights five foods that will become a part of our dinners to come, and explains why they're destined for greatness.

Technologies & Trends that Will Change Food. How will locavorism impact the future of food? Will nanotechnology and genetic engineering change the produce section? Josh discusses the possible implications of current trends and emerging technologies on the future of food.

A Solution to the Coming Crisis: The Perfect Sustainable Meal. Rising population, dwindling resources, a changing climate. In this feast of mind and mouth, Josh discusses his perfect sustainable meal. You'll learn why eating grasshoppers, growing arugula on your back porch, and nanotechnology are all key to not only averting the coming the food shortage, but doing so in a sustainable, climate-friendly way.

The Last Culinary Frontier. There is only one continent left for foodie exploration – and it isn't Antarctica. In this two-part talk, Josh will describe the dynamics that what will shift culinary curiosity to sub-Saharan Africa, and then he'll take you on a tour of some of the foods & flavors of the world's second-largest continent.

How New Foods Happen – Or Not! Why did tilapia become one of the country's most popular seafoods, while the Lake Victoria giant perch has languished in obscurity? Why did pomegranates become a superfood, while the paw-paw is almost forgotten? Why will Indian food become "the next Thai food"? In this eye-opening talk, Josh discusses the back-story behind some of the food world's successes and failures.

Listen to Josh

The Future of Food with Tom Ashbrook. Josh talks about the The Taste of Tomorrow, and the technologies and trends impacting the foods of the future, on WBUR's On Point.

The Case for Grasshopper Tacos with Patt Morrison. Hear Josh talk about how overcoming the yuckiness of eating insects can help save the world on Patt Morrison's show on KPCC, Southern California Public Radio.

Indoor Fish Farming, Genetic Engineering with Michael Colameco. Josh talks with chef/host Mike Colameco about how technology is changing the foods of the future on WOR's Food Talk. (Note: show is archived on May 27, 2012)

Reviews & Stories on The Taste of Tomorrow

Jonathan Yardley's Washington Post review.
"[Schonwald] has come up with a great deal of interesting information, much of which will surprise people who eat food without giving much thought to where it comes from."

Maclean's "What You'll Be Eating Soon."
Flu-fighting milk and meat grown in a test tube, Kate Lunau's April 2012 cover story features research from The Taste of Tomorrow.

Bill Daley's review in the Chicago Tribune.
"This is a fun book…Schonwald has the talent to explain serious, complicated issues in ways the average reader will understand. He does it in an entertaining, often irreverent way that keeps you turning the pages…a provocative book."

The Financial Times.
"Schonwald is a good-natured and curious guide whose lightness of touch keeps you reading. A non-foodie at the start, he grows into his quest, championing sustainable, local and even genetically modified food to help feed the world."

It's Not Easy To Be Green.
Would you eat a GMO heirloom tomato? The popular blog for eco-conscious readers ponders a provocative question raised by the book.

Some Articles by Josh

Slate | Why You Should Love Grasshopper Tacos and Kelp Pasta

Wall Street Journal | Next Stop for Food Fanatics: Africa

The Huffington Post | Seven Foods You'll Be Eating in the Future