Eight valley businesses are winners in the 2026 Good Food Awards. Who are they?
The sustainability-focused Good Food Awards announced its list of this year’s winners, and multiple Central Valley region producers received new and repeat honors.
The Good Food Awards aims to celebrate food producers who both uphold a high level of craftsmanship and quality as well as practicing social and environmental responsibility. The awards were launched in 2010.
The producers are grouped into 18 categories. The regional winners fell into four of them.
Two businesses are first-time winners
One first-time winner is Real Mojo Foods, who won with its Hot-N-Zesty Semi Sweet & Spicy Pickle Chips. Real Mojo was founded in 2018 by Dee Siazon, who wanted to recapture a taste of her youth. While on summer vacations, her family would pick fruits and vegetables and then preserve them, including pickles.
Real Mojo is not the regional winner in the category, though. In 2024 and 2025, Grass Valley producer Local Culture Ferments won for its sauerkrauts.
The other first-timer is chef Jason Azevedo of Pasta Therapy, who won with his radiatori, which falls in the grains category. Pasta Therapy’s campanelle and fusilli were also nominated as semifinalists.
A veteran of the dining scene, Azevedo took to making pasta after burning out on the chef life.
Like Real Mojo, Pasta Therapy is not the first regional business to win in its category. Chico Rice in Willows also won an award this year for its blonde rice, which previously won in 2021.
Artisan oils bring home the gold
Four companies specializing in high-quality oils earned more Good Food Awards this year after having had repeat wins in previous years.
Woodland-based La Tourangelle’s roasted walnut oil came out on top this year, as it did in 2015 and 2020. La Tourangelle has also won with its roasted pistachio oil in 2015 and 2025, and with its roasted hazelnut oil in 2015, 2016 and 2020.
Nearby, Grumpy Goats Farm in Capay landed its tenth win, this time for its Nocellara del Belice organic extra virgin olive oil.
Lodi’s Calivirgin won for its Calabrian chili olive oil. Calivirgin is a repeat winner for its flavored olive oils, featuring flavors such as jalapeno, serrano, basil, lime and garlic.
Down valley in Clovis, Enzo Olive Oil won with its Fresno chili crush olive oil, which also won in 2020 and 2024. The mill also won with clementine oil in 2017 and basil in 2021, and has taken home Good Food Awards in other categories for its biscotti and granola.
Tsar Nicoulai’s caviar dreams
While based in Concord, Tsar Nicoulai Caviar ranches its sturgeon in Wilton and at the Elverta facility for Sterling Caviar, which it acquired in 2024. The combined entity is the largest domestic producer of sustainable sturgeon caviar in the United States. Both companies have long been esteemed for their practices in ethical aquaculture.
Tsar Nicoulai is a repeat winner. This year it won for its reserve white sturgeon caviar as well as for its smoked sturgeon pate. The applewood smoked sturgeon pate previously won in 2020 and 2025, and the reserve caviar had won in 2017 and 2018. The company has also won for its smoked sturgeon, smoked salmon and pepper sturgeon jerky.
