Apr 1, 2022

On March 24th, over 100 guests from journalism, finance and the alt-protein industry gathered at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills for Taste the Future: an exclusive culinary experience showcasing some of the best innovations in animal-free protein. Organized by SOS Ventures and Apeiron Investment Group, the event featured host appearances by Paul Wesley, Liam Payne and The Good Food Institute.  Eight food companies – Abbot’s Butcher, Grounded, Perfect Day, The Every Company, NotCo, Impossible Foods, Formo and California Cultured – representing plant-based, cultivated and fermented proteins were present to offer unique dishes prepared by renowned chef Matthew Kenney.  The menu’s signature entrees included:  Grounded Grilled Cheese on Sourdough Perfect Day Animal-Free Soft Cheese Ravioli Abbot’s Butcher Beef & Chorizo Tacos  Questlove’s Impossible Cheesesteak NotCo NotBurger Slider  California Cultured Chocolate High-performance food products  Guests also sampled The EVERY Company Hibiscus Agua Fresca, a specialty beverage that incorporated the company’s EVERY chicken-free egg white protein. According to Sean O’Sullivan, Managing General Partner at SOSV, the luncheon revealed the potential of each company’s products to perform as more sophisticated ingredients: “When chefs start to work with ingredients, they can make concoctions that are completely tasty and elegant [and are] high-performance, high-value and high-end food products.” For O’Sullivan, the event’s greatest significance was in showing what is possible when companies strive to create better versions of meat, dairy and eggs using plants or food tech instead of animals.  “We eat three times a day and our overdependence on animal agriculture has really caused ...