Goldbelly Founder Joe Ariel Named Official Food Curator

NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, March 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- America250, the national nonpartisan organization established by Congress to lead the celebration of America's 250th anniversary, and Goldbelly today announced Taste of America250, the official food program of the nation's 250th anniversary. Goldbelly has been named the program's Official Marketplace, and founder and CEO Joe Ariel will serve as Official Food Curator, leading a nationwide exploration of the dishes, makers, and traditions that define the American story.

Through this collaboration, Taste of America250 will come to life across two complementary lanes:

Curation and storytelling, led by Joe Ariel, curating the most iconic dishes, restaurants, and regional food traditions across the country; and

Commerce and national access, powered by Goldbelly, enabling Americans everywhere to experience these stories through food.

As Curator, Ariel will lead 250 Dishes That Made America, a national storytelling project bringing together leading chefs, writers, and cultural voices to define and establish the canon of American cuisine. The program will also include the first-ever National Restaurant Month, featuring events and celebrations at iconic restaurants across the country.

Goldbelly will create the Official America250 online food storefront, featuring the Taste of America250 collection, offering Party Kits, Gift Boxes for governors, state chairs, and corporate partners, and America's Official 250th Birthday Cake, to be unveiled ahead of July 4, 2026.

"Food is the last thing in America that everybody agrees on. Nobody checks your politics at the table," said Joe Ariel, Founder and CEO of Goldbelly. "American food was built by everyone who came here, every culture, every tradition, every family that crossed an ocean with a recipe. At Goldbelly, our mission is to connect people through food. For America's 250th, we're setting the table."

"As we prepare to celebrate America's 250th anniversary, food offers a powerful way to bring people together and tell the story of our nation," said Rosie Rios, Chair of America250. "Joe Ariel and Goldbelly have spent over a decade preserving and elevating the dishes and traditions that define American culture. There is no one better positioned to lead this effort."

As part of Taste of America250, Goldbelly will invite Americans in all 50 states to nominate the dish that best represents their state, culminating in the first-ever Official State Dish Registry, a permanent record of the foods that define each state's identity, alongside state birds, state trees, and state flowers.

Goldbelly joins a growing coalition of America250 partners, including JPMorgan Chase, Walmart, Coca-Cola, Kraft Heinz, Cracker Barrel, American Airlines, and Stellantis.

Additional details will be announced in the coming months.

About America250

America250's mission is to celebrate and commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, marking America's Semiquincentennial. We aim to inspire our fellow Americans to reflect on our past, strengthen our love of country, and renew our commitment to the ideals of democracy through programs that educate, engage, and unite us as a nation. For more information, visit America250.org.

About Goldbelly

Goldbelly is the leading platform for iconic American food. Founded in 2013, Goldbelly has partnered with more than 1,000 legendary restaurants, pitmasters, bakeries, and regional artisans across all 50 states, many of whom had never sold their food beyond their own communities before joining the platform. Through proprietary SafeShip logistics, Goldbelly pioneered nationwide delivery of perishable, artisanal foods, preserving and championing the regional food traditions that define American cuisine. Goldbelly is the Official Marketplace of Taste of America250. For more information, visit goldbelly.com.

About Joe Ariel

Joe Ariel has spent more than twenty years at the intersection of food, technology, and American culture. As Founder and CEO of Goldbelly, he created the category for iconic regional food nationwide, giving Americans access to the foods they grew up on, dream about, and could never reach before. Now, as the Official Food Curator of America's 250th anniversary, Ariel is leading the national effort to document and define the American food canon. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and on CBS Sunday Morning.

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SOURCE Goldbelly