{"id":27572,"date":"2026-05-01T12:07:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T19:07:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=27572"},"modified":"2026-05-05T14:46:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T21:46:51","slug":"alumnus-george-stiffman-wants-you-to-rethink-tofu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/alumnus-george-stiffman-wants-you-to-rethink-tofu\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumnus George Stiffman wants you to rethink tofu"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/stiffman-proifle-top-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/stiffman-proifle-top-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/stiffman-proifle-top-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/stiffman-proifle-top-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Photo of George Stiffman\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  George Stiffman was included on the 2026 USC Dornsife 10 to Watch list, which recognizes high-achieving alumni. (Photo: Liz Sloan)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=alumni\">Alumni<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Alumnus George Stiffman wants you to rethink tofu<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  There\u2019s more than 30 different tofu textures and tastes. Stiffman \u201919 is working to get this variety onto more Americans\u2019 plates.  \n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Margaret Crable<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">May 1, 2026<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" 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cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">D<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">id you know there\u2019s a tofu variety that melts like cheese? How about one that bakes up like a pastry crust? <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/dornsife-alumni\/ten-to-watch\/george-stiffman\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">George Stiffman<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201919 is hoping that soon more Americans will be able to answer \u201cyes.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0self-described \u201ctofu evangelist,\u201d Stiffman is introducing Americans to tofu varieties they\u2019ve likely nev<\/span>er e<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ncountered. For this work, he was recently included in the inaugural USC Dornsife <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/dornsife-alumni\/ten-to-watch\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">10 to Watch <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">list, which highlights outstanding alumni of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.<\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-27574 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/stiffman-proifle-in-story-a-500x500.jpg\" alt=\"10 to Watch 2026 seal\" width=\"159\" height=\"159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/stiffman-proifle-in-story-a-500x500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/stiffman-proifle-in-story-a-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/stiffman-proifle-in-story-a-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/stiffman-proifle-in-story-a-320x320.jpg 320w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/stiffman-proifle-in-story-a.jpg 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 159px) 100vw, 159px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">S<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tiffman\u2019s interest in plant-based eating started in high school. Concerns about climate change led him to ditch meat to improve his carbon footprint, but the shift was initially hard. Local vegetarian options and meat-substitutes weren\u2019t all that exciting in his home town of St. Paul, Minnesota. \u201cI found it really difficult to give up my favorite foods,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then, Stiffman spent a summer in China studying Mandarin, where he encountered a wide range of plant-based dishes. \u201cYou could go downstairs out of your apartment building for breakfast and find fresh hot tofu pudding or mung bean cakes right there,\u201d he says. \u201cI decided to spend my career learning more about these foods and sharing them back home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>The Tofu Apprentice<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With thoughts of starting a restaurant or food business, he enrolled as a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marshall.usc.edu\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">USC Marshall School of Business<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> student. USC\u2019s big-city location and local Chinese community were a major draw \u2014 as was the sunshine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_27575\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27575\" style=\"width: 333px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-27575\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/stiffman-proifle-in-story-b-500x463.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of George Stiffman cooking with fellow chef.\" width=\"333\" height=\"308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/stiffman-proifle-in-story-b-500x463.jpg 500w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/stiffman-proifle-in-story-b-768x711.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/stiffman-proifle-in-story-b.jpg 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 333px) 100vw, 333px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-27575\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stiffman learned traditional vegetarian Chinese cooking while studying abroad. (Photo: Nate DiDomizio.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He eventually switched to an <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/ealc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">East Asian languages and cultures degree<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, to focus on his Mandarin skills. At USC Dornsife, he found his fellow students inspiring and open-minded. \u201cMy classmates were more curious about the world, more exploratory,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While completing his degree, Stiffman embarked on numerous study-abroad programs to China. He studied Fujianese cooking with a Buddhist chef and apprenticed under Luo Zhongda, a fifth-generation tofu master in Guiyang.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The apprenticeship was physically demanding. Workdays started at 1 a.m., with Stiffman helping to heat vast cauldrons of soy milk over wood fires before it was curdled and then pressed into different forms. It was notably more hands-on than the industrial tofu production in the U.S., which produces the bland cubes most Americans are familiar with. \u201cWorking there opened my eyes to how you could make tofu that tastes really, really delicious if you put your heart and soul into it,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>To(fu) boldly go \u2026<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After graduation, Stiffman began building a career as tofu\u2019s most devoted hype man. In 2023, he published a cookbook, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brokencuisine.com\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Broken Cuisine<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, recounting his experiences living, working and eatin<\/span>g in China. He credits writing skills built at USC Dornsife for enabling him to complete the project.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He\u2019s <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cooked for celebrities, including actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Chinese filmmaker Feng Xiaogang, and lectured at the Culinary Institute of America. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2024, he launched Soycery, which began as a pop-up selling barbecued tofu skewers and has since pivoted into a venture working to help institutional dining halls offer more tofu varieties.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His timing is good. Tofu is protein-packed, and protein is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aarp.org\/health\/healthy-living\/how-new-dietary-guidelines-affect-older-adults\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201chaving a moment\u201d <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in Americans diets these days. However, for Stiffman, his work remains centered in his original concern for the environment as well as animals. \u201cTofu has three times lower carbon emissions than chicken and 25 times lower emissions than beef,\u201d he says. Plus, it\u2019s a great alternative for those displeased by modern-day animal agriculture.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tofu might be an unusual focus for a career, but in an era in which technology is upending traditional career paths, pursuing the unexpected might be the best way forward. \u201cThe jobs themselves are going to rapidly change. Being able to think critically, figuring out where you can fit in or making your own role, that\u2019s going to be really important,\u201d says Stiffman.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"video-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Meet the USC Dornsife Alumnus Who's Rethinking Tofu\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dNn2vN_5o08?si=exCKlgyXeX1w31wz\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/usc-dornsife-magazine-wins-prsa-2026-bronze-anvil-award\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >USC Dornsife Magazine honored with one of the communications field\u2019s most prestigious awards<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/usc-dornsife-graduate-wins-us-innovation-competition-heads-to-world-final\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >USC Dornsife graduate wins US innovation competition, heads to world final<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/today.usc.edu\/mark-and-mary-stevens-give-200-million-to-power-ai-research-across-usc\/\" \n         target=\"_blank\"                 class=\"\" \n      >Mark and Mary Stevens give $200 million to power AI research across USC<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s more than 30 different tofu textures and tastes. Stiffman \u201919 is working to get this variety onto more Americans\u2019 plates.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":27573,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[264,177,133],"class_list":["post-27572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","tag-alumni","tag-east-asian-languages-and-cultures","tag-food"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Alumnus George Stiffman wants you to rethink tofu<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There\u2019s more than 30 different tofu textures and tastes. Stiffman \u201919 is working to get this variety onto more Americans\u2019 plates.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/alumnus-george-stiffman-wants-you-to-rethink-tofu\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alumnus George Stiffman wants you to rethink tofu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There\u2019s more than 30 different tofu textures and tastes. 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