Barbara Lynch Included in Time 100

Barbara Lynch is having a year: The Boston restaurateur has been included on Time’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world for her work in the restaurant industry. The annual list names the pioneers, artists, leaders, titans, and icons who are “shaping the future.” This year, Time has named Lynch a “pioneer,” alongside Full Frontal host Samantha Bee, comedian and director Jordan Peele, and First Daughter Ivanka Trump.

A titan on the Boston restaurant scene, Lynch now has seven restaurants, not including a restaurant project with Eataly Boston, two James Beard Awards, and a memoir, out this month, that covers her rise from a poor South Boston childhood to culinary fame.

In her dedication to Lynch, Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi recalls a time the chef invited her for a 12-person dinner party and prepared a feast in under an hour, noting that she’s the kind of person who “gets things done, even when they seem impossible.” Lakshmi writes, “She is a great teacher and a true provider — not just of glorious foods but of different spaces for people to flourish and grow in.”

Lynch continues to make this true. She recently announced eventual plans to transfer ownership of her restaurants to her staff to focus on her dehydrated vegetable line, Made, and her dream of opening a bank for women. Congratulations to the restaurateur on a well-deserved honor.

• The 100 Most Influential People in the World: Barbara Lynch [Time]
• Boston’s Barbara Lynch Wants to Open a Bank for Women [E]