Women’s History Month is all about celebrating the women who shaped the world we live in, most of which go unrecognized or unknown. In the food industry, we can take for granted the countless innovations and foods we interact with daily. But behind many of these iconic inventions, there was a woman who set out to solve a problem. Here are 7 food-related inventions created by women that changed our lives for the better.
Frozen Pizza
Although it’s one of the most consumed foods in America, pizza only became popular after Italian immigrants brought it to the US in the early 19th century. While a man filed a patent for a type of refrigerated pizza in 1954, Rose Totino is widely known as the “mother” of frozen pizza, developing the first marketable version in 1962.
Rose and her husband ran a successful pizzeria in Minneapolis but as demand grew, she knew the business could expand. She explored ways to venture into the frozen food market, and by the late 1960s, Totino’s frozen pizzas became a national sensation.
The brand’s success led to its acquisition by the Pillsbury Company in 1975, where Totino became Pillsbury’s first-ever female corporate vice president. She helped patent the brand’s signature “Crisp Crust,” and was inducted into the Minnesota Inventor’s Hall of Fame, further cementing the legacy Totino’s maintains today (pizza rolls, anyone?).
Electric Refrigerator
Rose Totino may have never even imagined frozen pizza if it weren’t for Florence Parpart’s invention of the electric refrigerator in 1914.
Tired of constantly picking up a new block of ice every morning for her family’s ice box, as a skilled inventor, Florence knew there was a better solution. She studied past refrigeration inventions before crafting prototypes with her husband. She ultimately perfected a model that used electricity to circulate cold water through the refrigerator, patenting her invention in 1914.
Florence was also incredibly successful in marketing and selling her electric refrigerators to companies across the United States, competing with much larger corporations. Although she was not fully credited for the invention during her lifetime, she deserves proper recognition for her invaluable contribution to modern refrigeration.
Dubai Chocolate
There’s a reason why Sarah Hamouda, an entrepreneur and chocolatier, originally named her creation the “Can’t Get Knafeh Of It” bar when it launched through her brand Fix Dessert Chocolatier in 2021. From Starbucks to Trader Joe’s to Shake Shack, “Dubai chocolate” quickly took both the chocolate and pistachio industries by storm, remaining a viral sensation since its debut in 2021.
The dessert became a global phenomenon after a TikTok taste test — now garnering nearly 150 million views — but the idea itself came from Hamouda’s pregnancy craving for knafeh, a traditional Middle Eastern dessert. To replicate those flavors, the chocolate bar contains a rich filling of pistachio cream, tahini, and crunchy knafeh pastry, creating a textual experience people loved.
As demand skyrocketed, other other retailers began producing their own versions of Dubai chocolate, but the original “Can’t Get Knafeh Of It” bar from Hamouda’s company is still handmade in small patches and sold exclusively in the United Arab Emirates. Through her invention and its global influence on the dessert market, Hamouda may be one of the most influential women in the last 10 years.
Lactose-Free Dairy Products
One thing we know: hot girls are lactose intolerant. What would we have done without Virginia Holsinger’s research on enzymes and digestion in the dairy industry that became the foundation for lactose-free products?
As an analytical chemist for the USDA’s Dairy Products Lab, the majority of Holsinger’s work went into creating digestible milk for individuals with lactose intolerance — which affects nearly 30 million Americans. She studied lactase enzymes and compared their performance under different pH conditions, with and without the presence of glucose, and more. She published her findings in 1974 and collaborated closely with the founder of Lactaid.
Her inventions helped her lead a research team to develop a reduced-fat mozzarella cheese suitable for pizza, provide healthier school lunches nationwide, and supply the US Army with suitable powdered milk with reduced lactose for field rations. She was awarded the Women in Science and Engineering Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995 and was inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2025.
Dishwasher
The definition of ahead of her time, Josephine Cochrane invented the first successful commercial dishwasher in 1885. Although she had an early interest in engineering, she didn’t have the resources to pursue formal education in the field, but she always had an eye for problem-solving.
Similar to Florence Parpart, Cochrane’s invention was born out of frustration of an outdated process. To stop the chipping of her fine china, Cochrane designed a machine that used water pressure instead of hand scrubbing, and had compartments for plates, cups, and saucers.
Her invention debuted at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, and although Cochrane hoped to market the dishwasher to women, the high price tag only made it accessible to hotels, restaurants, and hospitals. Still, the large-model could wash and dry 240 dishes in two minutes!
Cochrane’s company, the Garis-Cochran Dish-Washing Co., was eventually purchased in 1949 and became what is now known as KitchenAid. In recognition of her invention, manufacturing skills, and sales expertise, Cochrane was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006.
Bagged Potato Chips
While the humble potato chip was invented in 1853, it wasn’t until more than 70 years later that Laura Scudder transformed how they were stored and distributed. In 1926, she invented the first modern, sealed wax-paper bag that improved the snack industry forever.
We all know there’s nothing worse than a stale potato chip, and before Scudder’s invention, that was often the norm. Chips were stored in barrels or glass display cases, which also made them tedious to transport, limiting their reach nationwide. Everything changed when Scudder ironed two pieces of wax paper together, creating a moisture-proof, sealable bag that quickly became the chips’ new staple packaging and allowed for mass distribution.
She later began selling her own product — known as Laura Scudders’ Chips — and the company eventually sold for $100 million after her death in 1986.While her sealed wax-paper bag was originally designed for potato chips, Scudder’s innovation has expanded across the food industry, helping keep all types of chips fresh. Beyond her contribution to the lucrative potato chip industry, Scudder was also a nurse and the first female attorney in Ukiah, California.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Although there’s a common rumor that the chocolate chip cookie was created by accident, it was actually created quite intentionally — largely thanks to Ruth Wakefield. A college-educated dietician, teacher, and acclaimed chef, Wakefield was also the co-founder of Toll House Inn, an iconic Massachusetts restaurant. While the inn was visited by notable figures like Eleanor Roosevelt, it was equally known for its desserts — especially the “Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookies,” which featured gooey chocolate chunks.
As the cookie’s popularity grew, so did sales of Nestle’s semi-sweet chocolate bar as people tried to replicate the cookies themselves. After Wakefield appeared on Betty Crocker’s radio program advertising “America’s go-to cookie,” Nestle asked Wakefield if she would publish her recipe on their chocolate bar wrappers. From that moment on, the “Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie” became a household staple.
While there are earlier accounts of chocolate-chip-ish cookies before Wakefield popularized her rendition, she is largely credited with popularizing the recipe and making it the one of the most loved desserts to this day.