José Andrés, Influential Food Figures Blog For Nat Geo Food

National Geographic has just launched its new, globally conscious web portal about food —specifically, "our complex relationship with what we eat and where our food comes from —and brought along a team of culinary figures to weigh in on daily questions about food, in an editorial section called The Plate.

Chef José Andrés, journalist Maryn McKenna, and food writer Mary Beth Albright are among the contributors who are asked to consider "Why do I care about food?"

José Andrés (who hangs out with us too) writes about the power of food. The chef talks about being shaped by his mother's cooking and how he hopes to do the same for his children through his own cooking, and food as a political statement among other topics.

Maryn McKenna talks about "discovering that food could usher you into an entirely different experience," and Albright mulls over the value of home cooking ("It's our modern fire pit").

Suffice it to say, it's worth a look.

Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy.