A large proportion of sustainability issues are linked to our food systems. There are a range of innovators who are addressing these issues and promote more sustainable solutions. One innovator in particular, Alice Waters, has been at the forefront of this development for almost 50 years and has developed an open innovation ecosystem approach for food systems. This innovation ecosystem offers a prime context in which to study the impact of the digital transformation on open innovation. In this case study, we explore the young Chez Panisse and the current Edible Schoolyard through the lens of 24 open innovation challenges developed from Chesbrough and Appleyard (2007) and Van de Vrande et al. (2009). Our research illustrates the impact of digital transformation on a selection of the open innovation challenges and indicates avenues in which digital transformation can support the development and successful implementation of open innovation ecosystems. Thus, it can provide guidance to managers and entrepreneurs and lead to solutions to overcome open innovation challenges.