Francis Lam at Street Food conference (cropped)

Francis Lam is an American food journalist, cookbook editor, and since 2017 the host of

American Public Media American Public Media (APM) is an American company that produces and distributes public radio programs in the United States, the second largest company of its type after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and oper ...

's ''

The Splendid Table ''The Splendid Table'' is a weekly radio program about food hosted by Francis Lam. The program began in 1997 on Minnesota Public Radio, and was originally hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper until her retirement in 2017. It is produced and distrib ...

''.

Early life and education

Lam was born to Chinese immigrant parents living in New Jersey and working in Manhattan's

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

, where they operated a small garment factory. His mother wanted him to go to business, dental, or medical school. Lam remembers trying to hide his "stinky lunches" from schoolmates and that he "wanted to eat what white people ate." Lam attended the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, where he majored in creative writing and Asian studies, graduating in 1997. He graduated first in his class from

The Culinary Institute of America The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is a private culinary school with its primary campus in Hyde Park, New York, and branch campuses in St. Helena and Napa, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Singapore. The college, which was the first t ...

(CIA) in 2003.

Career

After graduating from Michigan, Lam moved back to New York and worked as a grant writer for non-profit organizations before attending CIA. While at CIA, he wrote emails to friends describing his experiences. The emails got passed around, and he was contacted by an editor at ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'' who had read some of them and asked Lam to write for the publication. In 2004 he met

Ruth Reichl Ruth Reichl (; born 1948), is an American chef, food writer and editor. In addition to two decades as a food critic, mainly spent at the ''Los Angeles Times'' and ''The New York Times'', Reichl has also written cookbooks, memoirs and a novel, and ...

, then editor of ''Gourmet'', and started freelancing for ''Gourmet''. In 2007 he received a contract from ''Gourmet'' for regular work. At the time he was living in Biloxi, Mississippi, working part-time for a non-profit helping with cleanup after Hurricane Katrina. In 2009 he moved back to New York. He has written for ''

Food & Wine ''Food & Wine'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and season ...

'', ''

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

'' and ''

Bon Appétit ''Bon Appétit'' is a monthly American food and entertaining magazine, that typically contains recipes, entertaining ideas, restaurant recommendations, and wine reviews. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered at the One World Trade Center i ...

'' and wrote a regular column, ''Eat,'' about immigrant cooking for ''New York Times Magazine''. In 2013 he became editor-at-large at

Clarkson Potter Clarkson Potter (September 19, 1880 – October 4, 1953) was an American golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, un ...

, editing cookbooks. One of his first acquisitions was ''Victuals: An Appalachian Journey'' by

Ronni Lundy Ronni Lundy (born 1949) is an author and editor in the U.S. whose work focuses on traditional American foods and music. Her books include ''Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes and Honest Fried Chicken: The Heart and Soul of Southern Country Kitchens'' (Atla ...

. He also acquired ''Tacos: Recipes and Provocations'' by Alex Stupak and Jordana Rothman, ''Food of Northern Thailand'' by Austin Bush, ''The Jemima Code'' by Toni Tipton-Martin, ''Night + Market'' by Kris Yenbamroong,

Chrissy Teigen Christine Diane Teigen (born November 30, 1985) is an American model and television personality. She made her professional modeling debut in the annual ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue in 2010 and later appeared on the 50th anniversary co ...

's ''Cravings,'' ''Eat a Little Better'' by

Sam Kass Samuel David Kass (born 1980) is an American political advisor, chef, and news personality, who served as President Barack Obama's Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy, Executive Director for First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaig ...

, and

Ryan Jacobs Ryan Jacobs (born 1989) is an American author, writer, and magazine editor. He is best known for his reporting in ''The Atlantic'', his editing at '' Pacific Standard,'' and his critically acclaimed first book, ''The Truffle Underground''. Early ...

' ''Truffle Underground''. He was a contributor to and guest host for American Public Media’s ''

'' radio show from 2010 until being named in 2017 as the replacement for retiring host Lynne Rossetto Kasper. He served two seasons as a judge for

Top Chef Masters ''Top Chef Masters'' is an American reality competition series that aired on the cable television network Bravo, and premiered June 10, 2009. It is a spinoff of Bravo's hit show ''Top Chef''. In the series, chefs A chef is a trained profes ...

. He is a board member for

Southern Foodways Alliance Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) is an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, dedicated to the documentation, study and exploration of the foodways of the American South. Member-funded, it stages ...

Personal life

Lam met his wife, Christine Gaspar, in Biloxi, Mississippi, while they were both working for organizations helping rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. They married in July 2013. They live in New York City and have a daughter.

Awards

Writing

* 2017

James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...

for Journalism/Humor for ''Recipes with Roots: The True Meaning of Turkey'' in ''

Cooking Light ''Cooking Light'' was an American monthly food and lifestyle magazine Lifestyle journalism is the field of journalism that provides news and opinion, often in an entertaining tone, regarding goods and services used by consumers in their everyda ...

'' * 2017 James Beard Foundation Award forJournalism/Column for ''Eat'' in ''New York Times Magazine'' (two awards) *2017

International Association of Culinary Professionals The International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) is a United States-based not-for-profit professional association whose members work in culinary education, communication, or the preparation of food and beverage. History The organizati ...

(IACP) for Food-Focused Column in ''New York Times Magazine'' * 2016 James Beard Foundation Award forJournalism/Column for ''Eat'' in New York Times Magazine *2016 IACP for Narrative Food Writing for ''What Edna Lewis Knew'' in ''New York Times Magazine'' *2016 IACP for Food Focused Column for ''New York Times Magazine'' * 2014 James Beard Foundation Award forJournalism/Profile for ''A Day on Long Island with Alex Lee'' in ''Lucky Peach''

Editing

* 2018 IACP for Best Single Subject for ''Hello, My Name Is Ice Cream: The Art and Science of the Scoop'' by Dana Cree *2017 James Beard Award winner for both Best American Book and Book of the Year for ''Victuals: An Appalachian Journey'' by Ronni Lundy *2017 IACP for American Cookbook for ''Victuals: An Appalachian Journey'' by Ronni Lundy *2016 IACP for Best Chefs and Restaurants for ''Tacos: Recipes and Provocations'' by Alex Stupak and Jordana Rothman

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lam, Francis American food writers Writers from New Jersey Writers from New York City American radio hosts University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni Culinary Institute of America alumni James Beard Foundation Award winners American editors American male non-fiction writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers International Association of Culinary Professionals award winners