New York Times Magazine Columnist Francis Lam Named New Host of The Splendid Table

Lam to host first show March 10 as long-time host Lynne Rossetto
Kasper retires later this year

ST. PAUL, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#welcomefrancis–American Public Media today announced that award-winning New York Times
Magazine columnist and Top Chef Masters judge Francis Lam will become
the new host of The Splendid Table. After 21 seasons, Lynne Rossetto
Kasper is retiring at the end of 2017 and will continue to contribute to
the program throughout the year until her retirement. Lam will host his
first show March 10.

“The tough part of knowing you want to launch a new life is figuring out
the ideal person to take over your chair,” said Rossetto Kasper. “In the
first five minutes of talking with Francis, I was a fan.” She added,
“Besides being a gifted cook and storyteller, he has a delicious sense
of humor about food and himself. He instinctively connects with people.
Francis is a gem for the next stage of The Splendid Table.”

“I am honored to be the new host of The Splendid Table,” said Lam. “I
have always admired Lynne—her knowledge, her turn of phrase, her
constant curiosity—but what I admire most is her warmth and generosity
of spirit and how that comes through in interviews and listener calls.
No one can ever fill her shoes, but I hope to build on the wonderful
foundation she has laid for the show and continue the conversation.”

A regular contributor and frequent guest host on The Splendid Table
since 2010, Lam is the former Eat columnist for The New York Times
Magazine and is Editor-at-Large at Clarkson Potter, a division within
Penguin Random House that is a leader in cookbook publishing. In his
tenure at Clarkson Potter, he has been the editor behind some of the
most creative and best-selling cookbooks and has worked with acclaimed
authors, some of the country’s hottest restaurateurs and chefs, as well
as celebrities Chrissy Teigen and Questlove.

For two seasons, Lam was a regular judge on Bravo’s hit show, Top Chef
Masters, a spinoff of Top Chef, where world-renowned chefs competed
against each other in weekly challenges.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Francis as our new host,” said Sally Swift,
co-creator and managing producer of The Splendid Table. “He is a
consummate host—warm, friendly, engaging and curious with serious
hands-on culinary chops. Listeners have always had a meaningful
connection with the work he’s done with us over the years, and we’re
excited to work with him on the next chapter of the show.”

In 2016, Lam won a James Beard Award and two International Association
of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Food Writing Awards for his column in
The New York Times Magazine. Over the past decade, his writing has been
recognized with numerous awards from both organizations, including a
James Beard Award in 2014 and IACP Bert Greene Awards for Food
Journalism in 2010 and 2014.

Previously, Lam was features editor at Gilt Taste, which was awarded six
IACP awards and four James Beard award nominations in its first two
years. He also worked as a senior writer at Salon.com and a contributing
editor at Gourmet magazine. He’s written for numerous publications,
including Bon Appetít, Food & Wine, Lucky Peach, Saveur, Men’s Journal,
and the Financial Times.

“As a writer, I’ve always said, I eat food because I love food, and I
cook food because I love food, but I write about food because I love
people,” said Lam. “Food has always been part of our shared experience
and bringing people together through storytelling about food is what
excites me most about my new role.”

The oldest of three children, Lam grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey,
where he says his parents commuted to Chinatown every day, so that
“their kids could live in a house with a lawn.” His career and life have
taken him from Portland, Ore., to Biloxi, Miss., with stints in
Michigan, Wyoming, Maine, as well as Hong Kong. A music aficionado, Lam
is a self-proclaimed karaoke expert and admits that football is his
“one, true, complicated love” and that “if you can talk food and
football, you can have a conversation with anyone in America.”

Lam graduated first in his class at the Culinary Institute of America
and holds a bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies and Creative Writing from
the University of Michigan. He lives with his family in New York City.

About The Splendid Table

Now in its twenty-first season, The Splendid Table is the show for
life’s appetites. A culinary, culture and lifestyle program that
celebrates the intersection of food and life, it can be heard on more
than 400 public radio stations nationwide, on demand at splendidtable.org
and via podcast at iTunes
or any podcast app. The show is produced and distributed by American
Public Media and has been listed on numerous “best of” podcast lists
including a recent nod by the Huffington Post’s Food Editor as the top
food podcast to listen to in 2016. The show also was featured on CNN as
one of the top five food podcasts of 2016. Find The Splendid Table on Facebook,
Twitter,
Pinterest,
and Tumblr.

About American Public Media

American Public Media is one of the largest producers and distributors
of public radio programming in the world, with a portfolio that includes
A Prairie Home Companion®, BBC World Service, Marketplace®, and the
leading classical music programming in the nation. APM also offers a
diverse array of podcasts featuring the best in food, culture,
entertainment, business and investigative journalism. YourClassical,
APM’s lifestyle classical music stream, packages classical music in an
unconventional and innovative way with streams suited for life’s biggest
moments and everyday situations. For more information about American
Public Media, visit americanpublicmedia.org.

Source: Data are copyright Nielsen Audio. Data are estimates only.

Contacts

American Public Media
Media contact:
Jen Keavy, 651-290-1271
jkeavy@americanpublicmedia.org