Awards Watch: Awards Theme and Hosts Announced

Italian maven Lidia Bastianich, fusion pioneer Wolfgang Puck, and kitchen science cognoscente Alton Brown will share the podium at this year's James Beard Foundation Awards, which will go down on Monday, May 3, at Lincoln Center. The theme of this year's ceremony is "The Legacy Continues," a nod to the lasting impact that James Beard and his successors have had on American cuisine. We're asking every chef who has won our Outstanding Chef award (Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Grant Achatz, and others) to shine a spotlight on chefs whom they believe are extraordinary examples of excellence in our culinary world. The 2010 Awards Gala Reception will feature dishes from these established and emerging talents from around the country. (Some of our Outstanding Chef winners will be handing out this year's medals, so expect to see some of the big names in the house, too). We've also tapped Kelly Choi, host of Eat Out NY and Top Chef Masters, and Andrew Zimmern, host of Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel, to emcee our Media & Book Awards on Sunday, May 2.  Click here to get the complete details about the 2010 JBF Awards. Until then, stay tuned for our nominee announcement on Monday, March 22. We'll be live-tweeting the selections from the Palace Café in New Orleans, so if you don't already follow us on Twitter, get on board!