Wylie Dufresne and Allan Benton Recognized on James Beard Foundations 'Who's Who' List

Today, the James Beard Foundation announced five new inductees to its annual Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America list. According to a press release, the "prestigious award is given to renowned culinary professionals who have made a significant and unique contribution to the American food and beverage industry." The winners will join a group of 250 other previous inductees.

This year's inductees include Allan Benton, the owner of the famed meat producer Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams. His pork products are frequently found on the menus of restaurants by top chefs like Sean Brock and David Chang. New York City chef and restaurateur Wylie Dufrense is also on the list for his pioneering work in molecular gastronomy. Other honorees include James Beard Award-winning mixologist Dale DeGroff — known as "King Cocktail" — as well as fellow James Beard Award winner Latin chef and cookbook author Maricel E. Presilla. The fifth inductee is three time James Beard Award winning television personality Nathalie Dupree — the author of 14 cookbooks.

The five winners will be celebrated at this year's James Beard Awards — which will be hosted by Alton Brown —  on May 4, 2015 in Chicago.