Alton Brown Will Host the 2015 James Beard Awards

Television food personality/gadfly/beef liver hater Alton Brown is adding yet-another gig to his resume: Brown has been tapped to host the 2015 James Beard Foundation Awards, taking place in Chicago on May 5. (The annual event recognizes excellence in the culinary industry and the full list of 2015 semifinalists is here; the official finalists will be revealed on March 24.) This year's event will mark Brown's second time hosting the Beards: He acted as master of ceremonies for the 2012 awards in New York City, and in the years since, has been honing his live presence during his ongoing "Alton Brown Live! The Edible Inevitable" tour. Meanwhile, The Chew panelist/Kickstarting chef Carla Hall will host the James Beard Foundation's Book, Broadcast & Journalism Awards Dinner, taking place April 24.

The Foundation press release also reveals the line-up of chefs scheduled to cook at the post-awards reception on May 4. The full list, below:

· Justin Aprahamian, Sanford Restaurant, Milwaukee
· Jimmy Bannos Jr., The Purple Pig, Chicago
· Jamie Bissonnette, Toro, Boston & New York City
· Dave Beran, NEXT, Chicago
· David Chang, Momofuku, New York City
· Ashley Christensen, Poole's Diner, Raleigh, NC
· Colby Garrelts, Bluestem, Kansas City
· Brooks Headley, Del Posto, New York City
· Jennifer Jasinski, Rioja, Denver
· Melissa Kelly, Primo Restaurants Ltd, Rockland, ME
· Tory McPhail, Commander's Palace, New Orleans
· Daniel Patterson, Coi, San Francisco
· Ryan Prewitt, Pêche Seafood Grill, New Orleans
· Chris Shepherd, Underbelly, Houston
· Nancy Silverton, Mozza Restaurant Group, Los Angeles
· Vikram Sunderam, Rasika, Washington, D.C.
· Takashi Yagihashi, Slurping Turtle, Chicago