Francis Lam Biography
Francis Lam is a food journalist, cookbook editor, and the host of American Public Media’s The Splendid Table since 2017.
How old is Francis Lam? – Age
His age and place of birth is not known.
Francis Lam Family – Education
Lam was born to Chinese immigrant parents who worked in Manhattan’s Chinatown in a small garment factory. His mother desired that he attend business, dental, or medical school. Lam recalls trying to hide his “stinky lunches” from classmates and wishing to “eat what white people ate.” He graduated in 1997 from the University of Michigan, where he majored in creative writing and Asian studies. In 2003, he received first place in his class at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA).
Is Francis Lam married? – Wife
Lam met his wife, Christine Gaspar, in Biloxi, Mississippi, while both were working for organizations that were assisting with the recovery from Hurricane Katrina. They tied the knot in July of 2013. They have a daughter and live in New York City.
Francis Lam Tattoos
Francis has three tattoos, one for each of the world’s three most important things: food, art, and love.
Francis Lam Net Worth
He has an estimated net worth of $19 Million.
Francis Lam Career
Lam returned to New York after graduating from Michigan and worked as a grant writer for non-profit organizations before enrolling at CIA. He described his experiences at the CIA in emails to friends. The emails were circulated, and he was contacted by a Financial Times editor who had read some of them and asked Lam to write for the publication. In 2004, he met Ruth Reichl, the then-editor of Gourmet, and began freelancing for her.
Gourmet hired him on as a regular employee in 2007. He was living in Biloxi, Mississippi at the time, working part-time for a non-profit assisting with Hurricane Katrina cleanup. He returned to New York in 2009. He has written for Food & Wine, Salon, and Bon Appétit, as well as a regular column about immigrant cooking for the New York Times Magazine, called Eat. In 2013, he was appointed editor-at-large at Clarkson Potter, where he edited cookbooks. Victuals: An Appalachian Journey by Ronni Lundy was one of his first purchases.
He also purchased Alex Stupak and Jordana Rothman’s Tacos: Recipes and Provocations, Austin Bush’s Food of Northern Thailand, Toni Tipton-The Martin’s Jemima Code, Kris Yenbamroong’s Night + Market, Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings, Sam Kass’ Eat a Little Better, and Ryan Jacobs’ Truffle Underground. From 2010 to 2017, he was a contributor and guest host on American Public Media’s The Splendid Table radio show, which he replaced with retiring host Lynne Rossetto Kasper. He was a judge on Top Chef Masters for two seasons. He serves on the board of the Southern Foodways Alliance.
