The James Beard Foundation has announced the five 2015 inductees to the Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America. The prestigious award is given to renowned culinary professionals who have made a significant and unique contribution to the American food and beverage industry. This year’s honorees will be celebrated at the annual James Beard Foundation Awards presented by Lexus on Monday, May 4, 2015, at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

 "This year's Who's Who honorees join an impressive group of over 250 of our country's most respected food industry leaders,” says Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation. “Their impact on cultural cuisine, food production and mixology is both substantial and exciting." 

 The James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who is a cadre of the most accomplished food and beverage professionals in the country. Though they represent a diverse cross-section of the food and beverage industry—from chefs to journalists to farmers to business executives to scholars—each has been identified by his or her peers as having displayed remarkable talent and achievement. Begun in 1984 by Cook’s Magazine, the Who’s Who has been administered by the James Beard Foundation since 1990. 
The 2015 James Beard Foundation Awards Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America Inductees are:
Allan Benton, Pork Producer and Purveyor/Madisonville, Tennessee
Dale DeGroff, Mixologist/NYC
Wylie Dufresne, Chef and Restaurateur/NYC
Nathalie Dupree, Cookbook Author and Television Personality/Charleston
Maricel Presilla, Chef, Restaurateur, and Cookbook Author/Hoboken, New Jersey

During the Awards Ceremony, which is open to the public, special achievement awards will also be announced, including Humanitarian of the Year, Lifetime Achievement and Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America. A gala reception will immediately follow featuring top chefs and beverage professionals from across the country.