Francis Lam

When he finally did it, Francis decided he would get three tattoos, one for each of the things most important in the world: food, art, and love.

"But what about politics? What about justice?" he later fretted.

His friend said, "My politics all come out of love." And so he stuck to the three tattoo plan.

Before he was telling you about his tattoos, Francis worked with nonprofit organizations and taught writing and literature to students in the woods. He is currently Editor-at-Large at Clarkson Potter, Random House's culinary books imprint, and a judge on Top Chef Masters.

He was the features editor of the short-lived Gilt Taste, which which was awarded six IACP awards and four James Beard award nominations in its first two years.

He was a Contributing Editor at Gourmet magazine (RIP), a senior writer at Salon, and a contributor to the Financial Times, the New York Times, Bon Appetit, and Food & Wine. His writing has been nominated for a James Beard Award and several International Association of Culinary Professionals awards, winning one.

His work has also appeared in the 2006 - 2012 editions of Best Food Writing. He believes that, in professional football, that would count as a dynasty; in ancient China, not so much. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Culinary Institute of America, and makes the meanest ratatouille.