Padma Lakshmi Is This Year's James Beard 'Chefs & Champagne' Honoree

If you're looking to rub elbows with Top Chef host/producer and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi, this summer's James Beard Foundation fundraiser may be the best opportunity to do so while supporting a great cause. Lakshmi is to be the guest of honor at the Foundation's annual Chefs & Champagne event this July. The gala features a silent auction, a VIP reception, and tastings from more than 35 chefs and suppliers. The guest of honor title has previously been bestowed upon the likes of Daniel Boulud, Martha Stewart, Julia Child, Carla Hall, and Wolfgang Puck.

"I am excited to be joining the ranks of previous guests of honor such as Julia Child and Martha Stewart to support the foundation’s mission to make America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone," Lakshmi said in a statement. "Bringing attention to JBF scholarship, women’s leadership, and other impact programs aligns with many of the causes that are close to my heart."

"Padma’s passion for food, family, and feminism as well as her business savvy makes her an ideal guest of honor at this year’s Chefs & Champagne," James Beard Foundation CEO Clare Reichenbach said. "She is such an inspiring role model for future generations of chefs, writers, and entrepreneurs. We look forward to celebrating her accomplishments this summer in the Hamptons."

The James Beard Foundation's Chefs & Champagne fundraiser will be held Saturday, July 28 at the W?lffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, Long Island. Tickets are $225 for Foundation members and $300 for non-members. VIP tickets and ten-person tables are available as well. Find more information and buy tickets on the JBF website.

Here's a full list of the chefs and vendors currently slated to cater the event:

Alex Baker, Yves, NYC
Emma Bengtsson, Aquavit, NYC
Janine Booth and Jeff McInnis, Root & Bone, NYC
Peter Botros, The Stone House at Clove Lakes, Staten Island, NY
PJ Calapa, Scampi, NYC
Adrienne Cheatham, Sunday Best Dinner Series, NYC
Jessica Craig, L’Artusi, NYC
Suzanne Cupps, Untitled at the Whitney, NYC
Georgette Farkas, Rotisserie Georgette, NYC
Tom Fraker, Melissa's Produce, CA
Nicole Gajadhar, Saxon + Parole, NYC
Gregory Gourdet, Sage Restaurant Group, Portland, OR
Joe Gurrera, Citarella, CT, and NY
Patti Jackson, Delaware and Hudson, Brooklyn, NY
Nick Kim and Jimmy Lau, Shuko, NYC
Sarabeth Levine, Sarabeth’s; NYC
Mina Newman, Sen Sakana, NYC
Ayesha Nurdjaja, Shuka, NYC
Chintan Pandya, Rahi, NYC
Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, Don Angie, NYC
Barbara Sibley, La Palapa, NYC
Joseph Smith, W?lffer Kitchen, Amagansett and Sag Harbor, NY
Roxanne Spruance, Kingsley, NYC
Chris Starkus, Urban Famer, Denver, CO
Hilary Sterling, Vic’s, NYC
Audrey Villegas, 2 Spring, Oyster Bay, NY
Jason Weiner, Almond, NYC
Mathew Woolf, Rainbow Room, Bar SixtyFive, NYC
Emily Yuen, Bessou, NYC