The five chefs honored on these stamps — James Beard, Julia Child, Joyce Chen, Edna Lewis, and Felipe Rojas-Lombardi — revolutionized our understanding of food. Seeing cooking as a source of delight, they invited us to feast on regional and international flavors and were early but ardent champions of trends that many foodies now take for granted. As they shared their know-how, they encouraged us to undertake our own culinary adventures.

Widely credited with introducing the Spanish small-plate tapas concept to American restaurants, Felipe Rojas-Lombardi (1946–1991) drew upon the eclectic kitchens of his youth in Peru to raise the profile of South American cuisine in the United States.