Brand: United States Postal Service

The five chefs honored on these stamps-James Beard, Julia Child, Joyce Chen, Edna Lewis, and Felipe Rojas-Lombardi-revolutionized our understanding of food. Viewing cooking as a source of delight, they invited us to indulge in regional and international flavors and were early but ardent champions of trends that many food lovers now take for granted. By sharing their knowledge, they encouraged us to embark on our own culinary adventures. These stamps feature digital illustrations depicting the five chefs in a style meant to resemble oil paintings. The selvage design is meant to depict a white china plate resting on a fine linen tablecloth. Professor and author James Beard (1903-1985) avidly fostered a more vibrant food culture in the United States. He was a passionate advocate of local ingredients and markets, and his popular books covered everything from seafood to bread. Through cookbooks, a pioneering television show, and her landmark Boston-area restaurants, Joyce Chen (1917-1994) became one of America's greatest popularizers of Chinese food. She is also credited with introducing the flat-bottomed wok to American kitchens. Julia Child (1912-2004) demystified French cuisine in the United States. Her wildly popular television shows and cookbooks made her synonymous with American cuisine for more than 40 years, and she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003. Widely credited with introducing the tapas concept of Spanish small plates to American restaurants, Felipe Rojas-Lombardi (1946-1991) drew on the eclectic cuisines of his youth in Peru to raise the profile of Southern American cuisine in the United States. Jason Seiler created the art for this issue. Art director Greg Breeding was the designer. Will Celebrity Chefs stamps be issued as Forever? stamps. Will these Forever stamps always be the same value as the current first-class mail? rate of one ounce. Made in the USA.