Bam! Emeril to host food awards ceremony

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Honoring gastronomical delights and the chefs who created them is the main course for the Food Network Awards during a food festival in Miami Beach, Fla.

The ceremony for first-ever awards for achievements in the world of food and entertaining will be Feb. 23 during the Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival, the network said.

Chef Emeril Lagasse will be master of ceremonies during the 90-minute event, which will be broadcast April 15 on the Food Network. Lagasse, who hosts "Emeril Live!" on the network, will both introduce Food Network hosts who will present awards, as well as present select awards himself throughout the show.

Academy Award winner Catherine Zeta-Jones and Golden Globe nominee Aaron Eckhart also are scheduled presenters, the network said. Zeta-Jones and Eckhart star in the upcoming romantic drama, "No Reservations," about two rival Manhattan chefs.

Other Food Network presenters will include Rachael Ray, Giada De Laurentiis, Bobby Flay, Paula Deen, Bobby Deen, Sandra Lee, Alton Brown and Nigella Lawson.