Apparatus for holding cooked food transiently in a warm condition pending service of the food, e.g., in restaurant settings, includes a housing structure defining a food holding area, and a heating device positioned adjacent the food holding area to apply radiant warming heat directly to food in the holding area. The housing structure defines a continuous air circulation path with a first portion of the path extending over the heating device and a second portion of the path extending through the food holding area. A fan is disposed outside the food holding area to produce recirculating movement of air in the air circulation path. The combination of direct radiant heating by the heating device and recirculation of air through the food holding area is effective to maintain cooked food against degradation in edibility for a period of time substantially extended beyond the heating of the cooked food alone.