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Food Network has brought all kinds of chefs into our living rooms over the past few decades, and with it, some unforgettable shows. Whether they inspired you to get cooking—or just made you really, really hungry—here are the ones we wish would make a comeback.
Emeril Lagasse came to Food Network in 1995 with his cooking show Essence of Emeril. The chef offered recipes in experimental Creole, AKA the “New New Orleans” style he had become known for in the early 90s. Around this time, hed made a name for himself at the legendary New Orleans restaurant Commanders Palace, his own restaurant Emerils, and through his cookbook, .
He made even more of a splash, however, in 1997 with his energetic live show—which also featured a studio audience and house band, as well as musical and celebrity guests—Emeril Live.
This is the show that spawned the inimitable catchphrases Lagasse would use when seasoning his food: “Bam,” “oh yeah, baby!” and “kick it up a notch!” Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
If you need more Emeril in your life, hes now partnered with a cruise ship, taking food-filled journeys through the seas.
What followed was the cancellation of some popular Food Network shows.Emeril Live. Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images. … Molto Mario. Shutterstock. … Sara’s Secrets. Cindy Ord/Getty Images. … East Meets West. Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images. … Bobby’s Dinner Battle. … Ace of Cakes. … Down Home with the Neelys. … A Cook’s Tour.
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Emeril Live. Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images. …
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Molto Mario. Shutterstock. …
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Sara’s Secrets. Cindy Ord/Getty Images. …
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East Meets West. Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images. …
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Bobby’s Dinner Battle. …
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Ace of Cakes. …
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Down Home with the Neelys. …
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A Cook’s Tour.
Cooking Live with Sara Moulton
In an age of speedy time-lapse cooking videos, its almost difficult to imagine the premise of Cooking Live with Sara Moulton—in which the former executive chef of Gourmet Magazine did, in fact, cook live on the air, taking calls from viewers as she went—but the show was incredibly successful when it ran from 1996 to 2002.
In fact, it was so successful it then ran again briefly in 2003 and 2004, producing more than 1,200 episodes total. People loved her simplification of usually difficult recipes, and she became one of Food Networks first mega-stars. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Moulton went on to hosts “Saras Weeknight Meals” on public television and is the author the “Kitchen Wise” Associated Press column. She released her most recent cookbook, , a few years back.
Host Ming Tsai actually began his television cooking career while filling in for Sara Moulton during a week she was absent. His own show, East Meets West, premiered not too long after in 1998—the same year, incidentally, that his Wellesley, MA, restaurant Blue Ginger earned a nomination for Best New Restaurant from the James Beard Foundation.
On the show, Tsai shared recipes in his signature style, combining both Asian and European influences. His success continued from the restaurant to the show, which earned a Daytime Emmy win. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
East Meets West went off the air in 2003, but Tsai went on to host Simply Ming on American Public Television since then, and you can check out some of the most recent episodes here.
Boyish, charming, British Jamie Oliver entered the kitchens and hearts of Americans when his BBC-produced show The Naked Chef first aired in America on the Food Network in 1999. The “naked” in the title, to the chagrin of some, referred not to Oliver but to the way he prepared food: simple, yet rich, meals involving minimal effort.
Oliver quickly became a food world sex symbol. Though The Naked Chef ended in 2001, it spawned several other series throughout the years, including Food Networks own Jamie at Home later on. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
In the last few years, Oliver has dedicated a great deal of effort on ending childhood obesity—and was made an Honorary Fellow by Englands Royal College of General Practitioners for doing so—most recently by focusing on the problem in a 2015 documentary called Jamies Sugar Rush.
The legendary chef had been on television before, of course, but it was beginning on the Food Network in 2000 that he had his very own self-titled show. For five seasons, Puck gave insights into his daily life and traveled around the country exploring different regional cuisines, while also cooking and sharing secrets behind the dishes that made him famous.
Once, he even fulfilled a lifelong dream by welcoming the legendary Julia Child onto his show to help him cook Guinea Fowl. Wolfgang Puck added a little bit of luxury to viewers lives, not to mention killer cooking techniques.Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Puck won an Emmy for the series in 2002, and eventually hosted or appeared on several more cooking shows. Pucks restaurants continue to thrive the world over…and no, you probably still cant get a table at Spago.
Reality show Ace of Cakes followed baker Duff Goldmans Baltimore cakery Charm City Cakes as he and his team went above and beyond to create utterly amazing cakes for a variety of events each week, sometimes in a matter of days. The storylines focused not just on cake creation and construction, but small business ownership, interpersonal interactions with the team and clients.
Combining Goldmans backgrounds in metal-smithing and classic pastry-making, these cakes had (and continue to have) everything: sound, movement, smoke. Legend has it the bakery even dreamed up a life-size baby elephant cake once upon a time. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
While Ace of Cakes itself ended in 2011 after 10 seasons, Charm City Cakes is alive and kicking in Baltimore and its newest location in Los Angeles. Goldman still appears on a variety of Food Network baking shows, like Worst Bakers in America and the Holiday Baking Championship.
The Real Reason The Food Network Canceled These Popular Shows
FAQ
What show was Cancelled on Food Network?
Why did Food Network cancel Valerie’s Home Cooking?
Who was the old host of the Food Network?
Why was Food Network canceled?
Bertinelli, who also served as an executive producer on the cooking series, said the reasoning behind the show’s cancellation remains unclear to her. “Food Network canceled us last summer, I have no idea why. And I didn’t say anything last summer because honestly, I was hoping they would change their mind,” Bertinelli said in the video.
What happened to Food Network shows?
While certain Food Network shows may not air anymore, that doesn’t mean they’re gone for good. They may have been placed on the back burner, flat out canceled, or moved to the network’s sister programming Cooking Channel or Discovery+.
Is ‘Valerie’s home cooking’ canceled?
Valerie Bertinelli, host of Food Network’s “Valerie’s Home Cooking,” revealed that the show is being canceled after 14 seasons on Instagram Saturday.
Was ‘Iron Chef’ canceled?
He said the show’s concept didn’t work but also claims that it wasn’t meant to be a multi-season show anyway, so technically it wasn’t canceled. Since then, Bobby Flay has had plenty of other fish to fry, including time in the “Iron Chef” franchise, and in 2018, he signed an exclusive three-year deal with Food Network.