Some shows are meant to be put on the chopping block, but Food Network made a mistake canceling
these memorable, fan and foodie favorites. So, grab a seat and a plate, and let's have
a taste at some of the shows Food Network never should have canceled.
We'll start our nine-course meal with one of the first Food Network shows that ever
launched, "Taste". The star of "Taste", David Rosengarten, wasn't your average chef. In
fact, he wasn't even formally trained! He was your simple, buttoned-downed, everyday
man who had a love for dramatic literature and teaching theatre.
So, how did he even get featured on one of the most mouth-watering channels on television?
Well, Food Network sort of found him. And by found him, we mean, found him after he
taped a failed PBS pilot, which Food Network got a hold of. He was then hired as a co-host
with Donna Hanover on "Food News and Views" in 1993.
The following year, Rosengarten created "Taste", which was a show focused on one simple recipe
per episode. From crispy BLTs to Oysters, Rosengarten flavored the show with his impressive
skills and witty humor.
"Taste" ran for a total of eight years, but was canceled in 2001 when Food Network decided
to dump its so-called “dump and stir shows”.
Think Rosengarten's career went to the dumpster along with it? Think again. Since then, he's
had quite a substantial career as an award-winning cookbook writer, teacher, journalist, and
wine connoisseur. Even Food Network contacted him years later, asking whether he'd be open
to auditioning for The Next Food Network Star.
Moral of the story? Follow your dreams. You never know when your degree in dramatic literature
might give you the skills to become a chef with your own, little fancy TV show kitchen.
Sometimes, you'll get what you don't want. And for Sarah Moulton, the star of Food Network's
"Cooking Live", that's sort of what happened.
In a KLCS interview, she told the interviewer that she never wanted to be on television,
saying,
"I thought that was tacky, only people who needed attention did that."
Well, sometimes you get what you don’t wish for, and in 1997, her show "Cooking Live"
premiered.
Unlike David Rosengarten, Moulton actually was a trained chef. She graduated from the
Culinary Institute of America in 1977 and eventually started working at a restaurant
in Boston. So how'd she find her stardom with the Food Network channel? It all came down
to who she knew.
While working at the restaurant in Boston, a coworker recommended Sara Moulton to Julia
Child after volunteering for Julia Child's show, "Julia Child and More Company". Soon
enough, the two hit it off and Moulton started testing recipes for Child.
Moulton's mentorship with Child helped secure her a job as an executive chef on “Good
Morning America,” where she again worked behind the camera. This is when Food Network
swooped in and hired her to run the network's kitchen. In 1993, after she shot an episode
for the Food Network's "How To Boil Water," they offered her a show called "Cooking Live".
Unlike “Taste”, which focused on a single recipe per episode, Sara Moulton's show focused
on three prepared recipes centered around featured ingredients.
Moulton flourished on the show as a fierce multi-tasker who always made food look delicious.
She always kept cooking, despite the occasional odd question from a viewer. And she always
smiled, a technique she learned from Child.
After a whopping 1,200 episodes, Food Network decided to cancel the show in 2004. Moulton
blamed the network's shift in viewer demographics, telling Eater:
"It had been women of I don't know what age group. But they changed it to 15-13-year-old-males.
[…] They were more interested in really good looking people with really big personalities."
Next up is one of the most entertaining Food Network shows ever made, "Emeril Live" starring
the one and only Emeril Lagasse.
Back in 1993, Food Network reached out to the chef Lagasse and offered him a starring
role on the show "How to Boil Water". Lagasse later admitted to “New Times” that the
show stunk, but Food Network already knew they had a star on their hands, which led
to Emeril's next show, "Essence of Emeril" and, eventually, "Bam!".
However, the one that really took the cake was Lagasse's famous show, "Emeril Live" which
launched in 1997.
The show had an unusual format, which featured Lagasse cooking multiple dishes, sometimes
all at once, in front of a live audience with a live jazz band highlighting the action.
The dynamic formula was an instant hit for viewers. "Emeril Live" became a sensation.
Even former Food Network president Judy Girard recognized the show as being one of Food Network's
great's, saying:
"It only takes one show to make a network. […] and Food Network fortunately had Emeril."
But, by 2004, Food Network's "dump and stir shows" were losing ratings to the competition
cooking shows. So, just like that, "Emeril Live" was axed in 2007.
1998’s "East Meets West" - one of the Food Network's first ever "food fusion" cooking
shows, wasn't just personality-driven, but educational, too.
The star behind the show, Ming Tsai, was a simple chef at a Santa Fe Restaurant. He found
his footing with Food Network after being asked to appear on “Dining Around,” a
food-travel show.
He stood out from the competition by uttering this simple phrase that earned him a five-part
competition-style show:
"Hey, I'm Ming Tsai, I was born Chinese, I am still Chinese, and today I'm cooking lamb."
He became known as the resident "Asian expert" after filling in for Sara Moulton on "Cooking
Live". Soon thereafter, he was sent on a two-day media-training seminar, and, in 1998, his
show "East Meets West" premiered with elevated success.
His onscreen personality was influenced by his idols, such as Julia Child and Jeff Smith.
He honed his sharp wit but mellowed it, when necessary, with a laid-back style. At the
time, Americans knew little about Chinese cuisine, so he taught culture and history
as he whipped together inspiring recipes.
In just the show's first year, Tsai won Food Network's first Emmy Award as an Outstanding
Service-Show Host.
However, after a five year run, the show was canceled in 2003. So what became of Ming Tsai?
His career continued. He moved onto PBS, creating yet another award-winning show, and flew to
success after admitting to “First We Feast” that the Food Network channel had:
"...Morphed into a reality television show".
Reality TV or big personalities? While we'll never know what really drew in hungry viewers
on the Food Network, the next show on the chopping block, "Party Line With The Hearty
Boys", had the best of both plates.
Run by the first season winners of “The Next Food Network Star” in 2005, Dan Smith
and Steve McDonagh, filled the show with three recipes whipped up in just 17 minutes, while
McDonagh offered entertaining tips and tricks.
The Hearty Boys were used to being the life of the party. Former actors, the two created
a Chicago-based catering company called Hearty Boys Catering, which catered to gay weddings.
Gay men themselves, they didn't just cater to gay potential viewers; they were part of
the community.
Being the very first openly gay couple on The Food Network came with it's own challenges,
but according to Food Network executive Bob Tuschman in an interview with “Chicago,”
they came across as honest and genuine. He said,
"They were funny, and the camera loved them, you just got the feeling they were being themselves."
"Oh! We don't have a bartender… apparently I'm doing the self-serve bar tonight."
"Who's tending bar tonight? Must be you."
Despite their authenticity, the show suffered dismal ratings and was canceled when their
contract expired. Even though their show fell down the drain, their business' success skyrocketed
because of their exposure from the show.
Tuschman later said in the “Chicago” interview that:
"we're always looking to broaden the diversity of our hosts,"
But, as evidenced by the few LGBTQ and mostly white hosts on their shows, Food Network must
still be looking.
The next Food Network star to temporarily tug at viewer's heartstrings was featured
on "The Chef Jeff Project".
Jeff Henderson wasn't a formal chef. An ex-con, Henderson found his passion for cooking when
assigned kitchen duty in prison. Upon his release, he worked his way up to become Chef
de Cuisine for the restaurants at Caesar's Palace.
The show wasn't so much about competition; it was really about giving back and watching
people struggle with their own demons while finding a new lease on life through food.
Six young people with troubled backgrounds were given the opportunity to compete for
a two-year culinary-school scholarship. Viewers watched the contestants struggle with their
own personal demons and grow as people. In the show, Chef Jeff finds a balance between
expecting excellence and giving the encouragement the teens never got from their families.
Unfortunately, despite the non-aggressive, heartwarming take on contestant-driven shows,
it wasn't picked up for a second season.
Food Network found a show with big personality and unique content in Anthony Bourdain's "A
Cook's Tour". Bourdain is a name almost everyone recognizes, and Food Network immediately snagged
him after the release of his shocking 2000 memoir, “Kitchen Confidential”.
"A Cook's Tour" was one of the first shows that sent a chef to far-flung parts of the
world. It introduced spice, unique experiences, and fascinating meals to television. Bourdain’s
edgy and fearless attitude also made a lasting impression.
Were viewers fascinated or repulsed? Either way, “A Cook’s Tour” rang true. The
ever-vulnerable Bourdain always demonstrated that a shared meal was an intimate, even sacred
experience, and this opened viewers’ eyes to many new cultures, traditions, and people.
"You have the one meal of your life that changes how you, forever, how you see food and understand
food and it happened at the French Laundry when I first ate there."
One of the most famous episodes of the show was it's third episode, in which Bourdain
traveled to Vietnam. In a scene straight out of a horror movie, Bourdain slurped down a
cobra's heart, which he later said was like, quote, "a very athletic, aggressive oyster."
For the show's third season, Bourdain wanted to visit Ferran Adria's legendary restaurant
El Bulli in Spain. However, Food Network balked at the expense and claimed Bourdain's ratings
did better when he stayed closer to home.
Bourdain decided to walk out and took a similar version of “A Cook's Tour” — called
“Parts Unknown” — to CNN, where it enjoyed 12 seasons until Bourdain’s untimely death
in 2018.
When “Dinner: Impossible” premiered in 2007, Robert Irvine was described by Food
Network as a cross between James Bond and MacGyver.
The show took Irvine to a dizzying array of settings — a speeding locomotive, a football
field, Colonial Williamsburg — where he would feed a ridiculous number of guests a
high-end culinary feast. If you've ever cooked Thanksgiving dinner for 20 or more people,
you'll learn a thing or two from watching "Dinner: Impossible".
The buff and beefy Irvine was fierce and focused, but never Gordon Ramsay-level abusive to his
team. "Dinner: Impossible" was unlike any show on Food Network: It was exciting, but
it was also fun.
So if everybody liked it, why the cancelation?
Remember when Irvine said he'd cooked for three U.S. presidents and even baked Charles
and Diana's wedding cake? Yeah, that was a lie. So, the Food Network channel fired him
and replaced him with Michael Symon. But Symon simply wasn't entertaining enough, so Irvine
was reinstated.
Even though Irvine got his job back, the new episodes seemed...off. In one episode, Irvine
was dropped in the middle of a desert island with no equipment and no supplies, and many
viewers thought that this was an example of Food Network punishing the host for the lies
he’d made on his resume.
In the end, Food Network looked foolish over the scandal. It implied that either Food Network
didn't vet their stars, or it may have welcomed the scandal for publicity. "Dinner: Impossible"
lasted eight seasons, and in 2011, Irvine transitioned to "Restaurant: Impossible,"
which was another hit but less unique.
By his own admission, Duff Goldman was always more of an entertainer than a star baker.
His first show, “F*ck You, Let's Bake,” was live on stage in a Baltimore theatre and
had Goldman battling off ninjas while he cooked. Goldman's brother, a television producer,
sent a demo reel to Food Network, and the iconic “Ace of Cakes” premiered in 2006.
Over the next five years, Goldman and Charm City rocketed to success and became household
names, thanks to his insanely artistic cakes, like dinosaurs, and more. In 2013, Charm City
Bakery was asked to bake President Obama's inauguration cake, which in 2017 was then
reproduced exactly — but not by Goldman — for President Trump's inauguration, which
Goldman posted on Twitter.
“Ace of Cakes” launched a gaggle of copycat shows, and in 2010, Goldman decided to move
to Los Angeles. After 115 episodes or so, Food Network canceled “Ace of Cakes” in
2011. Two other Food Network shows were developed for Goldman, but neither caught on.
For our final course, we’ll be enjoying "The Private Chefs of Beverly Hills," one
of Food Network's most glamorous shows to boot.
“Private Chefs” had the perfect mix of drama, documentary, and soap opera all in
one. It featured six private chefs working for Big City Chefs as they battled it out
with each other and their outlandish clientele.
Although it wasn't favorably reviewed, it was a uniquely entertaining hybrid show. Some
of the clearly fabricated disputes between the chefs were awkward, but the contestants'
interactions with the entitled hosts and hostesses were fun to watch.
"... Wow, he's really good, he's really good at uh the BS… Of course the dog gets to
taste it!"
Food Network fell into hot water the following year when it was sued for stealing the concept
for the show from Private Chefs, Incorporated. The organization claimed to have pitched a
similar show in 2002, titled "Celebrity Dish," to Food Network's President who declined.
They accused Food Network of stealing the show's concepts and contents. However, the
lawsuit was quickly denied by the court.
Food Network aired the 22 episodes that were shot, but the show was quietly canceled after
its last episode aired in late November 2010.
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