They've traversed the globe, gotten in trouble with the law,
and even dated politicians. From humble beginnings to superstardom,
these Food Network personalities have transformed quite a bit over the years.
If there was one name associated with the early days of Food Network more than anyone else,
it was definitely Emeril Lagasse. His show Emeril Live premiered in 1997 and
amassed quite the loyal following that kept watching until the 2007 finale.
"Bam! There you have it right now. All right."
Lagasse was beloved by viewers everywhere for his charm, big personality, and delicious recipes.
Since his Food Network days, he's continued to pop up on various talk shows and morning shows.
Though his TV presence has faded a bit, Lagasse hasn't really gone anywhere. He continues to
own and run numerous successful restaurants, and he's active on Instagram, where he posts stunning
videos and photos of recipes and nostalgic throwbacks. While he's gone a little gray and his
hairline has receded a bit, he's still maintained his charm and undeniable talent for cooking.
Pretty much everyone who watched the Food Network in the 2000s remembers Paula Deen,
a dedicated purveyor of Southern comfort food who was never afraid of butter. In 2002,
her career really took off when Paula's Home Cooking premiered. That series aired for ten
years, but Deen's career didn't stop there. She also hosted a show called Paula's Best
Dishes that aired from 2008 to 2013, and she appeared on many other shows as a guest chef.
Deen eventually lost quite a bit of weight, though she encountered some pointed questions
about her decision to reveal her type 2 diabetes diagnosis soon after she made a deal to appear as
a spokesperson for the drugmaker Novo Nordisk. But her most controversial moment happened in 2013,
when leaked court documents revealed her use of slurs and other racist
behavior. To say that this resulted in serious repercussions would be a massive understatement.
In the fallout of the scandal, Deen's deals with Walmart and other retailers came to an abrupt end,
and Food Network quickly canceled her show. She attempted to apologize, but her career was truly
never the same, despite her attempt at a comeback with a new show called Positively Paula in 2016.
Rachael Ray became a household name in the early 2000s thanks to her hit Food Network show 30
Minute Meals. It showcased delicious, easy recipes that could all be made in a half hour or less. It
was a hit with busy parents, college students, and anyone with a hectic life. Ray then went on
to host a variety of other Food Network programs and make regular appearances on talk shows.
Ray's biggest series, the eponymous talk show Rachael Ray, came to an end in 2023, but she's not
ready to slow down. She's continued to appear on other talk shows, she's popular on social media,
she has her own line of pet food, and she has her own lifestyle and cooking magazine.
Basically, Ray has continued to live her best life. However, she has courted controversy on
occasion, such as when she supported her friend Mario Batali when he was accused
of assault. She's also changed up her look a lot over the years, as she's evolved from
a bright-eyed, young chef to a stunning and accomplished star with plenty of accolades.
"17 seasons of The Rachael Ray Show. That's absolutely incredible."
Ina Garten's most popular show, Barefoot Contessa, premiered on Food Network in
2002 and truly launched her career to a new level. Her cooking skills were self-taught,
and it was clear from the get-go that she was a natural in the kitchen.
While Barefoot Contessa was on the air, Garten was a regular on the talk show circuit. She also
appeared on other Food Network shows, especially as a judge on competition
programs. It was a dramatic change from where she came from, as she'd previously worked as
a budget manager in the White House and then bought and operated a specialty food store.
Since Barefoot Contessa ended in 2019, Garten has continued to work hard and has remained popular on
social media. On Instagram, she frequently posts scrumptious photos of food alongside charming
images of her home and garden. She may look a little different than she did twenty years ago,
but she's definitely maintained her love for food and passion for cooking.
"It's really important to keep traditions alive, and my favorite tradition is the cocktail hour."
Mario Batali rose to fame as the host of Molto Mario, which ran from 1996 to 2004.
He went on to host several more shows on the Food Network, open several restaurants,
and co-host the ABC talk show The Chew. But it eventually all came crashing down.
In 2017, Batali's career came to a screeching halt when he was accused
of sexual misconduct by at least four chefs. One of them claimed
that Batali inappropriately touched her when they first met. As she told Eater,
"I was so shocked. Jaw on the ground,
I just stepped back from him in utter disgust and walked away."
Since then, Batali hasn't really been up to much of anything besides being arraigned for assault
and battery in 2019. Clearly, his transformation over the years hasn't exactly been flattering.
While he looks a lot different than he did in the 90s, that's not exactly for the best reasons.
Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee premiered on the Food Network back in 2003 and ran all the
way until 2016. The show was praised for the host's honest approach to realistic recipes,
as Lee never forced viewers to try to make homemade pasta or gourmet desserts. Instead,
she won over fans with down-to-earth tips and tricks to make semi-homemade recipes
taste seriously delicious while in a time crunch and on a budget.
"I started from welfare and food stamps, in debt, with no parental guidance."
Over the years, Lee has headlined other shows,
including Sandra's Money Saving Meals. She's also been a guest cook on talk shows,
served as a judge on competition programs, published a novel, and so much more.
To say that Lee has changed since 2003 would be an understatement, considering that she's really
elevated herself since her Semi-Homemade days. Her most recent credits include appearances on
high-profile shows like Good Morning America, Today, and Entertainment Tonight. She also
dated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and bought a pretty nice house in Malibu. Although
plenty of time has gone by, Lee has continued to cook on TV and still looks great doing so.
If you're a fan of cooking shows in general, then there's a pretty good chance that you adore Jamie
Oliver. A native of England, he got his start on a BBC series, The Naked Chef. Despite the show's
title, he did in fact wear clothes while preparing his food. His nickname actually
came from his advocacy for simple yet delicious meals without unnecessary steps and ingredients.
Oliver's first show on the Food Network was Jamie at Home. It featured him, as you might expect,
cooking simple recipes from the comfort of home. The series was a hit, and so was just about
everything Oliver touched, as he became more and more prominent on TV screens everywhere.
Over the course of his career, Oliver launched a handful of other TV shows and
oversaw a successful restaurant empire. However, that empire came crashing down
quite a bit in 2019, when 22 of his 25 U.K. restaurants closed. Nevertheless,
he remains beloved by his fans. He boasts over 8.5 million followers on Instagram,
where he frequently posts photos of delicious and gorgeous food. While Oliver has definitely
changed quite a bit from his first show, he's still a highly regarded chef with more talent
in his pinky than just about anyone else who's ever stepped in a kitchen.
When it comes to Italian-American chefs, Giada De Laurentiis pretty much reigns
supreme. Her most well-known TV credit is probably her first Food Network show,
Everyday Italian, which debuted in 2003. It featured her taking
delicious Italian recipes and making them accessible to the average home chef.
De Laurentiis made her way to the Food Network after attending Paris' Le Cordon
Bleu cooking school and launching her own catering company in Los Angeles.
She eventually expanded her onscreen resume with Food Network Star and Giada at Home,
but it was Everyday Italian that remained her calling card.
In the years since that show premiered, De Laurentiis has definitely become one of the
biggest Food Network stars of all time. She's written an entire shelf's worth of cookbooks,
she owns several restaurants, and she has an impressive following
on Instagram. She's remained a regular presence on TV, including in 2021 when
she starred on the travel-focused Bobby and Giada in Italy alongside Bobby Flay.
"The flavor. This is my happy place."
As far as original Food Network personalities go, Bobby Flay might just be the biggest superstar of
the group. He got his start on the channel all the way back in 1996 with Grillin' & Chillin',
and then he moved on to Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay, both of which were fairly short-lived.
Flay then really hit it big in 2002 with the debut of Boy Meets Grill.
As should be abundantly clear from the names of his shows,
his signature cooking style back in the day was grilling. But lest you think that's all he can do,
he's also made a name for himself as an Iron Chef on Iron Chef. In addition to all that,
he's had stints as a host and judge on shows like America's Next Great Restaurant and Chopped.
Flay's skills extend far beyond the grill, and since 1996 he's seriously changed from
his humble beginnings. He now owns numerous restaurants, has written multiple cookbooks,
hosts a podcast, and much more. He also continues to entertain his fans on Instagram with recipes
and behind-the-scenes looks at all his different TV ventures. He's quite the success story, and
while he's transformed pretty dramatically since his earliest Food Network outings, he clearly
still has a passion for cooking that doesn't seem like it'll be going away anytime soon.
Alton Brown is one of the most unique culinary personalities in Food Network history. His
first series, Good Eats, premiered in 1999 and was quite the hit. In addition to his hosting duties,
Brown also served as a writer and showrunner on the series. Good Eats combined food and
cooking with history, science, comedy, and even a few sock puppets. The show's first
run ended in 2012, though it's since been revived on Discovery+. By the end of the
show's original run, Brown's reputation was already pretty well-established.
"Well, I might need to go to the hospital. But kids, no more running with scissors, okay?"
In addition to Good Eats, Brown has also appeared on other Food Network shows like
The Best Thing I Ever Made, Food Network Star, and Cutthroat Kitchen. Outside of the kitchen,
he's a fan of motorcycles, and he's also a pilot and scuba diver.
Just based on looks alone, it's clear that Brown has changed quite a bit since the early
days of Good Eats. Just like a fine wine, he's only gotten better with age. His fully
shaved style of today might look unrecognizable compared to the cherub that he was back at the
turn of the millennium. But he's always been the same Alton Brown since day one,
and we're sure he'll remain that way for as long as he continues to grace our TV screens.
Anthony Bourdain's TV career got started with a couple of appearances on Molto
Mario in 2002. That same year, he landed his own Food Network show, A Cook's Tour,
which featured him traveling to worldwide locations to sample the local fare. It
solidified his reputation for traveling, trying new food, forging connections with locals,
and making viewers feel like they were right there with him. He eventually starred on Anthony
Bourdain: No Reservations, which aired on the Travel Channel instead of the Food Network.
Over the years, Bourdain obviously changed quite a bit,
and fans will tell you that he only got better with age. He continued to cook,
travel, and appear on talk shows, among other endeavors. Sadly, he died by suicide in 2018,
though his legacy lives on. While he evolved so much over the years,
he always remained true to himself and his mission of forging connections through culture and food.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts,
please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.