Food Network is home to several hit series, including The Kitchen, which has been a staple
on the channel since 2014. The cooking show-talk show hybrid is now in its 28th season, giving
stars like Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee, Jeff Mauro, and Geoffrey Zakarian — as well as
newcomer Alex Guarnaschelli — a fan-approved platform to share delicious recipes and entertaining
and cooking tips with viewers… all while gabbing about anything and everything in between.
But if you're a longtime fan of the show, or happen to catch one of its earlier episodes,
you've likely noticed that the current list of co-hosts is missing a name: Marcela Valladolid.
The 42-year-old chef was an original cast member of The Kitchen for 182 episodes, according
to her departure post that she shared on Instagram. Amongst her thanks and goodbyes, she also
pinpointed why she walked away from the series in the first place.
But prior to becoming a co-host of the show, Marcela — who was born and raised in Tijuana—
hosted another Food Network show, Mexican Made Easy. According to the network, the series
ran from 2010 to 2012, providing Marcela a starring spot to show fans how to add some
unique flair to traditional Mexican cuisine, all the while keeping the dishes nutritious
and simple enough for anyone to try at home.
"This is really simple but it can actually be life changing."
Fast forward to 2014, and Marcela officially became part of the cast of The Kitchen with
the same intentions. She told Food Network that one aspect of the show that set it apart,
in her eyes, was that it brought people of different backgrounds and perspectives together,
giving them the opportunity to share how they each used a specific ingredient or technique.
The celebrity chef also noted that she was excited to be the Hispanic voice on the show
and represent that culture while also incorporating her role as a mom into her favorite dishes.
But despite the show's popularity, she ultimately walked away in 2017. It may seem hard to fathom
why Marcela would leave the series, especially with its success over so many years. But the
chef's Instagram post would provide some valuable insight. On October 5th, 2017, Marcela noted
in her post,
"I'm a West Coast gurl with a West Coast family and it's time for me to be [in California]
and share with you the stories and recipes that I truly share with my family and friends."
Considering that her home base had always been in California, Marcela's frequent travels
to New Jersey, where The Kitchen is filmed, were undoubtedly grueling. The chef is also
a mother of three children, two of whom she had during her time on the show, which likely
made it even harder to be away, and working so much. But Marcela didn't appear to leave
The Kitchen on a bad note either. Continuing her Instagram post, she wrote,
"It brought me great pride to be the Latina face on one of the most popular shows on the
Food Network. […] I sort of felt like I was cheating life because I was having too
much fun and getting paid for it."
These days, Marcela lives in California with her fiancé, film producer Philip Button,
and her three children. Though she isn't currently hosting any shows on Food Network, Distractify
notes that she was a judge on the channel's baking competition series Best Baker In America
in 2018 and 2019. According to IMDb, Marcela has also made numerous guest appearances on
Hallmark Channel's Home & Family, as well as Good Morning America, and has also enjoyed
two stints as a guest judge on Beat Bobby Flay.
More recently, the chef partnered up with her sister for the virtual Marcela & Carina
Show, which was described on Instagram as having everything from cooking and singing
to dancing and crying. The chef also appeared as a guest on season two of Selena Gomez's
HBO Max series, Selena + Chef. According to a post on her Instagram, Marcela virtually
walked the pop star through making a traditional dish from the Mexican heritage they both share
— mole. Spoiler alert, it turned out amazing.
"I know you're not shy about saying when something isn't good."
"She's not."
"I'm not. This is incredible."
"Oh yay!"
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