Bam!
A beloved host who nearly burned down Emeril Lagasse's set.
Fake kitchens but very real departures.
This is what you never knew about Food Network.
Given how much television has changed in the past 20 years, it's hard to imagine a time
when we didn't have our choice of hundreds, if not thousands of different channels.
But a time like that did exist.
In the early 1990s, a couple of network executives were looking for a new idea for a broadcast
outlet, and they landed on one entirely dedicated to food.
In 1993, what we now know as Food Network hit cable television.
According to Grub Street, when he heard the idea, Chef Emeril Lagasse said,
"Wow.
A whole channel devoted to that?
That's pretty amazing."
Our sentiments exactly.
The network was originally called TV Food Network, as the name Food Network was already taken.
It didn't take long for the TV broadcast outlet to gain popularity.
Within just a couple of years, the station, which was run by CNN co-founder Reese Schonfeld
and his wife Pat O'Gorman, was garnering millions of viewers every night.
As The New York Times reports, O'Gorman credited the network's success to the fact that "you
always have to eat."
Before it was raking in millions of viewers and millions of dollars, the company was operating
on a small budget and could only afford to air original programming.
Chefs wanted a slot on the network because, as noted by some of the leading executives
at the time, chefs in the United States weren't making the money that they do now.
Appearing on Food Network was a great way to organically advertise for their restaurants.
The outlet had no problem attracting top talent and received hundreds of audition tapes from
chefs aspiring to bring their culinary genius to network television.
Not all programming was successful though, and the network had to be creative in its ideas.
Some of its successful programming included its Chef Du Jour series and "How to Boil Water."
Food Network had to go through a lot of trial and error before landing on shows and chefs
that were suitable for national television.
One example is Emeril Lagasse, who, according to Grub Street was told by Reese Schonfeld,
"The shows that you're producing for us right now are not good.
You're fired.
But we think that you're a great chef, and a great cook, and potentially could be a great teacher.
Come to New York and let's visit.
You're just not in the right environment."
Schonfeld was right, of course, and Lagasse became a Food Network staple for the next decade.
Cooking can be dangerous.
Chefs are surrounded by open flames and sharp knives.
It is not for the faint of heart.
In an attempt to bring real cooking experiences to life, Food Network has aired real injuries, too.
One of its most successful programs, "Chopped," features chefs from around the country competing
against each other — and it's resulted in some unfortunate incidents.
One competitor, Chef Mor Amitzur, sliced himself while using a food processor, forcing him
to start his dish over.
He also received a lecture from the judges over the mishap.
Chef Amitzur wasn't the first person on Food Network to suffer an injury on set, though.
Back in the '90s when the network was still young, Chef Mario Batali was also injured on set.
He took to Larry King to describe what happened, noting that he cut his fingers while grating some carrots:
"I thought that I would hide them, and I sunk them into a can of tomatoes to squeeze the
tomatoes and I pulled them out, and blood-red is not tomato-red."
Apparently, food processors and graters aren't the only hazards on Food Network sets.
Unsurprisingly, there have been multiple fire scares as well.
Though we presume the network operates with the utmost caution, where there's fire, there's fire.
And on a station that is dedicated to food, chefs are bound to come in close contact with
a flame or two.
One of the culprits is famed television chef Rachael Ray.
Ray was with the network for years and grew to popularity by showing us all that food
can be prepared quickly in her famous television show "30 Minute Meals."
Before beginning with the network, she had to film a test, and she used Emeril Lagasse's set.
Nerves took over Ray, and instead of beginning to cook, she talked, letting her pan become very hot.
When she eventually began to cook, she poured oil on the pan, which ignited a large flame
and nearly set the kitchen ablaze.
"I set Emeril's kitchen on fire!"
Another fire hazard occurred on the set of "Chopped" when a competitor, Chef Gemma Gray,
burned her hand on an open flame.
Though she didn't nearly set any property on fire, she certainly did some damage to her skin.
We like to think that all of the chefs on Food Network are friends who host amazing
dinner parties and potluck buffets for each other.
But unfortunately, that is not the case.
Though some of the chefs are legitimate friends like Ree Drummond and Trisha Yearwood, not
all of them are quite so friendly.
On the podcast "Beyond the Plate," Giada De Laurentiis shared that after partnering up
with Bobby Flay and losing on "Iron Chef," she felt that he didn't take the competition seriously.
She refrained from speaking to him again for eight months.
De Laurentiis said of Flay's attitude after the competition:
"More than the loss ... I was upset that he didn't seem to care."
Regardless, she went on to explain that the two are close friends now.
De Laurentiis isn't the only chef that Flay has rubbed the wrong way.
During another "Iron Chef" episode, he highly offended fellow competitor, Chef Masaharu Morimoto.
In response to the incident, Morimoto said,
"By the way, he is not a chef"
We're not sure if it's Flay or the "Iron Chef'" environment, but either way, he's been in
some hot water with other chefs due to the famed competition.
In the beginning, viewers were essentially limited to watching chefs cook.
And while the network has stayed true to its roots, it's also expanded into other programming
options, like competition and travel shows.
Even though there's still plenty of programming dedicated to improving viewers' skills in
the kitchen, there are some recipes we won't see on Food Network because they just take
too long to make.
Food Network producer Ashley Archer told TribLive,
"I had to tell Chef Alex Guarnaschelli that she couldn't make the chocolate crostata — sort
of Italian chocolate pie — that she wanted to prepare.
It just had too many components for a 30-minute show."
Though we'd love to see Guarnaschelli bake a chocolate crostata, we understand the limitations.
Filming a television show is difficult — especially one with food involved.
Take "Chopped," for instance.
Though it's not a tutorial-based show, there are several moving parts involved in filming.
It takes 12 hours to shoot a one-hour episode, according to Grub Street, and those chefs
aren't baking intricate Italian desserts.
Perhaps one day we'll see Guarnaschelli bake her crostata on television, but until then
we'll just have to dream about it.
Talent manager Shep Gordon once said to Grub Street of the pre-Food Network era,
"At that time, there wasn't a chef in America making $100,000."
Things have certainly changed.
Although $100,000 is widely considered a great living, chefs today — particularly those
featured on Food Network — have the ability to rake in millions per year.
According to Forbes, some of the highest-paid TV chefs include Bobby Flay and Ree Drummond,
both of whom have starred in multiple programs on the network over the years.
However, no Food Network chef is raking in the big bucks quite like Guy Fieri, who signed
what's thought to be the largest contract with the network ever — a reported $80 million
for three years of work.
Fieri is definitely earning his keep.
The Mayor of Flavortown stays busy hosting multiple shows for the network, including
"Guy's Grocery Games" and, of course, his famed "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."
Food waste is a major issue in the United States.
By simply watching Food Network, viewers can easily begin to wonder if it's contributing
to the problem.
But it's one show specifically that has some fans concerned: "Cupcake Wars."
The program is a competition show where competitors bake an excessive amount of cupcakes.
Though it's fun to watch, it does seem like a major waste of food.
Melissa Johnson, a senior challenge producer who worked on the show, said on the Marketplace
podcast that some of the desserts are eaten by those on set, but donations can be tricky
because there are many "strict rules."
Ultimately a lot of it does get tossed out, but in some cases, the winning confections
are put on display at events.
Food Network has also used its programming to address the issue.
In 2012, chefs Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, Anne Burrell, and Alex Guarnaschelli hosted
"The Big Waste" — a special program dedicated to cooking with food that would otherwise go uneaten.
Guarnaschelli has also written for the network, sharing tips on how to be more thoughtful
with food choices while offering ways to minimize food waste at home.
Though it's quite obvious that some TV chefs are in a studio, other cooks seem to be right
at home — and we don't mean because of their familiarity around the kitchen.
It looks like they're actually cooking in a home kitchen.
But looks can be deceiving.
Food Network has a studio in New York City, and most of the chefs travel to the Big Apple
to film their shows.
Emeril Lagasse told Grub Street that he used to venture to the city to film over a week's
worth of shows in just one day.
And Guy Fieri made his "Guy's Big Bite" set a haven of all his favorite things, as explained
by Food Network.
One exception is Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa who, according to BuzzFeed News,
filmed her show at her Hamptons home — even though she could've easily commuted from Long
Island to New York City.
But if we had a kitchen as functional and beautiful as Garten's, we'd make a film crew
come to us, too.
When speaking to The New York Times, former Food Network producer Pat O'Gorman predicted
that Food Network would stay popular, and she was correct.
The station has remained a beloved television destination for those who want to learn to
cook, discover a great dining destination, or watch a pastry chef's childhood Easter
basket come to life.
In fact, it's about the only station you can watch if you're interested in all three.
The COVID-19 pandemic shook the world.
People landed in front of their television sets desperate for programming to distract
them from everything that was going on.
For some, that was Food Network.
In May 2020, Kathleen Finch, a Discovery executive, told AP News,
"People are gravitating to our networks and talent because we provide more than entertainment
right now."
The network's ratings increased by 25% in April 2020 compared to April 2019.
Food Network remained successful in 2021, despite pandemic restrictions loosening and
many viewers returning to their regularly scheduled programming.
Network executive Courtney White stated,
"All year long Food Network has been committed to super-serving our audience and inviting
new fans to the brand and we are thrilled with our 2021 success."
Chefs on the network have come and gone, but some haven't left on the best of terms.
Both Emeril Lagasse and the late Anthony Bourdain exited Food Network unhappily.
Lagasse, as noted, was one of the first chefs to join the station, and he nearly became
synonymous with Food Network.
Best known for "Emeril Live" and "Essence of Emeril," the man of many catchphrases left
the cable network in 2007.
"BAM!
Now don't touch that dial"
Insinuating that he might've stayed longer had he been welcome, he told GQ,
"When it ended, everybody felt like it was time for a little break.
I didn't necessarily think that, but that's what everybody else thought, that maybe it
was time for a break from Emeril."
Bourdain, who's better known for Travel Channel's "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations," first
filmed a similar show for Food Network called "A Cook's Tour."
After two seasons, he moved networks.
It was never publicly announced why Bourdain left, but since he vocalized his thoughts
on the network several times after leaving, we assume his exit was on bad terms.
After all, according to Atlanta Magazine, he once said,
"[Ina Garten is] one of the few people on Food Network who can actually cook."
Ouch.