tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88080609915349559152024-03-27T02:35:53.748-04:00Food Network GossipFood Network Gossip is a blog about the latest news and updates involving Food Network personalities and chefs. Food Network Gossip covers the latest news and updates involving Food Network chefs and personalities such as Ina Garten, Rachael Ray, Guy Fieri, Giada De Laurentiis, Paula Deen, and Sandra Lee as well as Iron Chefs and up and coming Food Network Stars.
Food Network Gossip also covers a lot of the shows on the Food Network by giving previews, updates and recaps of them.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.comBlogger1101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-11742308410736174692024-03-18T08:52:00.002-04:002024-03-18T08:52:35.241-04:00Spring Baking Championship Season 10<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdezyahBZFzqs6hGkaPf4-euKaTPdgBFtuzwyvOKCWFy1ApCUku1iQTCTvyEMxiXwp8NxXO6Stu5TzD2e76-4Vh05aXQsVxty2Ncdvi2TElqzSljTI-088BTJJGOkJLatz0COS31ahexJdQinjYBeNuZXgd8WegkyTsO7_aHmR8sSIXSlEdSTpyHY1yZAo/s1078/Spring%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%2010.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="1078" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdezyahBZFzqs6hGkaPf4-euKaTPdgBFtuzwyvOKCWFy1ApCUku1iQTCTvyEMxiXwp8NxXO6Stu5TzD2e76-4Vh05aXQsVxty2Ncdvi2TElqzSljTI-088BTJJGOkJLatz0COS31ahexJdQinjYBeNuZXgd8WegkyTsO7_aHmR8sSIXSlEdSTpyHY1yZAo/s400/Spring%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%2010.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><i>Spring Baking Championship</i> season 10 airs on Food Network on Monday nights and this season is once again hosted by Jesse Palmer. The judges on the show are also the same as last year - Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman, and Kardea Brown. This season will be 11 episodes long with a two-part finale and there are twelve bakers competing this year.</p>The twelve bakers competing for the $25,000 prize and a feature in <i>Food Network Magazine</i> are:<div><br /><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Sandro Arotinco</li><li>Michael Bass</li><li>Nickey Boyd</li><li>Alexandre Bonnefoi</li><li>Katelyn Boutilier</li><li>Sabrina Courtemanche</li><li>Rochelle DeSouza</li><li>Robert Gonzalez</li><li>Zoe Ma</li><li>Anna Simeonides</li><li>Steven Tran</li><li>Ericka Wells</li></ul></div><div><br /><div>Feel free to discuss <i>Spring Baking Championship</i> season 10 in the comments and I will do another post for the final episode. The final episode where the winner will be crowned is set to air on May 6, 2024 and the bakers will be creating a wedding cake as the final challenge.</div></div></div><div><br /></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-39878880309877049022024-02-25T22:44:00.003-05:002024-02-26T22:00:27.122-05:00Kids Baking Championship Winner - Season 12<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETpyMCtS0vYfOpnhqjBWWCub1zEDiKqtRvigB3hSbK-gaDKwtHOTCvjz2yWR_y2nHa-KlgZjw6GJfBMFVdSK4E7dsTrKZGecMLq99rgWocdMHoB1jSdfiuiJDkCVZYG7de9g_KcWv_y5gbJm19g2eD4DIGof0uSpUO2pCJiuX-nNnTiWFAIzRL5LnOr5S/s792/Kids%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%2012.jpeg" style="clear: right; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="792" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETpyMCtS0vYfOpnhqjBWWCub1zEDiKqtRvigB3hSbK-gaDKwtHOTCvjz2yWR_y2nHa-KlgZjw6GJfBMFVdSK4E7dsTrKZGecMLq99rgWocdMHoB1jSdfiuiJDkCVZYG7de9g_KcWv_y5gbJm19g2eD4DIGof0uSpUO2pCJiuX-nNnTiWFAIzRL5LnOr5S/s400/Kids%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%2012.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo - Food Network</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Monday night at 8pm ET on Food Network is the season 12 finale of <i>Kids Baking Championship</i> where the winning baker will take home the prize of $25,000 and a feature in <i>Food Network Magazine</i>. The final two episodes will be played back-to-back and the winner will be revealed after the 9pm episode. The four remaining bakers going into the final episodes are: <b>Lila Smethurst </b>(age 11; San Antonio, TX), <b>Tasi Savage</b> (age 12; Kona, HI), <b>Levi Dubner</b> (age 13; Boca Raton, FL) and <b>Oscar Stowell</b> (age 12; Ross, CA).</p><br /><br />The first episode description <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/kids-baking-championship/episodes/bake-to-school-spirit-day" target="_blank">states</a>, "It's school spirit day, and the theme is tie-dye! Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman challenge the kid bakers to make tie-dyed doughnuts and ice cream with two different flavored swirls. It's a lot of color, a lot of flavors and a lot of fun as the four remaining bakers compete for the three spots in the finale. When the day is done, one baker will go home."<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The final episode description <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/kids-baking-championship/episodes/bake-to-school-science-fair" target="_blank">states</a>, "The finale erupts with fun as the top three kid bakers face the final challenge, science fair volcano cakes. Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman ask the final bakers to make a cake that's not just delicious, it also has to look like a real volcano and erupt like one too! The baker with the best all-around volcano cake will win $25,000 and be crowned the Kids Baking Champion!"<br /><br /><br />I will update this post with the season 12 winner of <i>Kids Baking Championship</i> once the episode airs, whether that is this week or next week. Feel free to discuss the final episodes and the season in the comments. Valerie Bertinelli has announced that Food Network did not ask for her to return for future seasons, so this may be the last time she is on the show.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Continue reading to see who won season 12 of <i>Kids Baking Championship</i>.....<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>During the first episode, the judges decided that Lila made the best doughnuts and Tasi was also considered safe. Levi and Oscar were in the bottom two and Duff and Valerie decided to send home Levi. This made the final three competing for the grand prize Lila Smethurst, Tasi Savage and Oscar Stowell.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In the final episode, the judges decided that Lila made the best volcano cake and she was crowned the winner. Lila Smethurst is the season 12 <i>Kids Baking Championship</i> winner and won $25,000 and a feature in <i>Food Network Magazine</i>.</div><div><br /></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-35069425664194569382024-02-06T21:58:00.038-05:002024-03-24T22:01:14.031-04:00Tournament of Champions Season 5 Bracket and Winners<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQV7OpbJgNSEFfZr52YL8MaolKDzS5LIiiHyCvyUXeFQP8CmicS9JwwIdieGTDbRCbPpNeCF1d0cxmrxBx50dY44vH4KQ8-wd8CkkC5nzdyjFbrIvaEhYoDT3cjJy4ZxSPiivO8qJJ1dEMij4JOSuDSzKfF425Rtk0cssOur2_JBCZ7BRA3ayHsQPlJJH/s791/Tournament%20of%20Champions%20Season%205.jpeg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="791" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQV7OpbJgNSEFfZr52YL8MaolKDzS5LIiiHyCvyUXeFQP8CmicS9JwwIdieGTDbRCbPpNeCF1d0cxmrxBx50dY44vH4KQ8-wd8CkkC5nzdyjFbrIvaEhYoDT3cjJy4ZxSPiivO8qJJ1dEMij4JOSuDSzKfF425Rtk0cssOur2_JBCZ7BRA3ayHsQPlJJH/s400/Tournament%20of%20Champions%20Season%205.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p><i>Tournament of Champions</i> season 5 starts on Sunday, February 18th at 8pm on Food Network and 32* chefs are competing for the biggest prize yet of $150,000. While the main tournament doesn't start until February 18th, there are qualifiers that will air on Wednesday, February 7th and 14th where 16 chefs are competing for the four 8th seeds of the main tournament. </p><p>The chefs competing in the qualifiers for the 8th seeds are: Aaron May, Adriana Urbina, Bruce Kalman, Claudia Sandoval, Chris Scott, Demetrio Zavala, Kevin Lee, Gerald Sombright, Ilan Hall, Justin Sutherland, Leah Cohen, Maria Mazon, Michael Reed, Nini Nguyen, Pyet Despain, and Ray Garcia. There are eight chefs from the East and eight chefs from the West and there will be four winners of 8th seeds to join the actual tournament (2 for East and 2 for West).</p><p><br /></p><p>The chefs competing in the main tournament East bracket include: Eric Adjepong, Karen Akunowicz, Kelsey Barnard Clark, Maneet Chauhan (<a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/2021/04/tournament-of-champions-season-2-winner.html" target="_blank">season 2 winner</a>), Tobias Dorzon, Tiffani Faison (<a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/2022/04/tournament-of-champions-season-3-winner.html" target="_blank">season 3 winner</a>), Amanda Freitag, Jose Garces, Stephanie Izard, Marc Murphy, Britt Rescigno, Jonathon Sawyer, and Dale Talde (plus the 2 qualifier winners).</p><p><br /></p><p>It is important to note that there are only 13 chefs named for the East bracket and when you add the 2 qualifiers, you only get 15 instead of 16. The obvious speculation is that Darnell Ferguson was involved in <i>Tournament of Champions</i> which was taped before <a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/2024/02/food-networks-darnell-ferguson-arrested.html" target="_blank">his arrest</a>. He has been involved in every season to date, so there is no reason to believe he was not involved in this season. It will be interesting to see how they edit the show if that is the case, but I would expect he didn't make it far if they didn't do any re-filming.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 16 chefs competing in the West bracket include: Carlos Anthony, Shirley Chung, Mei Lin (<a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/2023/04/tournament-of-champions-season-4-winner.html" target="_blank">season 4 winner</a>), Antonia Lofaso, Crista Luedtke, Brian Malarkey, Shota Nakajima, Joe Sasto, Adam Sobel, Casey Thompson, Jet Tila, Michael Voltaggio, season 1 champion Brooke Williamson (<a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/2020/04/tournament-of-champions-winner-crowned.html" target="_blank">season 1 winner</a>), and Lee Anne Wong (plus the 2 qualifier winners).</p><p><br /></p><p>Simon Majumdar and Justin Warner will once again be providing the play-by-play analysis of the competition, and Hunter Fieri will again be following the action backstage with interviews. The judges this year include Donatella Arpaia, Scott Conant, Cat Cora, Rocco DiSpirito, Susan Feniger, Lorena Garcia, Carla Hall, Michael Mina, Eric Ripert, Marcus Samuelsson, Nancy Silverton, Ming Tsai, Michael White, Jonathan Waxman, Geoffrey Zakarian and Andrew Zimmern.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This post will be used to track the winners for each episode, so come back after each episode to see who won the matchups on <i>Tournament of Champions </i>and to discuss the episodes. Also, the <i>Tournament of Champions</i> season 5 bracket will be added here once it is revealed. The finale will air on Sunday, April 7th where the winner will be crowned and awarded $150,000.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />UPDATE - The <i>Tournament of Champions</i> season 5 bracket has been revealed and it is below:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGpSsWUdjfGBQ-2MORYV8_aNTnt5Fs9Vt8s3k3CDUr05V8TMGpaFpWK3V8TuOIRfYgIAYXYpbd2Xhgq5er3bCVkM9_c3wgMtyP0X0qKwlnpoaINhQ4i64It1Arf8cA2egY75_WAUyuQF7uG8PCa05JYpp6VDvwasNr1r1kjjECdOK24VKycbo-7QRK7mK/s679/Tournament%20of%20Champions%20Bracket%20Season%205.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="Tournament of Champions Bracket Season 5" border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="679" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGpSsWUdjfGBQ-2MORYV8_aNTnt5Fs9Vt8s3k3CDUr05V8TMGpaFpWK3V8TuOIRfYgIAYXYpbd2Xhgq5er3bCVkM9_c3wgMtyP0X0qKwlnpoaINhQ4i64It1Arf8cA2egY75_WAUyuQF7uG8PCa05JYpp6VDvwasNr1r1kjjECdOK24VKycbo-7QRK7mK/s600/Tournament%20of%20Champions%20Bracket%20Season%205.png" title="Tournament of Champions Bracket Season 5" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo - Food Network</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Continue reading to see who won the matchups in each episode......</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Qualifier episode 1</b> - <u>West Round 1 scores</u> - Kevin Lee 79, Bruce Kalman 75, Aaron May 74 and Maria Mazon 74. Top 2 advanced to a head-to-head matchup where Kevin Lee defeated Bruce Kalman 80-76. Kevin will be the 8th seed against Brooke Williamson in the main tournament.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><u>East Round 1 scores</u> - Nini Nguyen 90, Leah Cohen 80, Ilan Hall 77, Gerald Sombright 74. Top 2 advanced to a head-to-head matchup where Nini Nguyen defeated Leah Cohen 81-78. Nini will be the 8th seed against Maneet Chauhan in the main tournament.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Qualifier episode 2</b> - <u>West Round 1 scores</u> - Ray Garcia 80, Michael Reed 77, Claudia Sandoval 74, and Pyet Despain 68. Top 2 advanced to a head-to-head matchup where Michael Reed defeated Ray Garcia 79-78. Michael will be the 8th seed against Mei Lin in the main tournament.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><u>East Round 1 scores</u> - Demetrio Zavala 84, Chris Scott 79, Adriana Urbina 74 and Justin Sutherland 74. Top 2 advanced to a head-to-head matchup where Chris Scott defeated Demetrio Zavala 75-71. Chris will be the 8th seed against Tiffani Faison in the main tournament.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><u>Episode 1</u></b> - Jet Tila defeated Brian Malarkey by a score of 84-82. Marc Murphy defeated Jose Garces by a score of 85-82. Britt Rescigno defeated Jonathon Sawyer by a score of 78-74. Mei Lin defeated Michael Reed by a score of 79-76.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Episode 2</u> - Shirley Chung defeated Joe Sasto by a score of 89-86. Tobias Dorzon defeated Kelsey Barnard Clark by a score of 83-79. Amanda Freitag defeated Darnell Ferguson by a score of 79-77 and Darnell was not edited out of the episode. Kevin Lee pulled off an upset and defeated Brooke Williamson by a score of 88-87. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Episode 3</u> - Eric Adjepong defeated Stephanie Izard by a score of 90-88. Antonia Lofaso defeated Casey Thompson by a score of 92-83. Lee Anne Wong defeated Adam Sobel by a score of 93-89. Maneet Chauhan defeated Nini Nguyen by a score of 83-76.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><u>Episode 4</u> - </b>Michael Voltaggio defeated Crista Luedtke by a score of 92-89. Dale Talde defeated Karen Akunowicz by a score of 84-82. Carlos Anthony defeated Shota Nakajima by a score of 82-81. Tiffani Faison defeated Chris Scott by a score of 93-85.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><u>Episode 5</u></b> - Antonia Lofaso defeated Michael Voltaggio by a score of 84-82. Kevin Lee defeated Shirley Chung by a score of 90-86. Tobias Dorzon defeated Dale Talde by a score of 80-75. Maneet Chauhan Eric Adjepong by a score of 86-83.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><u>Episode 6</u></b> - Amanda Freitag defeated Tiffani Faison by a score of 81-79. Carlos Anthony and Jet Tila tied with a score of 79-79 and the tiebreaker is points for taste which Jet Tila won 41-39. Britt Rescigno defeated Marc Murphy by a score of 84-80. Mei Lin defeated Lee Anne Wong by a score of 89-83.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This year I will also keep updating the bracket below with the <i>Tournament of Champions</i> season 5 winners, so see below for the current bracket.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJL_oPYYX27HANB7mF4wwNVkksdEtFrBPYW3Zxli_hhyphenhyphenjd85bko-hMQbEgnNyyxI1lae-HN2nyiiqzXZkCwwEMIOITRCTc6w8_RxU0njs8VJCukLXgWt1uD0kiFneCxwNUtkoekyh8CNiBvOXWulJo1oHBdVJBKw5JX0aw9juzN61yPMwdnDOtJLCufT4/s1483/Tournament%20of%20Champions%20Current%20Bracket%20Season%205.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tournament of Champions Current Bracket Season 5" border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="1483" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJL_oPYYX27HANB7mF4wwNVkksdEtFrBPYW3Zxli_hhyphenhyphenjd85bko-hMQbEgnNyyxI1lae-HN2nyiiqzXZkCwwEMIOITRCTc6w8_RxU0njs8VJCukLXgWt1uD0kiFneCxwNUtkoekyh8CNiBvOXWulJo1oHBdVJBKw5JX0aw9juzN61yPMwdnDOtJLCufT4/w640-h362/Tournament%20of%20Champions%20Current%20Bracket%20Season%205.png" title="Tournament of Champions Current Bracket Season 5" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-51631542731593531982024-02-03T22:12:00.000-05:002024-02-03T22:12:46.179-05:00Food Network's Darnell Ferguson Arrested for Assault, Strangulation <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjL6VUXLwnGqFsQP8bvmq79EymlmZN3LvQrVPIOceQwbJ0ZamPDnLtM4Oo9L4df3ga1krnz69hR4Dgv1Aez01MiiJsqnIu9zK8KAMhmtQ7mmew0fj_wjOxOaJgXswgWUHeiv210Fwqhyphenhyphenockz5CCOptdhAfwjJ0-YxqAhNGebrxcey4_7VSFA8KAxAuretJ/s300/Darnell%20Ferguson%20Mug%20Shot.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjL6VUXLwnGqFsQP8bvmq79EymlmZN3LvQrVPIOceQwbJ0ZamPDnLtM4Oo9L4df3ga1krnz69hR4Dgv1Aez01MiiJsqnIu9zK8KAMhmtQ7mmew0fj_wjOxOaJgXswgWUHeiv210Fwqhyphenhyphenockz5CCOptdhAfwjJ0-YxqAhNGebrxcey4_7VSFA8KAxAuretJ/s400/Darnell%20Ferguson%20Mug%20Shot.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo - Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Food Network's Darnell Ferguson was involved in a January 2nd incident that involved his estranged wife. She told police that Ferguson forced his way into her house, threatened to kill her and choked her until she passed out. <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2024/01/10/darnell-ferguson-superchef-food-network-arrest-louisville/" target="_blank">TMZ</a> also reports that she told police she eventually lost consciousness, and when she regained consciousness, she claims that Ferguson ripped off her shorts and demanded to see her privates. He allegedly took her IDs an credit cards and left.</p><p>The charges Darnell Ferguson faces include burglary, strangulation, assault, terroristic threatening, menacing, criminal mischief, and theft of a stolen debit or credit card.</p><p>On January 19th, his lawyer gave a statement to People saying, "Mr. Ferguson continues to maintain his complete innocence and is confident that when all the facts are made public, he will be exonerated. While (Thursday’s) hearing was preliminary, a number of new details were introduced by the Louisville police that begin to paint a clear picture of the events of January 2, 2024."</p><p>The grand jury hearing is scheduled for the week of February 19th, so there will be more updates after that.</p><p>After news of the arrest, Food Network pulled all episodes of <i>Superchef Grudge Match</i> from airing on the network and removed it from all online and on-demand platforms. The newest season of <i>Superchef Grudge Match</i> had just started, so chefs that competed on that show may never get to see their episode air. It should also be interesting to see how <i>Tournament of Champions</i> is edited as Darnell always competes in that and the new season is starting soon. </p><p><br /></p><p>I will try to update this post after the grand jury hearing in the middle of February with any new developments.</p>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-39501824901855560682023-12-17T22:47:00.003-05:002023-12-18T22:00:22.129-05:00Holiday Baking Championship Winner Season 10<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKYoAwALe-JO0bOgN-rXedpfNZunI-o1T9sOED55V_b6Xv12NrWbn6tzNS64jdA6O-M4HfDWNVvyaIYeh8Kh2Ob41kh6bCofSYKQyivxJCEkiJ5Qp2NrI7DsaU13Kr69dWXu_-r6dyHBi55w1A8cSRryB5k1T3x5_Wg_fmQ6hWGNfk5ScgezJvECQ4I-U/s835/Holiday%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%2010%20Winner.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="835" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKYoAwALe-JO0bOgN-rXedpfNZunI-o1T9sOED55V_b6Xv12NrWbn6tzNS64jdA6O-M4HfDWNVvyaIYeh8Kh2Ob41kh6bCofSYKQyivxJCEkiJ5Qp2NrI7DsaU13Kr69dWXu_-r6dyHBi55w1A8cSRryB5k1T3x5_Wg_fmQ6hWGNfk5ScgezJvECQ4I-U/s400/Holiday%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%2010%20Winner.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>Monday night at 8pm ET on Food Network is the two-hour season ten finale of <i>Holiday Baking Championship</i> where the winning baker will take home $25,000. This season there are five remaining contestants in the final episode. The five remaining contestants competing for the prize are: Ashley Landerman (bakery owner), Kevin Conniff (pastry chef instructor), Justine Rota (bakery owner), Sharrod Mangum (pastry chef), and Thoa Nguyen (bakery owner). One of the contestants will be eliminated during the first hour of the episode and the final four will compete during the second hour for the $25,000 prize.</p><div><p><br /></p><p>The episode description for the final episode <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/holiday-baking-championship/episodes/holiday-gifts-galore" target="_blank">states</a>, "It's the season finale, and the last five bakers face three challenges. Christmas Eve is filled with so much excitement and so many gifts, and the sweetest gift of all is a plate of cookies for Santa. For the final preheat, host Jesse Palmer wants the bakers to upgrade those cookies by making macaron wreaths for judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller! The bottom two bakers battle it out to see who makes it to the final main heat by taking on a stocking-stuffed eclairs challenge. Then, its “All aboard!” as the remaining four bakers make showstopping, championship-worthy holiday train cakes with actual trains running through them! In the end, a Holiday Baking Champion is crowned and takes home $25,000!"</p><p><br /></p><p>Pictures of the final cakes have been <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FoodNetwork/posts/pfbid02dhfibgc9TU7M6k4VZ1bQLnvpHN7YsmfoHLE27LQcpSmCuToJsWV2tDJCedaL6aPQl" target="_blank">posted</a> on the Food Network Facebook page, but we do not know who made which cake and which one was the winning cake. I will update this post with the winner of <i>Holiday Baking Championship</i> season 10 after the episode airs and feel free to discuss this season in the comments.</p><p><br /></p><p>Continue reading to see who won season 10 of <i>Holiday Baking Championship</i>.......<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><br /></p><p>During the first hour, the judges eliminated Sharrod, making the final four of Ashley, Kevin, Justine and Thoa.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the final main bake, the judges decided that Ashley Landerman made the best train cake and she won season 10 of <i>Holiday Baking Championship</i> and the $25,000 prize with a feature in Food Network magazine.</p></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-67998952757643080642023-10-29T22:41:00.004-04:002023-10-30T21:59:45.014-04:00Halloween Baking Championship Winner Season 9<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAzwtYK05w98WksF3yxZLLbTtjXH_9t1wkGONda-0QQy-WvWP6-dFjkCNE1WAvL8z1WxiUjS5EPCahUlswaTw7MumKTwinmq4OA24qtDMfa1x4BhDCrd-qOj7mo_zUimRJnXXViJvpVKGO7ZXwrlAeWtQmIbsuPwc2al03BWOjuNCY0jz7h-Wz5QlrcTN/s810/Halloween%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%209%20Winner.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAzwtYK05w98WksF3yxZLLbTtjXH_9t1wkGONda-0QQy-WvWP6-dFjkCNE1WAvL8z1WxiUjS5EPCahUlswaTw7MumKTwinmq4OA24qtDMfa1x4BhDCrd-qOj7mo_zUimRJnXXViJvpVKGO7ZXwrlAeWtQmIbsuPwc2al03BWOjuNCY0jz7h-Wz5QlrcTN/s400/Halloween%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%209%20Winner.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>Monday night at 9pm ET on Food Network is the season nine finale of <i>Halloween Baking Championship</i> where the winning baker will take home $25,000. The three remaining contestants competing for the prize are Hollie Fraser, Ryan McCord and James Cox. All three of the remaining contestants are pastry chefs and their experience has helped them make it to the finale.</p><p><br /></p><p>The episode description for the final episode of the season <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/halloween-baking-championship/episodes/step-fright-up" target="_blank">states</a>, "As John Henson lays a dead flower to commemorate the lost souls at Henson & Sons Carnival, he asks the finalists to make flourless desserts. Then, the bakers create cakescapes depicting new carnival attractions for the grand re-opening, where judges Carla Hall, Stephanie Boswell and Zac Young will name the Halloween Baking Champion!"</p><p><br /></p><p>I will update this post with the winner after the episode airs and feel free to discuss this season in the comments.</p><p><br /></p><p>Continue reading to see who won <i>Halloween Baking Championship</i> season 9......<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><br /></p><p>The judges decided that Hollie Fraser made the best final cake and she was crowned the season 9 winner of <i>Halloween Baking Championship</i>. She takes home the $25,000 prize and it seemed like the judges chose her cake due to the taste.</p>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-89970696662518479752023-09-04T11:08:00.004-04:002023-09-04T22:59:18.928-04:00BBQ Brawl Season 4 Winner<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVXY6v1V5TM2Lu00aTzKBNMPZknnDom64gJh6mGrYJYWlhndDzRpDBu9kye_7A3RYH2om8rIpOeGf8Oz1W4LDzdV7aMtHB9weDH3yFj2w40sBOLkObGPtX-VDkk5SCvpk23x_aOzYt-sXG7ObKoGYUzlxTs7GCluPRIB7BknB3b_eYRWYuKgWpZZkdCnC/s616/BBQ%20Brawl%20Season%204.jpeg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="616" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVXY6v1V5TM2Lu00aTzKBNMPZknnDom64gJh6mGrYJYWlhndDzRpDBu9kye_7A3RYH2om8rIpOeGf8Oz1W4LDzdV7aMtHB9weDH3yFj2w40sBOLkObGPtX-VDkk5SCvpk23x_aOzYt-sXG7ObKoGYUzlxTs7GCluPRIB7BknB3b_eYRWYuKgWpZZkdCnC/s400/BBQ%20Brawl%20Season%204.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Monday night at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network is the season four finale of <i>BBQ Brawl </i>where there will be a double episode to determine the winner. Each episode will have a double elimination as there are still five contestants left. The final contestants competing for the win are Dominique Leach with Bobby Flay; Harold Villarosa and Ippy Aiona with Anne Burrell; and Chris Binotto and Chuck Matto with Sunny Anderson.</p><br />The first episode description <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/bbq-brawl-flay-v-symon/episodes/a-trip-down-memory-lane" target="_blank">states</a>: "The contenders get some unexpected love from their friends and family back home, and they pour their hearts into some seriously nostalgic 'cue in an attempt to make it to the finale. Little do they know that Bobby Flay, Anne Burrell and Sunny Anderson have a big surprise waiting for them at the end of the day!"<div><br /></div><div>The second episode description <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/bbq-brawl-flay-v-symon/episodes/impress-us" target="_blank">states</a>: "The final contenders battle it out in a quest to take home the Master of 'Cue title. Captains Bobby Flay, Anne Burrell and Sunny Anderson take the guardrails off as the pitmasters cook up their ultimate BBQ feasts in a last-ditch effort to impress the judges."</div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>I will update this post after the episode airs with the winner of <i>BBQ Brawl </i>season 4<i>.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Continue reading to see who won season 4 of <i>BBQ Brawl</i>......</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>During the first episode, Bobby Flay stole Harold Villarosa from Team Anne. Then Team Bobby won the challenge, so no one from his team was eliminated. Ippy Aiona was eliminated from Anne Burrell's team and Chris Binotto was eliminated from Sunny Anderson's team. This makes a final three of Dominique Leach and Harold Villarosa with Team Bobby and Chuck Matto with Team Sunny.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the final episode, Dominiuqe won the first challenge, so she got the advantage of picking the order of serving the judges for the final battle. She made Harold go first, followed by Chuck, and she chose to go last. The judges decided that Dominique made the best final meal and she was crowned the "Master of 'Cue." Dominique Leach wins season 4 of <i>BBQ Brawl</i> and Bobby Flay also gets the bragging rights for winning this season.</div><div><br /></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-86479492369103023002023-07-29T22:40:00.005-04:002023-07-30T20:59:41.330-04:00Great Food Truck Race Winner - David vs. Goliath Season 16<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWty0ewpVVhzplsfG7oSzaZXAc4go5FK1Ophklwn5MK0tiLZKX4f0Ks7DEloSyIHPg9KtfrEm25omDoA99zeSLN4gd_Q7TNGynHwHShWoMD5lchJliuyGKISDe0TdKp7QzFn1M_6n6kgowsLBWD-H71jnMonnkTiT1DjCWSStc2gJ6WfZaotHgzDBjl2In/s1020/Great%20Food%20Truck%20Race%20David%20vs%20Goliath%20Winner.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="1020" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWty0ewpVVhzplsfG7oSzaZXAc4go5FK1Ophklwn5MK0tiLZKX4f0Ks7DEloSyIHPg9KtfrEm25omDoA99zeSLN4gd_Q7TNGynHwHShWoMD5lchJliuyGKISDe0TdKp7QzFn1M_6n6kgowsLBWD-H71jnMonnkTiT1DjCWSStc2gJ6WfZaotHgzDBjl2In/s400/Great%20Food%20Truck%20Race%20David%20vs%20Goliath%20Winner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Sunday Night at at 8pm ET on Food Network is the season finale of <i>The Great Food Truck Race </i>where the winning team will take home $50,000. The two remaining teams competing for the prize are Khana (Maryam Khan, Al Jane, Jake Nielsen) and The Easy Vegan (Alexi Mandolini and Taylor Herbert, Matt Heikkila)</p><div><br /></div><div>The final episode is in Los Angeles and the description <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/the-great-food-truck-race/episodes/david-vs-goliath-final-showdown" target="_blank">states</a>:</div><div><blockquote>"With two trucks left to fight in the finale, each team steals one dish from the other's menu and crafts their own versions to sell at the Regarding Her Food Festival. Tyler Florence surprises them with a high-stakes rapid fire challenge judged by three renowned Los Angeles chefs, and he allows them to only sell one all-in entrée all day. Both teams scrap for their last sales, hoping to claim the grand prize of $50,000!"</blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I will update this post with <i>The Great Food Truck Race</i> season 16 winner after the episode airs. Feel free to discuss this season and the finale in the comments. Both teams remaining are first timers in the David vs. Goliath theme of the season, so the winner will be someone who doesn't currently run a food truck.</div><div><br /></div><div>Continue reading to see who won season 16 of <i>The Great Food Truck Race</i>.....</div><div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Khana won the first rapid fire challenge by making the dish the judges felt was better. They also sold more of their special item the first day, so they had a $400 advantage. In the third challenge, The Easy Vegan won, which got them $200.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>After the final challenge, The Easy Vegan had more money in the end and they won the $50,000 prize and season 16 of <i>The Great Food Truck Race</i>. Khana had $4058 in sales, while The Easy Vegan had over $6,000, so the final numbers were not too close.</div><div><br /></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-79445446589579653362023-07-09T21:45:00.000-04:002023-07-09T21:45:29.642-04:00BBQ Brawl Season 4<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim8H6zcd-0-KgPu8fRXHCObA7IKcb0Go5JvGFlWf0IFNeG71ep0ToqsoStGRVOVjqAYGJf-6S7SS9hzfXhmfTFLw1OP9HBp7HEcKKhkGFso1hVUe1IE1fBiqMIDtyMAtAA5QpRHs9jSqUAwv9K2X822ew_V82LRxmGEiAj6NdIKRsz2ZiSt3LTBaREQq-W/s616/BBQ%20Brawl%20Season%204.jpeg" style="clear: right; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="616" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim8H6zcd-0-KgPu8fRXHCObA7IKcb0Go5JvGFlWf0IFNeG71ep0ToqsoStGRVOVjqAYGJf-6S7SS9hzfXhmfTFLw1OP9HBp7HEcKKhkGFso1hVUe1IE1fBiqMIDtyMAtAA5QpRHs9jSqUAwv9K2X822ew_V82LRxmGEiAj6NdIKRsz2ZiSt3LTBaREQq-W/s400/BBQ%20Brawl%20Season%204.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo - Food Network</td></tr></tbody></table><p><i>BBQ Brawl</i> is returning for a fourth season on Food Network and airs Monday nights at 9pm ET/PT. This season features Bobby Flay, Anne Burrell, and Sunny Anderson each mentoring/coaching a team of four pitmasters. The twelve pitmasters competing on the show are:</p><ul><li>Ami Cisneros</li><li>Brian Duffy</li><li>Chris Binotto</li><li>Chris Williams</li><li>Christie Vanover</li><li>Chuck Matto</li><li>Dominique Leach</li><li>Harold Villarosa</li><li>Ippy Aiona</li><li>Kate Neville</li><li>Larissa Da Costa</li><li>Robert Smith</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>The judges on this season are once again Rodney Scott, Brooke Williamson, and Carson Kressley. <i>BBQ Brawl</i> season four will be 10 episodes long with the season finale being on Monday, September 4th. You may recognize some of the competitors from other show, such as Brian Duffy (<i>Bar Rescue</i>), Ippy Aiona (<i>Food Network Star</i>).</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So far the mentors for each season have been: Season 1 - Bobby Flay vs. Michael Symon; Season 2 - Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, Eddie Jackson; Season 3 - Bobby Flay, Anne Burrell, Jet Tila. This season enters Sunny Anderson who will be appearing on the show for the first time. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I will do another post for the finale and you can discuss this season in the comments.</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-23151819216386658102023-06-25T21:43:00.002-04:002023-06-26T22:00:46.719-04:00Summer Baking Championship Winner - Season 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKoIqIO-L7rYh-ngm2daHx7jmYy88Va8ws7OXFzSZXO_VkyU4ow_NGN3P81XgWAh2RQKmA0rBPLBwgnK_W0a5HOMtOFm-OrbnrbFUulOgMUjanM0poFIGrVBaBS9Fr7U6Dg2WZ58lsTA7uUTXxChkB2sT6vSYUhNN8B6KM0osypfPTZiDSb_axjBC4uyI/s769/Summer%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%201.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="Summer Baking Championship Winner Season 1" border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="769" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKoIqIO-L7rYh-ngm2daHx7jmYy88Va8ws7OXFzSZXO_VkyU4ow_NGN3P81XgWAh2RQKmA0rBPLBwgnK_W0a5HOMtOFm-OrbnrbFUulOgMUjanM0poFIGrVBaBS9Fr7U6Dg2WZ58lsTA7uUTXxChkB2sT6vSYUhNN8B6KM0osypfPTZiDSb_axjBC4uyI/w400-h317/Summer%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%201.jpg" title="Summer Baking Championship Winner Season 1" width="400" /></a></div><p>Monday night at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network is the season 1 finale of <i>Summer Baking Championship</i> where the winner will take home a $25,000 prize. The three remaining bakers competing for the prize are Alyssa Alcantara, Zoe Peckich, and Yohann Le Bescond. The final episode will be one hour long and will have a 4th of July theme.</p><br />The final episode description <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/summer-baking-championship/episodes/bring-4th-the-sweets" target="_blank">states</a>:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"The competition has been hot all summer long, but the finale is SIZZLING! Jesse Palmer takes the final three bakers on a wild roller coaster ride as he challenges them to make three different amusement park treats! Then, fireworks explode as the remaining competitors roll out sparkler-studded 4th of July parade float cakes! The baker who leaves judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Damaris Phillip oohing and aahing walks away with the Summer Baking Championship title and $25,000!"</blockquote><br /><br /><div>I will update this post with the season 1 winner of <i>Summer Baking Championship</i> after the episode airs.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Continue reading to see who won <i>Summer Baking Championship</i> season 1.......</div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>Zoe won the first challenge and got an advantage in the final challenge which was being able to use extra decorations. In the final challenge, the judges decided that Zoe Peckich made the best 4th of July cake and she won <i>Summer Baking Championship</i> season 1. Zoe Peckich wins the $25,000 prize.</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-71416204209446733312023-06-17T13:25:00.002-04:002023-07-30T20:30:12.516-04:00The Great Food Truck Race: David vs. Goliath - Season 16<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUpMGnE4EGO3pTvB91hcbab-blkPuidxH3-apVj6Gmbr9lU8wDQu4Gw7qf791Zm4Ff-k757_NTrsXpPjeGAzVUrXbWOw_x8H5Q5sZULgie5gbAcRIhqx7TlZipkzvUAI_dsQ_cRutrVNd320_2uQCcc3oqCsspBRHjHBDJIcp1Ng5Yz3y_CSm0w2zsA/s960/Great%20Food%20Truck%20Race%20David%20vs%20Goliath.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUpMGnE4EGO3pTvB91hcbab-blkPuidxH3-apVj6Gmbr9lU8wDQu4Gw7qf791Zm4Ff-k757_NTrsXpPjeGAzVUrXbWOw_x8H5Q5sZULgie5gbAcRIhqx7TlZipkzvUAI_dsQ_cRutrVNd320_2uQCcc3oqCsspBRHjHBDJIcp1Ng5Yz3y_CSm0w2zsA/s400/Great%20Food%20Truck%20Race%20David%20vs%20Goliath.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><i>The Great Food Truck Race</i> season 16 airs Sunday nights at 8pm ET/PT on Food Network starting June 18, 2023. This season of <i>The Great Food Truck Race</i> has a David vs. Goliath theme where food truck pros will be competing alongside of rookie teams who have never operated a food truck. There will be nine teams competing for a $50,000 prize and the season will be eight episodes long. </p><p><br /></p><p>The pro teams competing on season 16 are: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Da Bald Guy</b> – Honolulu, Hawaii (James Martin, Missy Rabaino, Ali’i Pukahi)</li><li><b>Lisa’s Creperie</b> – Atlanta, Georgia (Lisa Thiffault, Ally Marlow, Miranda Moore)</li><li><b>D’Pura Cepa</b> – Miami, Florida (Jose Carnot, Janshanic Santos, Louis Del Rio Rubio)</li><li><b>Paisani</b> – Boston, Massachusetts (Ryan Palmer, Matthew Minichiello, Tommy Southwick)</li></ul><p></p><p>The food truck first-timers competing on season 16 are:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>2 Girls Jamaican Tacos</b> – Brooklyn, New York (Shelly Flash, Bri Labossiere, Elijah McPhie)</li><li><b>4 Hens Creole Kitchen</b> – St. Louis, Missouri (Brandi Artis, Brittany Artis, Zendrix Berndt-White)</li><li><b>Khana</b> – Detroit, Michigan (Maryam Khan, Al Jane, Jake Nielsen)</li><li><b>The Block</b> – Indianapolis, Indiana (Terry Anthony, Carl Harris, Crystal Kilgore)</li><li><b>The Easy Vegan</b> – Denver, Colorado (Taylor Herbert, Alexi Mandolini, Matt Heikkila)</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>The whole season will be in Los Angeles, California with the finale airing on Sunday, July 30th. I will do another post for the finale and feel free to discuss this season in the comments.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>UPDATE - To see who won season 16 of <i>The Great Food Truck Race</i>, <a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/2023/07/great-food-truck-race-winner-david-vs.html" target="_blank">visit this post</a>.</div><div><br /></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-84809187197595993012023-06-03T22:55:00.002-04:002023-06-09T14:05:16.066-04:00Ciao House Winner - Season 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-e6xcc67rL0Ik3qSnN0azOUcFNmUUkSwo0ogL1VqNtJdvIB_I0YkLNOmlNn55FElRnK1Bp9PmZ9q95IIjR3X94Ccr5YQU6-Kbe9vxc_7XFvrkTaXcKJ2p8dES9j5YXpPs9_wabsFACs_ho6eHwGOYscVzfAfq1c7ZCKMDl3BubFta-U2YHj5VYeVOwA/s861/Ciao%20House%20Season%201%20Winner.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="861" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-e6xcc67rL0Ik3qSnN0azOUcFNmUUkSwo0ogL1VqNtJdvIB_I0YkLNOmlNn55FElRnK1Bp9PmZ9q95IIjR3X94Ccr5YQU6-Kbe9vxc_7XFvrkTaXcKJ2p8dES9j5YXpPs9_wabsFACs_ho6eHwGOYscVzfAfq1c7ZCKMDl3BubFta-U2YHj5VYeVOwA/s400/Ciao%20House%20Season%201%20Winner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Sunday night at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network is the season 1 finale of <i>Ciao House </i>where the winning chef will win a chance to train with master chefs across Italy. The remaining chefs competing are: Saba Duffy, Natalia Rosario, Corey Becker, and Preston Paine. Saba and Natalia were the final two chefs until the show decided to allow everybody to compete to get back into the show. Corey and Preston are the contestants still alive to rejoin the show for the finale.<br /><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The episode description for the finale <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/ciao-house/episodes/last-chef-standing" target="_blank">states</a>:</p><p></p><blockquote>"Judges Alex Guarnaschelli and Gabe Bertaccini preside over a cooking duel to see which previously eliminated chef will earn a spot in the finale. The winner will join the other two finalists to cook one last meal, knowing a life-changing prize is within their reach -- an immersive culinary education across Italy to train with renowned master chefs."</blockquote><p><br /></p><p>I will update this post with the winner of <i>Ciao House</i> Season 1 after the episode airs. It seems like not a lot of people are crazy about the show, so we will see if it returns for another season.</p><p><br /></p><p>Continue reading to see who won <i>Ciao House </i>season 1.....</p><p><br /><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Corey advanced over Preston, making the final three Saba Duffy, Natalia Rosario and Corey Becker. The judges decided that Natalia Rosario made the best final meal and she won Food Network's <i>Ciao House</i> season 1. Natalia will now train with master chefs in Italy, which was the prize for the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>UPDATE - On June 9, 2023, it as announced that <i>Ciao House</i> was renewed for a 2nd season, so look for this show to come back.</p><p></p>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-68358382302326775222023-05-22T11:17:00.003-04:002023-06-26T21:50:12.459-04:00Summer Baking Championship - Season 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lSBfkfQUptdJQotrbaSMktC7O6u4NjCyjvE-J9ELkoqNeYRjbcmo54oTs2SjShOHTPcR6bnPa3beXgulBwMpJuRiIHROc_hEM3sO8K7hcIcqTzguLBZj9suPbWiBsyUHeixTcarcGxY8wfvWX4b5CrnB0Col3wQLVdpSOajotQgtI5BsoMA1YrYmpw/s1093/Summer%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%201.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="1093" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lSBfkfQUptdJQotrbaSMktC7O6u4NjCyjvE-J9ELkoqNeYRjbcmo54oTs2SjShOHTPcR6bnPa3beXgulBwMpJuRiIHROc_hEM3sO8K7hcIcqTzguLBZj9suPbWiBsyUHeixTcarcGxY8wfvWX4b5CrnB0Col3wQLVdpSOajotQgtI5BsoMA1YrYmpw/s400/Summer%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>New series <i>Summer Baking Championship</i> airs on Monday nights at 9pm ET on Food Network and the season started May 15, 2022. This is yet another baking championship themed series on Food Network and the host of the show is Jesse Palmer. The judges on the show are Duff Goldman, Carla Hall, and Damaris Phillips. There are 10 bakers that are competing for a $25,000 prize and the competitors are:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Alyssa Alcantara (San Diego, CA)</li><li>John Boyle (Philadelphia, PA)</li><li>Kyle Davis (Springfield, MO)</li><li>Kristina Krause (Leesburg, VA)</li><li>Yohann Le Bescond (Ocala, FL)</li><li>Ally Radziewicz (Syracuse, NY)</li><li>Lisa Lu (Healdsburg, CA)</li><li>Anrika Martin (Kingston, NY)</li><li>Zoe Peckich (Pittsburgh, PA)</li><li>Carlos Pena (Las Vegas, NV)</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>The <i>Summer Baking Championship</i> finale will air at the end of June with the last challenge being a 4th of July theme. Feel free to discuss this season in the comments and I will also do a post for the final episode.</div><div><br /></div><div>UPDATE - To see who won <i>Summer Baking Championship</i> season 1, <a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/2023/06/summer-baking-championship-winner.html" target="_blank">visit this post</a>.</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-42928159241442438802023-05-08T10:58:00.002-04:002023-05-08T21:04:37.827-04:00Spring Baking Championship Winner - Season 9 <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiIWJEwpMS-mYBH7TiaSIbMSj05CF8yIKWh4C2yR9GLJan5aBhiX5sYW7-WRF35Y5c0MTz5poqCIZ7ng_dlK6fH-ciA2RjRTj_5EBA8jgwqVTJWvrOoPBZlHTPwyR7P1YR9m5jPmqewQvh6NXeKLmCAewmcfJifqi3lK3B8n1U36kQCGgzpkl7vtOGw/s1159/Spring%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%209%20Winner.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="1159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiIWJEwpMS-mYBH7TiaSIbMSj05CF8yIKWh4C2yR9GLJan5aBhiX5sYW7-WRF35Y5c0MTz5poqCIZ7ng_dlK6fH-ciA2RjRTj_5EBA8jgwqVTJWvrOoPBZlHTPwyR7P1YR9m5jPmqewQvh6NXeKLmCAewmcfJifqi3lK3B8n1U36kQCGgzpkl7vtOGw/s400/Spring%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%209%20Winner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Tonight at 8pm ET on Food Network is the season 9 finale of <i>Spring Baking Championship</i> where the winner will take home a $25,000 prize. The four remaining bakers competing for the prize are Christian Velez, Clement Le Deore, Luke Deardurff, and Molly Robertson. This will be a double episode with someone being eliminated during the first hour and the winner announced in the second hour. Molly and Luke were on the bottom of the last challenge, so one of these two will be eliminated before the final challenge.</p><br />Tonight's episode description <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/spring-baking-championship/episodes/sealing-the-deal" target="_blank">states</a>:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"To culminate the season of love, host Jesse Palmer is throwing a Spring Baking wedding! Before the wedding can take place, the bottom two bakers each create a dozen doughnut wedding shower favors for a place in the final bake. Then, the final three create proposal desserts and dream wedding cakes for three real couples. The baker who wins the hearts of the happy pair along with judges Duff Goldman, Nancy Fuller and Kardea Brown will be crowned Spring Baking Champion and win $25,000!"</blockquote><br /><br /><div>I will update this post with the season 9 winner of <i>Spring Baking Championship</i> after the episode airs.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Continue reading to see who won Spring Baking Championship season 9........</div><div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Luke Deardurff won the bakeoff against Molly so he joined Christian Velez and Clement Le Deore in the final three. </div><div><br /></div><div>The judges decided that Clement made the best proposal dessert in the first challenge, so he got the advantage in the final bake. He got to choose which wedding cake to make and which to assign to other bakers.</div><div><br /></div><div>After the final challenge, the judges decided that Luke made the best cake and declared him the winner. Luke Deardurff wins season 9 of <i>Spring Baking Championship</i> and the $25,000 prize. </div><div><br /></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-39810323022562074202023-04-23T14:39:00.002-04:002023-06-06T12:48:30.484-04:00Food Network's Ciao House Season 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qw9DOUC1_IdnX4KP_hHoE3F-GFeMIRvESty5LGOB468uMNVkWPdAEfrzTEoRPpZfN4cQop0zH2_g3_wjBOxI1QYinnIKGDVgehmU7NoEghvUnYjEtjS1Ajmi0Fn8UuEIyq02-qXMMJ1DeBgoOaTbUYiW26ZF4o_5trnNEGhR4UEwZKIHeBShTGCrSA/s916/Ciao%20House%20Food%20Network.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="916" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qw9DOUC1_IdnX4KP_hHoE3F-GFeMIRvESty5LGOB468uMNVkWPdAEfrzTEoRPpZfN4cQop0zH2_g3_wjBOxI1QYinnIKGDVgehmU7NoEghvUnYjEtjS1Ajmi0Fn8UuEIyq02-qXMMJ1DeBgoOaTbUYiW26ZF4o_5trnNEGhR4UEwZKIHeBShTGCrSA/s400/Ciao%20House%20Food%20Network.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Food Network's newest show Ciao House airs on Sunday nights at 9pm ET on Food Network and the prize for winning is "an immersive culinary education across Italy, training with renowned Italian master chefs." Alex Guarnaschelli co-hosts the show with Gabriele Bertaccini and the series will be eight episodes long with the finale on Sunday, June 4th. It seems like Giada De Laurentiis would have been on this show if she didn't leave Food Network for Amazon. The ten competitors living together and competing for the prize are:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Omar Ashley (Avenel, New Jersey)</li><li>Corey Becker (Brooklyn, New York)</li><li>Saba Duffy (Framingham, Massachusetts)</li><li>Trenica Johnson (Houston, Texas)</li><li>Jess Mahoney (Los Angeles, California)</li><li>Preston Paine (Dallas, Texas)</li><li>Sarah Raffetto (New York, New York)</li><li>Justin Robinson (Atlanta, Georgia)</li><li>Natalia Rosario (Chicago, Illinois)</li><li>Matt Wasson (Staten Island, New York)</li></ul><p><br /></p><p>They will compete against each other as individuals and in teams to prove their mastery of Italian cooking techniques and dishes. Each week, new teams are picked and someone from the losing team will be eliminated by team voting. The first episode is available <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYrEwgAfQ1E" target="_blank">on YouTube</a> if you need to catch up and feel free to discuss the season in the comments. </p><p><br /></p><p>UPDATE - To see who won <i>Ciao House</i>, <a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/2023/06/ciao-house-winner-season-1.html" target="_blank">visit this post</a> on the finale. </p>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-73468034796946319092023-04-08T21:21:00.002-04:002023-04-09T12:48:35.731-04:00Tournament of Champions Season 4 Winner<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVt3BB9SeSxWT5MTG7aM3JBVLGk3tnbS10mxZanRz4LW8_81jj8a_ZbYHdccFbGVhTujr2c3xHM4I1sR_OHhiZ3mPHN9ipv_LwphDBuuBoXo4fNy7yQgPAPviR0mtniTWQMbcCUqaP-j67wUFJSp9-JAmsSQBBBLUeEOREoS3330ERfnxAPWA0ihrQ1A/s1065/Tournament%20of%20Champions%20Season%204%20Winner.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="1065" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVt3BB9SeSxWT5MTG7aM3JBVLGk3tnbS10mxZanRz4LW8_81jj8a_ZbYHdccFbGVhTujr2c3xHM4I1sR_OHhiZ3mPHN9ipv_LwphDBuuBoXo4fNy7yQgPAPviR0mtniTWQMbcCUqaP-j67wUFJSp9-JAmsSQBBBLUeEOREoS3330ERfnxAPWA0ihrQ1A/s400/Tournament%20of%20Champions%20Season%204%20Winner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Sunday night at 8pm ET on Food Network is the two-hour season 4 finale of <i>Tournament of Champions</i>. There are four chefs remaining who are competing for bragging rights and a $100,000 prize. The final four chefs are Jet Tila, Britt Rescigno, Maneet Chauhan, and Mei Lin. Maneet Chauhan won <a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/2021/04/tournament-of-champions-season-2-winner.html" target="_blank">season 2</a> of <i>Tournament of Champions</i> and Jet Tila was in the final four of the last two seasons, but lost to Brooke Williamson in both of them. Britt and Mei Lin are both first time competitors.</p><br />For the semi-finals of season 4, Jet Tila will face Mei Lin and the winner will represent the West in the final matchup. Maneet Chauhan and Britt Rescigno will face off with the winner representing the East in the final matchup. The two winners of those match-ups will face off in the finale to determine the winner of <i>Tournament of Champions</i> season four.<div><br /><br />Here is a <a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/2023/02/tournament-of-champions-season-4.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> about all of the matchups and outcomes for season 4 of <i>Tournament of Champions</i>, but below is how the final four got to this point:</div><div><br /><div><ul><li><b>Jet Tila</b> beat Carlos Anthony 84-77, Lee Anne Wong 83-78, and Adam Sobel 88-86.</li><li><b>Maneet Chauhan</b> beat Jonathon Sawyer 92-85, Stephanie Izard 86-84, and Karen Akunowicz 88-81.</li><li><b>Britt Rescigno</b> beat season 3 champion Tiffani Faison 89-88, Darnell Ferguson 83-81, and Jose Garces 85-81.</li><li><b>Mei Lin</b> beat Crista Luedtke 84-82, Tiffany Derry 92-85, and Shota Nakajima 91-84.</li></ul></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I will update this post with the winner of the final three match-ups after the episode airs and you can discuss this season in the comments.</div></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>UPDATE - Continue reading if you want to know who won the final matchups and season 4 of <i>Tournament of Champions</i>. The episode was released on Discovery+ so if you have that premium service, you can watch it there ahead of the normal air time. Obviously spoilers ahead so stop reading if you do not want to know......</div><div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The judges for the final matchups were Ming Tsai, Cat Cora, Nancy Silverton, Lorena Garcia and the surprise guest judge - Daniel Boulud.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In the first matchup of the night, Maneet Chauhan went againt Britt Rescigno. Maneet Chauhan defeated Britt Rescigno by a score of 87 to 80 and she will represent the East in the final matchup.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In the second matchup of the night, Jet Tila went against Mei Lin. Mei Lin pulled a slight upset and defeated Jet Tila by a score of 90 to 87 and she will represent the West in the final matchup.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In the final matchup of <i>Tournament of Champions</i> season 4, Maneet Chauhan went against Mei Lin. Mei Lin defeated Maneet Chauhan by a score of 91 to 89. Mei Lin wins season 4 of <i>Tournament of Champions</i> and the prize of $100,000. Maneet Chauhan barely misses becoming the first person to win <i>Tournament of Champions</i> twice. Mei Lin's win means a female chef has won every season of TOC.</div><div><br /></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-25574804104750192602023-04-06T10:09:00.002-04:002023-04-06T10:09:44.994-04:00Dutch Treat - Restaurant Impossible Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1SSUMgzVkDshfZnPiR5HbQXKMnjKdwuzVGPTvaY9g2dDYEb9g---XV63-OHj64wm9k6O7QCWPUTbmjYe6KjDKrWFvn56P27CQdnPdq7jFsK8Z4lwsvWreVfcHNtyWEYNYW-qCje8Xg_p_5EMTJlygzpaS32ZtEyCJOLzyprD2XN0rd3CKttACAvxtw/s687/Restaurant%20Impossible%20Dutch%20Treat.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="687" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1SSUMgzVkDshfZnPiR5HbQXKMnjKdwuzVGPTvaY9g2dDYEb9g---XV63-OHj64wm9k6O7QCWPUTbmjYe6KjDKrWFvn56P27CQdnPdq7jFsK8Z4lwsvWreVfcHNtyWEYNYW-qCje8Xg_p_5EMTJlygzpaS32ZtEyCJOLzyprD2XN0rd3CKttACAvxtw/s400/Restaurant%20Impossible%20Dutch%20Treat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>On this week's episode of <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i>, which is the season finale, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Franconia, New Hampshire to makeover Dutch Treat. Dutch Treat is owned by John who is overworked and has lost his desire for the restaurant. There is junk everywhere in the restaurant and John doesn't seem to want help from others. Robert needs to determine if John is able to regain his desire for the restaurant in hopes of turning the business around.</p><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><br /><br />As I normally do with <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i> episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Dutch Treat to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i>):</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><br /><br /><b>Positive Reviews:</b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"Chicken BBQ pizza, salmon salad, burgers, fries and beer on tap. All delicious. Staff is working hard to create a welcoming vibe even when overwhelmed by hungry diners. Pool and jukebox make it fun to create your own party. Very grateful for a fun night out with family and friends."</li><li>"Great find in Franconia. Best meat lovers pizza I've ever had. Order the pizza you'll thank me later."</li><li>"Great food and friendly staff. We stopped here for dinner after a ski trip to loon - the food was great and the staff were amazingly nice!!"</li><li>"Great local bar & restaurant situated in downtown Franconia. People are friendly and the pizza is great. "</li><li>"The food is excellent. The people are very friendly and charming. The service was Great."</li><li>"This is definitely a locals place. The food drinks and service was excellent"</li><li>"Went to Dutch’s for the first time after their ‘make over’/remodel (see more on Restaurant Impossible) and was impressed. Same family style service, but the menu has definitely been upgraded. Wife had the Portobello Sandwich and I had a huge serving of Crispy Chicken. Both were super tasty! The interior decor is a great refresh, and the beer/wine/drink selection remains great. Busier now that some other local spots have closed. We will try the pizza next. Good bar too!"</li><li>"This is one of my regular places. I have been eating here for many years. They have a friendly staff. The bar type food is excellent, and the adult beverage sizes are generous."</li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Negative Reviews:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"Good food but too expensive, I had a Ginger Ale, soup and a salad it was $27 before tipping."</li><li>"Went here on a Sunday. One person on for entire place, bar and two rooms! Waited quite a while but not their fault, maybe the owner could of thought to help out on a long weekend? Anyway bartender/waitperson was apologetic, totally not their fault. Out of the beer I wanted didn’t want them to have to change a keg, changed my beer choice. Ordered steak and cheese. Though had nice flavor there was probable three pieces of very cooked steak on each of the subs . More onion than steak. Was a bummer. Would go for another beer but place was getting even busier and just couldn’t see making this person run anymore."</li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Reviews from Yelp, Google</span></i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><br /><br /><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Other News and Links:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> makeover for Dutch Treat happened in November 2022.</li><li>Here is the Dutch Treat website and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thedutchtreat/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.</li><ul><li>Their Facebook page advertises a lot of their nightly events and bar specials, so it seems like it is more of a bar than a restaurant.</li><li>They also say in the About section - "Franconia's favorite local watering hole for over fifty years! Great food in a casual atmosphere."</li></ul><li>Here are the reviews for Dutch Treat from <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-dutch-treat-restaurant-franconia?sort_by=date_desc" target="_blank">Yelp</a>, <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46088-d5081228-Reviews-Dutch_Treat_Restaurant-Franconia_New_Hampshire.html" target="_blank">TripAdvisor</a>, and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=dutch+treat+franconia+nh&sxsrf=APwXEdfnirrFvkHLrfBj4Alj6T5TPg0TLA%3A1680745675086&source=hp&ei=yyQuZMCjAsyZptQPy4WhqAk&iflsig=AOEireoAAAAAZC4y2_SZIVcLsz0XB9BQwS0RbrOlsiTO&ved=0ahUKEwiAtazHkZT-AhXMjIkEHctCCJUQ4dUDCAs&uact=5&oq=dutch+treat+franconia+nh&gs_lcp=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&sclient=gws-wiz&bshm=lbsc/1#lrd=0x4cb464e79ec47ba9:0x1fd1c7c0f958cedd,1,,,," target="_blank">Google</a>.</li><ul><li>All recent reviews are positive, but there are a decent number of 1-star reviews in the past, which are mostly about the bar portion of Dutch Treat.</li></ul></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Conclusion:</b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b><br /></b>The reviews for Dutch Treat since the <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> makeover are almost all positive with people liking the food, pizza, and friendly staff. It seems like there are a lot of regulars and locals that frequent the Dutch Treat. Dutch Treat also seems to operate as more of a sports bar than just a restaurant. <br /><br /><br />*Visit Our <a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/p/restaurant-impossible-updates.html">Restaurant Impossible Update Page</a> to see all <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i> updates, and which restaurants are open, closed, or have been sold. Also <a href="https://twitter.com/FoodNetworkGoss">Follow Us on Twitter</a></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-43546304215997043762023-03-29T22:30:00.000-04:002023-03-29T22:30:12.579-04:00White Mountain Tavern - Restaurant Impossible Update<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqfi7NBlDuoQeBs0WQBKi53DbNGvkhKrEpXqdfo9zY21a9x4q-mE-EeWK9mvOdWS7ZX9qYUUy9CaL-D2dIAcW3Rdj4OdklGXIauRjSAwuklLjw3riMxvhRSbZ7-34YojtV1HhRrOdX5Xe22tHEc3kb8djpNKEKtk97hwYuc9VK5_5mhLW_FU7DEEAOA/s1089/White%20Mountain%20Tavern%20Restaurant%20Impossible.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1089" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqfi7NBlDuoQeBs0WQBKi53DbNGvkhKrEpXqdfo9zY21a9x4q-mE-EeWK9mvOdWS7ZX9qYUUy9CaL-D2dIAcW3Rdj4OdklGXIauRjSAwuklLjw3riMxvhRSbZ7-34YojtV1HhRrOdX5Xe22tHEc3kb8djpNKEKtk97hwYuc9VK5_5mhLW_FU7DEEAOA/s400/White%20Mountain%20Tavern%20Restaurant%20Impossible.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo - Robert Irvine Facebook</td></tr></tbody></table><p>On this week's episode of <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i>, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Lincoln, New Hampshire to makeover White Mountain Tavern. White Mountain Tavern is located at a mountain resort and is owned by David and Melissa. They have a volatile relationship and a toxic standing in the community. Robert will need to fix these two large problems in hopes of turning this restaurant around.</p><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><br />As I normally do with <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i> episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about White Mountain Tavern to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i>):</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><br /><br /><b>Positive Reviews:</b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"Great food! Staff was very friendly. Stop by when your in the Lincoln area. Nice fireplace and live music. Will be back!"</li><li>"We went here 3 night in a row staying up in Lincoln for skiing! Everything we ate was super yummy, they had live music each night which is a plus for us and the staff was all really nice! Would definitely go back"</li><li>"Was greeted warmly by the host and the place looks great!! Looks very new and modern. Open and airy floor plan not cramp and loaded with old furniture like other restaurants in and around Lincoln... not saying any names. ;)...Was not disappointed!!! Highly recommend the perogies, baked haddock and steak tips! They were out of cheesecake:( but hey everything else made up for it!!! Check 'em out and take a little ride out of Town and meet the real locals and get some great food"</li><li>"This was amazing! It was our hotel restaurant. The food was spectacular, the waitress was great, it did take a while before the host got her, though. Had my kids and grand kids with me, and they enjoyed it very much as well. Live music on the night we were there. We would eat there again for sure."</li><li>"We came here with several other families for dinner in the middle of January. The food was great and the service was excellent. We will be back!"</li><li>"After years of eating at Woodwards on our annual ski trip from NJ and watching previous new owners run it into the ground, we decided to roll the dice and see if the new owners were able to restore the quality of this one great establishment. We were very pleasantly surprised. The restaurant looks amazing, the food was really good, and the service was great. We met David, the owner, and were happy to see that, thanks to him and his wife, Melissa, this restaurant is back."</li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Negative Reviews:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"Nice staff. Mediocre food (very salty) but you get what you pay for especially in the middle of nowhere. My suggestion is to spend the extra money at a lodge and have a really nice meal."</li><li>"When we arrived we were told it would be a 20-30 minute wait. What we weren’t told was it would be another 1.5 hours to get our food. I’m not sure where the breakdown was, poor management for not properly preparing staff, poor waitstaff for not being more transparent of the situation or a combination of the two. When the food finally did arrive it was decent but we had such a bad taste in our mouth from the long wait and poor service it all made for a terribly disappointing experience."</li></ul></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>*Reviews from Yelp, Google</i></span><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span face="Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #2d2e2f;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><br /><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Other News and Links:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> makeover for White Mountain Tavern happened in November 2022.</li><li>Here is the White Mountain Tavern <a href="https://whitemountaintavernnh.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/whitemountaintavern/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.</li><li>According to their Facebook page, the restaurant is only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 9pm.</li><li>This is another 90-minute episode, so perhaps more drama than usual for this one.</li><li>About a month after the makeover, Melissa posted about their episode being 90 minutes and talking about her sobriety. She wanted to make it clear that referred to opiates only. (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/melissa.brown.58/posts/pfbid0YNg7WqHxvn1hPHXEBF726HYVzx6uRUVx8mFVQ77QfRDBMWksNCSNsxq6iM6MPCNvl?__cft__[0]=AZXzNqUUZOyhPI8ZSYyME0Elm4v7nJ4zyV0z9Z8DIPxAJGvhQPv860zgirGt-NPMe3Mf9oy3i3Jy1tL8iFzLf9uRz3wMZs_EL-PH0iub2OYquDfS3EbFwdn4wyz8MJYy7UsAzC7jL2eufcUOCZ_pqt-j3OJ-noxeWNYUWi2Yawe74w&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" target="_blank">Link</a>)</li><li>David posted on Facebook that any locals who mention his post about the upcoming <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> appearance will receive 20% off of their bill through the end of May. (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/162574739020192/posts/563914548886207/?__cft__[0]=AZW4paT3MbXw6qV61Rfg1MRltO-jD_Rh_aZV4scnF_dkQCQgzMIcOC9-BI-0dmo-7yHKgMC5piYz8ytrXOBZ8pmb-e9fc6N2wr6NbnK4WviXrubGUaRh_nH7PDR46MR4FqmgX0Negij59iz4Uhulmg5igrOWb6p4FrLP2Wt92n_p4-jfkMH-XnDudMmPeibmfhdvoQ7x4OZ2xRTqO5o-HioJ&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-y-R" target="_blank">Link</a>)</li><li>Melissa posted on Facebook after seeing their <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> episode description. David commented on that <a href="https://www.facebook.com/melissa.brown.58/posts/pfbid0s3vt7rsPb7moUgag5j29U4RBbyRmdrb6mLgV514gnbA2NRAfhxwo2RvBsszCQ2Jel?comment_id=565141842380194&__cft__[0]=AZUYHIctEJafntKrtethwXxJiPaSG8JW3i54ybDgU1V8RoX3oXeR8_FWs4IcQvmybZ_FDLQQ0FxbV03XBq0G3tiHqSPFhK9QZudrOZFkFP0d9_XQBZ8xzn5m_twS4DKIEJ0rbm-mATkTEvHqOSrDo5DUumcOPsz_cGLExvmwbr4ekWsLpRQwiEvTDm1P2JHVOZ8&__tn__=R]-R" target="_blank">saying</a>, "I was just in it for the free renovations lol. I honestly have no interest in watching."</li><li>Here are the reviews for White Mountain Tavern from <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/white-mountain-tavern-lincoln-10?sort_by=date_desc" target="_blank">Yelp</a>, <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46140-d23434759-Reviews-White_Mountain_Tavern-Lincoln_New_Hampshire.html" target="_blank">TripAdvisor</a>, and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=white+mountain+tavern+lincoln+nh&sxsrf=APwXEdfTwh-0bzHkYxLwXRLjkIWnD1DLXA%3A1680133815818&source=hp&ei=t84kZMvGL8ut5NoPieiU6Ao&iflsig=AOEireoAAAAAZCTcx-eJNQquDVCka8RHVK_9836KbvCw&ved=0ahUKEwiL_o6aqoL-AhXLFlkFHQk0Ba0Q4dUDCAs&uact=5&oq=white+mountain+tavern+lincoln+nh&gs_lcp=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&sclient=gws-wiz&bshm=lbsc/1#lrd=0x4cb4816f09cbcbbf:0xa1b9ab702e850b97,1,,,," target="_blank">Google</a>.</li><ul><li>The restaurant responds to some of the reviews on Google.</li></ul></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Conclusion:</b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b><br /></b>The reviews for White Mountain Tavern since the <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> makeover are mostly positive with people liking the food, staff and service. It seems that Melissa and Dave aren't looking forward to watching their episode, but they are happy with the renovations done by the show. <br /><br /><br />*Visit Our <a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/p/restaurant-impossible-updates.html">Restaurant Impossible Update Page</a> to see all <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i> updates, and which restaurants are open, closed, or have been sold. Also <a href="https://twitter.com/FoodNetworkGoss">Follow Us on Twitter</a></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-79403876790082710052023-03-23T12:55:00.000-04:002023-03-23T12:55:13.234-04:00The Balanced Chef - Restaurant Impossible Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wsEIKp5iauSLt93oFBNy_wWjqjE70AMBDQLa1sxRWC2LTZyF8X_8whuee_5dS2OyQP8Mh5F0aU4yo3BPpVccZffxmfftKXjyWI2o56mAFWbQpSFDNx7TPISgNZvXthexqQtmjXz1hcEEm8XmA93QZd1gaiFzU6VRnrwnfuxQahy-onP7I5Ct4RxjAw/s871/The%20Balanced%20Chef%20Restaurant%20Impossible.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="871" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wsEIKp5iauSLt93oFBNy_wWjqjE70AMBDQLa1sxRWC2LTZyF8X_8whuee_5dS2OyQP8Mh5F0aU4yo3BPpVccZffxmfftKXjyWI2o56mAFWbQpSFDNx7TPISgNZvXthexqQtmjXz1hcEEm8XmA93QZd1gaiFzU6VRnrwnfuxQahy-onP7I5Ct4RxjAw/s400/The%20Balanced%20Chef%20Restaurant%20Impossible.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>On this week's episode of <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i>, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Rome, New York to makeover The Balanced Chef. The Balanced Chef's owner Brian is facing multiple issues. The concept of his restaurant is confusing and he is also facing health issues. Robert will need figure out a plan to help Brian reduce his stress to turn his health and his restaurant around.</p><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><br /><br />As I normally do with <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i> episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about The Balanced Chef to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i>):</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><br /><br /><b>Positive Reviews:</b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"I rarely write reviews but I love with this place. Great food and lovely ladies working. The prices are a tad pricey, but you're going to pay the same or more to eat elsewhere for a decent lunch."</li><li>"The place looks great! I had lunch with a friend, and the staff was courteous and pleasant, and the food was delicious! I will definitely be back!"</li><li>"Sandwiches are big, and delicious. Pressed panini was perfectly toasted and so full. Came with chips and a tasty pickle. So much food, best for friend dates hands down"</li><li>"The Balanced Chef is a great place if you're looking for healthy food and great sandwiches to enjoy in a beautiful restaurant. If you haven't already, please go here and try some of their sandwiches or meals! The owner is a great dude and deserves the best."</li><li>"Awesome place - go here! They have fresh-made sandwiches, wraps & salads, and ready-to-go pastas and other food."</li><li>"I love balanced chef!! Such great food, I love their salads and smoothies especially. I also used them to cater my daughter’s birthday party (i.e., wraps and side dishes) and the food was a big hit!"</li><li>"Lovely little eatery with a cute, inviting atmosphere. Serves a variety of healthy and quality options. I got the chicken caesar wrap and it was very tasty but light on the dressing which some people may prefer. Service was very kind."</li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Negative Reviews:</b></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"It's sad what this place has become. I heard stories and saw images of how aesthetic the building was & how great the food menu was. Now I would categorize it as lazy. The prices are very, very high for essentially everything on the menu. The items are small & oftentimes the incorrect order. The atmosphere is dead. Going for the past two months it's always empty now which unfortunately is a sign of things to come. The women behind the counter is always so sweet however so that's pretty awesome. But everything else needs to be reworked again. Trying to have upscale pricing on very mid quality food in Rome NY is clearly not the move. Quality has to match the double digit price tag for literally anything."</li><li>"I've been to this cafe several times and it just keeps getting worse. The first time I visited I ordered a smoothie which tasted like nothing but ice. Ended up tossing it after a few sips. The second time I decided to try one of the prepackaged to go meals for about 10 bucks. Salmon and rice. Nothing was seasoned and it was so bland I had to add seasoning to it when I got home. I get the whole idea of portion sizes and healthy eating but if the food doesn't taste good then what is the point? After learning that the place was getting a makeover via a very popular TV show I said ok great maybe this will improve the menu and flavor. Nope not at all. This time I purchased a BLT wrap and a smoothie. I'll insert a pic of the wrap. The lettuce was very bitter, the bacon chewy and the tomatoes weren't fresh. The smoothie tasted ok for an 8.00 drink. Not sure who the guy was that prepped the food and bought it out to me but he wasn't very friendly at all. I will not be returning to this establishment again."</li><li>"I popped into The Balanced Chef to grab a smoothie. I've come to this shop two other times before the remodel and I enjoyed the meal and drink. Unfortunately, the good food and friendly service that I enjoyed from this store before was not there this day. I got a strawberry, pineapple and coconut smoothie. The size was your typical medium and it had a nice thickness to it but that's were to praises end. The smoothie had very little taste, unfortunately. I could only taste a slight pineapple flavor and protein. I'm not even sure protein was add but it tasted like it did. For almost $8, I would have thought the flavors would be bursting with every sip. I might try them again when fruits are in season, maybe that might be the reason the smoothie fell flat. Fingers crossed."</li></ul><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Reviews from Yelp, Google</span></i><br /><br /><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Other News and Links:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> makeover for The Balanced Chef happened in November 2022.</li><li>Here is the The Balanced Chef <a href="https://balancedchef.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/balancedchef/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.</li><li>The Balanced Chef offers dietician approved meals ready to heat and eat. These meals are available for pick-up or can be delivered.</li><ul><li>They also have an In-Store Menu that is different from the heat and eat meals.</li></ul><li>In an <a href="https://romesentinel.com/stories/the-balanced-chef-looks-forward-to-future-after-visit-from-food-network-show,152354" target="_blank">article</a> two weeks after the makeover, Brian said there would still be a lot of changes operationally to allow more in-house dining such as hiring people and extending hours. He also said, "I can’t stress enough how grateful I am for everything."</li><li>Here are the reviews for The Balanced Chef from <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-balanced-chef-rome?sort_by=date_desc" target="_blank">Yelp</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=balance+chef+rome+ny&sxsrf=AJOqlzVk_1V9Btkrl7y0aE7i8IL-9a8lug%3A1679532287536&source=hp&ei=_6AbZNnEHaSeptQPg_OfiA4&iflsig=AK50M_UAAAAAZBuvD1hZneohbJqe5eMeMTJ7X4kalerd&ved=0ahUKEwiZwImr6fD9AhUkj4kEHYP5B-EQ4dUDCAw&uact=5&oq=balance+chef+rome+ny&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyDQguEA0QgAQQxwEQrwEyBggAEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeOgQIIxAnOgQIABBDOgoIABCxAxCDARBDOggILhCxAxCABDoNCC4QsQMQxwEQ0QMQQzoRCC4QgAQQsQMQgwEQxwEQrwE6CwguEIAEEMcBEK8BOgsILhCABBCxAxCDAToOCC4QgAQQsQMQgwEQ1AI6BAguEEM6BwguENQCEEM6CwgAEIAEELEDEIMBOggIABCABBCxAzoHCAAQsQMQQzoFCAAQgAQ6CAgAEBYQHhAPOgUIABCGA1AAWIkpYKEraAJwAHgBgAGNB4gBx0eSAQ0xLjUuMS4yLjEuNS41mAEAoAEB&sclient=gws-wiz&bshm=lbsc/1#lrd=0x89d9135447a1a785:0xacd9df3f9b958ef4,1,,,," target="_blank">Google</a>.</li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Conclusion:</b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b><br /></b>The reviews for The Balanced Chef since the <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> makeover are mixed with people liking the atmosphere, lunch and sandwiches. There are a few complaints about prices and the smoothies. It seems that Brian is happy with and grateful for the makeover and extending hours in the future to include dinner may be an option he pursues.</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><br /><br />*Visit Our <a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/p/restaurant-impossible-updates.html">Restaurant Impossible Update Page</a> to see all <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i> updates, and which restaurants are open, closed, or have been sold. Also <a href="https://twitter.com/FoodNetworkGoss">Follow Us on Twitter</a></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-79505583474593463512023-03-16T11:14:00.001-04:002023-03-16T11:14:26.542-04:00Franco Di Roma - Restaurant Impossible Update<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3U2s-og62D9u4x_vBAj3KPxSphQdGcK9NROfiy5r0uqSfjxoLvAsKX65YwxDu47pTWVlyWNc-Rihg29NniY3PBm5zT9tgLScDFhCVhChHMVJpqu06B94NG8TAnqKgQ0Ypqms9DH8n1bQ04IYTrZCz-h6XvbOg8xtrza-GPj-8xm_tys4tAsANVsra1Q/s1071/Restaurant%20Impossible%20Franco%20Di%20Roma.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="1071" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3U2s-og62D9u4x_vBAj3KPxSphQdGcK9NROfiy5r0uqSfjxoLvAsKX65YwxDu47pTWVlyWNc-Rihg29NniY3PBm5zT9tgLScDFhCVhChHMVJpqu06B94NG8TAnqKgQ0Ypqms9DH8n1bQ04IYTrZCz-h6XvbOg8xtrza-GPj-8xm_tys4tAsANVsra1Q/s400/Restaurant%20Impossible%20Franco%20Di%20Roma.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo - Robert Irvine Facebook</td></tr></tbody></table><p>On this week's episode of <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i>, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Middletown, New York to makeover Franco Di Roma. Franco Di Roma is owned by married couple Franco and Karen and a mistake in the past has driven a wedge between them. Franco refuses to change, Karen is not showing up and their son refuses to work for them. Robert will need to bridge the divide and help them forgive each other in hopes of saving the restaurant and the family. </p><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><br />As I normally do with <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i> episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Franco Di Roma to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i>):</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><br /><br /><b>Positive Reviews:</b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"I visited first time with my husband. I wanted one slice of pizza just to sample and I got the eggplant parmesan. I'm from Queens so I know good and great pizza. The pizza here was quite good, authentic with a nice sauce . The eggplant was delicious and prepared properly.... My husband enjoyed the lasagna. Although that's his favorite and said he prefers mine. Smart man. Lol. Will definitely come back when I'm visiting the area. Thanks for a wonderful experience."</li><li>"We are on holiday for 4th of July 2022 and wanted Italian. So happy we came here! Authentic delicious AND the service we were waited on by Franco himself!!!"</li><li>"We went back for our first time since the remodel and updated menu...Everything new we tried was outstanding, even the little one ate everything on her plate. Service was outstanding and franco even swung by to check in on us to be sure everything was good. He's so humble and feels like he's part of your family by the time we left. The new look makes you feel like your in a rustic italian barrel wine cellar with a warm atmosphere. We loved it and will deff be back."</li><li>"Wonderful local place for a delicious dinner! When all the chain restaurants were packed and on a wait, we found a little gem and enjoyed our dinner. We will be back for sure!"</li><li>"I always got pizza here since I was a kid and it’s always been really good. The staff are really nice and helpful. The place is really nice and somewhat nostalgic, I definitely recommend people to check it out."</li><li>"Great little Italian gem off the beaten path. Not a lot of people know of it. Pizza was excellent. Perfect service. Very reasonable prices. I will definitely be returning."</li><li>"This is one of our favorite pizza places in town. The owner works hard and the pizza is thin crust, balanced sauce, and quality cheese. I think a regular cheese pie is a difficult food to get just right, and Franco Di Roma's is consistently excellent."</li><li>"I love this place and they recently renovate the inside and I must say it is beautiful....the food is really good and the ppl who work there are very friendly."</li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Negative Reviews:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"I ordered a ragu which was not that good and the wine was turning. The pie I ordered for my grandchildren was good but expensive. 10" margarita was $18. I wasn't a regular of the old restaurant but did go occasionally and liked it. Possibly I'll try it again but will stick to parmigiana meals that were always good."</li><li>"So new menu is for dine in, which comes with nothing. No salad, no bread. Our food was bland and just not that great. The waitress was very nice and told us that the old menu is still available but only in the "cafe" and for take out. It's all very odd and really not worth the time. People aren't that friendly here and even with a renovation and a new menu nothing really has changed. Attitudes are still the same."</li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>*Reviews from Yelp, Google</i></span><span face="Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #2d2e2f;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><br /><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Other News and Links:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> makeover for Franco Di Roma happened in June 2022.</li><li>Here is the Franco Di Roma <a href="https://www.francodiroma.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/francodiromaFDR/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.</li><li>The restaurant posted an updated menu on their Facebook page in January and they also have a takeout menu with a lot more items on their website.(<a href="https://www.facebook.com/francodiromaFDR/posts/pfbid02sU4HHfXotptgyu7zecg7d6pEVzZb4GKEMjFWeeAeXVQ1a99U57A7PJ6bmCDnskupl?__cft__[0]=AZVibW3TbpLHyQ6XrRTaCcB_vgRSEaV34ww5K5w44Yf8cCjZHHjE1BIigbERqZsyTtL3n2zXj5nGTpqZxrudZt-i9HIebbOB3g9n0nqXXypaKFu-8Vh_qhuca9y_BFWfmnbd3gLlwPXAo47RhrV1VYiIxXnyf24UM-eEmEgFkITWdM7HFeqeYMPph-_yRQbaBm0&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" target="_blank">Link</a>)</li><li>There was enough drama in this episode that the episode is actually 90 minutes vs. the usual 60 minutes. </li><li>Here are the reviews for Franco Di Roma from <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/franco-di-roma-middletown?sort_by=date_desc" target="_blank">Yelp</a>, <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g48170-d4650876-Reviews-Franco_Di_Roma-Middletown_New_York.html" target="_blank">TripAdvisor</a>, and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=franco+di+roma+middletown&sxsrf=AJOqlzWbiSzg2ZCh1xyZhQy0ytjKVR-idw%3A1678973482939&source=hp&ei=KhoTZLDANu-YptQPhqCpwAg&iflsig=AK50M_UAAAAAZBMoOiHyjr9mjgXNBrenHY_nq-FG66_o&oq=franco+di+&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMYADIECCMQJzIFCC4QgAQyCwguEK8BEMcBEIAEMgUIABCABDIHCAAQgAQQCjIHCAAQgAQQCjIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUILhCABDIFCAAQgAQ6EQguELEDEIMBEMcBENEDEJECOgsILhDHARDRAxCRAjoICC4QsQMQgwE6CwgAEIAEELEDEIMBOhEILhCDARDHARCxAxDRAxCABDoLCC4QxwEQrwEQkQI6BQguEJECOggIABCxAxCDAToLCC4QgAQQxwEQrwE6DgguEIAEELEDEMcBENEDOggILhCABBCxAzoLCC4QgAQQsQMQgwE6CAguENQCEJECOhEILhCABBCxAxCDARDHARCvAToICAAQgAQQsQM6CAguEIMBELEDOggILhDUAhCABFAAWMMJYIYSaABwAHgAgAHTAogByxOSAQcwLjIuNi4ymAEAoAEB&sclient=gws-wiz#lrd=0x89c32d65d31797a3:0x5f2b45b7301f7299,1,,,," target="_blank">Google</a>.</li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Conclusion:</b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b><br /></b>The reviews for Franco Di Roma since the <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> makeover are mostly positive with people complementing the food and friendly service. It seems that the restaurant offers a different menu for dine-in vs. takeout orders and a few reviews did mention that. <br /><br /><br />*Visit Our <a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/p/restaurant-impossible-updates.html">Restaurant Impossible Update Page</a> to see all <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i> updates, and which restaurants are open, closed, or have been sold. Also <a href="https://twitter.com/FoodNetworkGoss">Follow Us on Twitter</a></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-21558076931375013762023-03-09T10:42:00.000-05:002023-03-09T10:42:56.685-05:00Leah's Korner Kafe - Restaurant Impossible Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OA0QG3z8XFjT84KvfXWiiULzF6eribNubmrtx4YV9ZlWjEdtD3UbbOQn9qQuLT0AQjm24EdUp0-GgYDJ0Kl3lxQOXKO5KK_NgXt0ayFTXGfER-qe2aMYRCls1ZLARD6kfTUlOuBqjW33ENd-7sIDSnE2S5s_5l9CyhphVpdjBRentqZswPyOEX85rw/s1005/Restaurant%20Impossible%20Leah%27s%20Korner%20Kafe.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="1005" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OA0QG3z8XFjT84KvfXWiiULzF6eribNubmrtx4YV9ZlWjEdtD3UbbOQn9qQuLT0AQjm24EdUp0-GgYDJ0Kl3lxQOXKO5KK_NgXt0ayFTXGfER-qe2aMYRCls1ZLARD6kfTUlOuBqjW33ENd-7sIDSnE2S5s_5l9CyhphVpdjBRentqZswPyOEX85rw/s400/Restaurant%20Impossible%20Leah%27s%20Korner%20Kafe.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>On this week's episode of <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i>, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Coleman, Michigan to makeover Leah's Korner Kafe. Leah's Korner Kafe is a diner owned by Leah and Chris and the failing restaurant is destroying their marriage. Leah will not listen to Chris and this has caused him to step away from the restaurant. Robert will need to get Chris back involved in the restaurant in hopes of saving both the restaurant and their marriage. </p><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><br />As I normally do with <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i> episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Leah's Korner Kafe to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i>):</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><br /><br /><b>Positive Reviews:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"We enjoyed breakfast here on a visit with friends in the area. It is a Quaint and Cozy restaurant with great breakfast and fast, friendly service."</li><li>"We drove from the UP to visit Leah’s newly updated and remodeled corner cafe. Restaurant Impossible had just done a recording of the cafe. And the new decor is wonderful. New items on the menu along with some of the original menu. The crew is amazing, friendly and efficient. It is definitely worth the stop if your ever in the area of Coleman/Midland/Sanford/Clare"</li><li>"Super cute, small town place with great food and service. The interior was recently remodeled, we're told. It's clean and country chic. Definitely a jeans and tee shirt kind of place where comfort is welcomed. We went for a calm and peaceful Sunday lunch. Our drinks were never less than half full. Coleman Club sandwich was good, and the hint of pepper on the fries was a nice touch. My partner loved the patty melt! We'll be back, maybe next time for breakfast."</li><li>"If you travel US 10, plan a stop for breakfast or lunch (plus Supper on Fridays). FABULOUS. Everything was great. Leah is a Christian lady worth getting to know. She had us try the mushrooms. (Unbelievable). The onion rings were to die for. Her staff was constantly attentive and very pleasant. The municipal parking lot across the street is big enough for RVs. One stop will make you a regular."</li><li>"I love this place especially for breakfast the 6- egg omelet definitely will leave you satisfied and the trump burger is great too super friendly staff cozy friendly atmosphere this is a great place for breakfast or lunch"</li><li>"Food is always amazing. Service is great, always a positive and welcoming atmosphere. So glad to have this special place in our small town"</li><li>"Great experience!! Great Food!! Reasonable prices for little hometown Cafe. Friendly staff!"</li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><b>Negative Reviews:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"Thought about going until I saw the tRump burger on the menu. Not my cup of tea! I'll go elsewhere."</li><li>"I feel like I was at a completely different restaurant than some reviewers. When we walked in, we were ignored, while a group of workers huddled by the kitchen, gossiping. The decor is cute, but the chairs are hard, cold metal. Being comfortable is very important to me, and I was definitely not. We did receive our water, but then our server went back to yakking with the people in the kitchen. I can't review the food, because we didn't order any. I'm not going to pay $14 for a 1/3 lb burger in a cafe, while being ignored, in a torture chair. I left a tip anyway, because you know, karma, then we left. I won't be back."</li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Reviews from Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Other News and Links:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> makeover for Leah's Korner Kafe happened in June 2022.</li><li>Here is the Leah's Korner Kafe <a href="https://leahs-korner-kafe.business.site/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/leahskornerkafe/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.</li><li>There is a viewing party for the episode at a local high school.</li><li>Here are the reviews for Leah's Korner Kafe from <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/leahs-korner-kafe-coleman?sort_by=date_desc" target="_blank">Yelp</a>, <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g42093-d4719991-Reviews-Leah_s_Korner_Kafe-Coleman_Michigan.html" target="_blank">TripAdvisor</a>, and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=leah%27s+korner+kafe+coleman+mi&sxsrf=AJOqlzVj0Y449CKxURouHOdST3KTEX-xjA%3A1678330432624&ei=QEoJZOzVJcShiLMPpq-9IA&oq=Leah%27s+Korn+coleman+mi&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAxgAMgYIABAHEB46CggAEEcQ1gQQsAM6CAgAEAcQHhAPOgUIABCGAzoGCAAQCBAeOgsILhCABBDHARCvAUoECEEYAFCiD1ieK2D_NWgBcAF4AIABlQGIAdIJkgEDMy44mAEAoAEByAEIwAEB&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#lrd=0x88218cbfb5f16c03:0xed3fc91ed29d90cf,1,,,," target="_blank">Google</a>.</li><ul><li>Reviews before the makeover were also pretty positive on all review sites.</li></ul></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Conclusion:</b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b><br /></b>The reviews for Leah's Korner Kafe since the <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> makeover are mostly positive with people liking the food, atmosphere, decor, and friendly service. The few negative reviews were from people that didn't even try the food. It also seems that reviews for Leah's were pretty positive before the <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> visit.<br /><br /><br />*Visit Our <a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/p/restaurant-impossible-updates.html">Restaurant Impossible Update Page</a> to see all <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i> updates, and which restaurants are open, closed, or have been sold. Also <a href="https://twitter.com/FoodNetworkGoss">Follow Us on Twitter</a></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-61669501329723387752023-03-08T16:45:00.003-05:002023-05-08T21:06:58.533-04:00Spring Baking Championship Season 9<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09w1kwNRH0uZG7EOcVQanOZ6v3PMPGkwprgXKkVWrN030MGuOin9u-vPSnILsrTuEJQQbFc5BtWok947RpDMa_qb_Ba7o9qU0MyWr0_hSrOy6z2KLBCzA-t0x4oAZAhPHLdPTUEoWKtLFvlOFmQ-xlpJBd8kVRDgGdLHdI3A8F29-56eLyDQg8KD-bQ/s406/Spring%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%209.jpeg" style="clear: right; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09w1kwNRH0uZG7EOcVQanOZ6v3PMPGkwprgXKkVWrN030MGuOin9u-vPSnILsrTuEJQQbFc5BtWok947RpDMa_qb_Ba7o9qU0MyWr0_hSrOy6z2KLBCzA-t0x4oAZAhPHLdPTUEoWKtLFvlOFmQ-xlpJBd8kVRDgGdLHdI3A8F29-56eLyDQg8KD-bQ/s400/Spring%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%209.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo - Food Network</td></tr></tbody></table><p><i>Spring Baking Championship</i> season 9 airs on Food Network on Monday nights and this season is hosted by Jesse Palmer who replaces Molly Yeh from season 8. Jesse has hosted the show in the past and based on the comments from last year, it will be a welcome change from Molly Yeh. The judges on the show are once again Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman, and Kardea Brown. This season will be 10 episodes long and there are twelve bakers competing this year.</p>The twelve bakers competing for the $25,000 prize and a feature in <i>Food Network Magazine</i> are:<div><br /><div><ul><li>April Franqueza — Sapphire, NC</li><li>Christian Velez — Hollywood, FL</li><li>Clement Le Deore — San Diego, CA</li><li>Jai Xiong — Savage, MN</li><li>Jessica Quiet — Stowe, VT</li><li>Josh Cain — Orlando, FL</li><li>Keem Jackson — Florence, SC</li><li>Luke Deardurff — Bronx, NY</li><li>Manja Blackwood — Tucson, AZ</li><li>Michelle Henry — McAllen, TX</li><li>Molly Robertson — Natchez, MS</li><li>Victoria Casinelli — Shelton, CT</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>Feel free to discuss <i>Spring Baking Championship</i> season 9 in the comments and I will do another post for the final episode.</div><div><br /></div><div>UPDATE - To see who won <i>Spring Baking Championship</i> season 9, <a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/2023/05/spring-baking-championship-winner.html" target="_blank">visit this post</a>. </div><div><br /></div></div></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-47936995746385460932023-03-01T22:37:00.000-05:002023-03-01T22:37:00.789-05:00Sunnyside Cafe - Restaurant Impossible Update<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYoGjKlbz0wx71kqL9YP3ghQ21LAblyM2w7yU0LJR1_F8oZ6GKHbzFYRinWfj2Q4ucLSksOezhVZ0X4nb817KFhpO2UgJk-cGBx4rAXvyk8PAul4CFDoG9OZCD7QwtanGTPjXq1xe0hZCyPnXkXdAaSq-HGClVh7l6_Lh7a4qfnn5LC7PEJr_G6uscg/s897/Restaurant%20Impossible%20Sunnyside%20Cafe.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="897" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYoGjKlbz0wx71kqL9YP3ghQ21LAblyM2w7yU0LJR1_F8oZ6GKHbzFYRinWfj2Q4ucLSksOezhVZ0X4nb817KFhpO2UgJk-cGBx4rAXvyk8PAul4CFDoG9OZCD7QwtanGTPjXq1xe0hZCyPnXkXdAaSq-HGClVh7l6_Lh7a4qfnn5LC7PEJr_G6uscg/s400/Restaurant%20Impossible%20Sunnyside%20Cafe.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo - Robert Irvine Facebook</td></tr></tbody></table><p>On this week's episode of <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i>, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Williamston, Michigan to makeover Sunnyside Cafe. Sunnyside Cafe is owned by Jeanette and it is a breakfast restaurant that is having big problems. Jeanette is micromanaging, alienating her staff, and refuses to make any changes. Robert will need to address all of these problems in hopes of turning the restaurant around.</p><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br />As I normally do with <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i> episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Sunnyside Cafe to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i>):</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><br /><b>Positive Reviews:</b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"Foods really good. Waitresses are really friendly and genuine. Super cute little diner I love the decor"</li><li>"Super cute breakfast spot just minutes from the heart of Williamston, MI!... All-in-all, the portion size felt smaller than other breakfast spots in the greater Lansing area, and the service, ambiance, and wait time were comparable to our favorite breakfast joints. Prices felt high, but I'm chalking that up to the current inflation we are feeling in all aspects of life right now. Definitely recommend this spot for locals!"</li><li>"New decor is bright and sunny! Food is still great and new menu items intriguing. I tried the Sparty breakfast panini and it was wonderful! The Country Carol was amazing as always. We love going here."</li><li>"This place has had a major makeover and a whole new updated vibe with new menu to match. The owner was a gracious host and the staff was welcoming and helpful.... We will be back soon"</li><li>"Food was fresh, well prepared and tasty. Servers were attentive and friendly!"</li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Negative Reviews:</b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"The food has always been good but the service has gone in the wrong direction. I believe everyone understands that restaurants are having a hard time getting staff but when the staff you get doesn't listen to an order and their attitude screams that the customer is an inconvenience, well,</li><li>No matter how good the food is, if you can't get what you ordered and you're done trying to get it corrected because that always goes nowhere anyways, then it just turns into a no go as a dining option. Hopefully things will get better."</li><li>"The service was slow with only 4 other tables. What is ordered was out of stock and requested the special. I did not get what I ordered including fries. The bbq sandwich was good and too much bread. This is not the same cafe I have loved for years. Will try again."</li><li>"Our wait person was excellent, super friendly and attentive. $40.00 for two small breakfasts was a bit much. Smaller portions than our last visits. Sent two eggs back, they were undercooked. Tried to charge us $4.00 for the replacement eggs. Took some discussion on our part to have the charge removed. Renovations since we were last there are nice."</li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Reviews from Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><b>Other News and Links:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> makeover for Sunnyside Cafe happened in June 2022.</li><li>Here is the Sunnyside Cafe <a href="https://sunnysidecafemi.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sunnysidecafemi/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.</li><ul><li>They post frequent updates on their Facebook page such as their daily specials. </li></ul><li>According to their Facebook page, they have expanded their hours and are open some evenings.</li><li>Here are the reviews for Sunnyside Cafe from <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/sunnyside-cafe-williamston?sort_by=date_desc" target="_blank">Yelp</a>, <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g42826-d849395-Reviews-Sunnyside_Cafe-Williamston_Ingham_County_Michigan.html" target="_blank">TripAdvisor</a>, and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=sunnyside+cafe+williamston+mi&sxsrf=AJOqlzXUDHdlAECbhA1K5D-og7Bb9HLt1Q%3A1677724571052&ei=mwsAZJfhApOgptQPvoacuAY&ved=0ahUKEwjXmtqIm7z9AhUTkIkEHT4DB2cQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=sunnyside+cafe+williamston+mi&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAzIOCC4QgAQQxwEQrwEQ6gQyBggAEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeMhkILhCABBDHARCvARDqBBDcBBDeBBDgBBgBOg4ILhCvARDHARCABBDqBDoFCAAQgAQ6CwguEIAEEMcBEK8BOgsILhCvARDHARCABDoZCC4QrwEQxwEQgAQQ6gQQ3AQQ3gQQ4AQYAToZCC4QrwEQxwEQgAQQ6gQQ3AQQ3QQQ4AQYAToFCAAQhgM6BQghEKABOgUIIRCrAkoECEEYAFAAWPsvYK4yaAFwAXgDgAG-CogBnD6SAQ8wLjUuMi4xLjAuMS41LjGYAQCgAQHAAQHaAQYIARABGBQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#lrd=0x8822dfa16541a215:0xb10ca56987b08a86,1,,,," target="_blank">Google</a>.</li><ul><li>The restaurant takes the time to respond to reviews on Google.</li></ul></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Conclusion:</b><br /><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">The reviews for Sunnyside Cafe since the <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> makeover are mixed with people liking the food, decor and friendly staff. There were a few complaints about service and high prices. It seems the restaurant had expanded its hours to be open during the evening on certain nights, so maybe that is a good sign.<br /><br /><br />*Visit Our <a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/p/restaurant-impossible-updates.html">Restaurant Impossible Update Page</a> to see all <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i> updates, and which restaurants are open, closed, or have been sold. Also <a href="https://twitter.com/FoodNetworkGoss">Follow Us on Twitter</a></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-81418609675296815332023-02-23T10:31:00.001-05:002023-02-26T21:58:24.589-05:00Runway Cafe - Restaurant Impossible Update<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvdWUgSmzRfPEJYLjewJwdS_jfNJ9hyuGuro_quukXoMY0GS4KN8Kyn_qghOLteJ_ELHxKJmY0hDl2mvy9UbX0dQhTudgn860CXiYBdQCvF3CMQVUQfZ7rDQjBWl7NCFbz-nqy0sgnqCNswWp8NEov5WcqhglxlN1ozNUS-ZzA-B4PfSB_PtfFfk5ZQ/s1042/Runway%20Cafe%20Restaurant%20Impossible.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="1042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvdWUgSmzRfPEJYLjewJwdS_jfNJ9hyuGuro_quukXoMY0GS4KN8Kyn_qghOLteJ_ELHxKJmY0hDl2mvy9UbX0dQhTudgn860CXiYBdQCvF3CMQVUQfZ7rDQjBWl7NCFbz-nqy0sgnqCNswWp8NEov5WcqhglxlN1ozNUS-ZzA-B4PfSB_PtfFfk5ZQ/s400/Runway%20Cafe%20Restaurant%20Impossible.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo - Robert Irvine Facebook</td></tr></tbody></table><p>On this week's episode of <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i>, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Greenville, South Carolina to makeover Runway Cafe. Runway Cafe is an airport cafe located in Greenville Downtown Airport. The owners Mike and Lem think a nearby playground with too many kids is driving away customers. Robert will need to figure out the real problems of the restaurant so it does not become a failure.</p><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br />As I normally do with <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i> episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Runway Cafe to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i>):</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><br /><br /><b>Positive Reviews:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"Loved the new makeover. Show airs in February of 2023 I believe. Food was delicious. Service was great. Owner came to chat with us. Loved flying in, pulling into a slip and walking inside the restaurant to eat. Great park & Putt Putt course on the property with a Military Museum across the road. Great family spot. Great for pilots and flying families."</li><li>"Had lunch today. Although I’ve always liked the place before, this time it was significantly better. The sandwiches were much fresher and the quick service, even though they were slammed with business, was great! The lady managing things at the counter was outstanding."</li><li>"Really friendly staff, great burgers, and being able to watch planes take off while you eat is fun. We love coming here!"</li><li>"First time here today. It was crazy busy, probably because it was a day that it didn’t rain. The food was hot, juicy, delicious! Our burger patty was very thick and cooked perfectly! The fries were some of the best I’ve ever had! The staff were all friendly and smiley and quick to clean tables inside and out! We definitely will be back! Oh… and the planes were really cool to watch also!! Kid-friendliness: It was cute to see the kids watch the planes with wide eyes!!"</li><li>"Our servers, Debbie and Steph, were excellent! They were super friendly and our food came quickly — they were also super accommodating. I’ve never eaten anything here I haven’t loved! But the white chicken chili I had today was especially good — perfectly seasoned with a side of homemade tortilla chips. Runway Cafe has an amazing atmosphere and is hands down my favorite place to eat in Greenville and I could not recommend it more! 10/10"</li><li>"Love great food, friendly staff and anything to do with aviation? Then Runway Cafe is your place. Been a regular customer for over 10 years and now it is even better with recent upgrades. Go check it out. You will not be disappointed."</li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><br /><b>Negative Reviews:</b></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"Service 0 stars!!! I took my kids here to eat and play since the playground is right next to this caffee. We were greeted at the entrance, but as soon as my son touched their plastic airplane, which was placed by the register where we tried to order the food, I started to change my mind about giving these people my financial support with ordering food here. Do not bring in any toys with you to this caffee to try to keep your child busy while you eat. Their toys are not allowed to be touched, and kids are not allowed to play with their own toys either. We were told 3 times to wait a little longer while this lady left the register to serve everybody else. When she came back, she asked for my son not to play with his firetruck inside the restaurant. I guess it was the safety issue. So after waiting 6 minutes, at the register we decided to leave."</li></ul><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Reviews from Yelp, Google</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><br /><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Other News and Links:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> makeover for Runway Cafe happened in October 2022.</li><li>Here is the Runway Cafe <a href="https://runwaycafegmu.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RunwayCafeSC/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.</li><li>The restaurant is promoting their appearance on <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> and say they are excited about the episode. (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/RunwayCafeSC/posts/pfbid0bKa126oxqxgGoDwiiGRY97S2i1yobnGbWEqYDp3E31bxRzSPeFQoiewvyybU9HNkl?__cft__[0]=AZWYe6BhIPgCaQ_JEB_GsPCNd3iGSAz7D69GCz6Ipsz_2hiwpDbc3X0U4Q4j_eYG9t3_1BguVgmI2gmsjJ8akEKgP5YDw6ywnaoffUNTHm5IQw3fAKn5JLrwGzTYNvzRO8V9gZqefFKPGefh_ARIMzonFGM7dNcmLwhB7T29iMIStA&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" target="_blank">Link</a>)</li><li>They also posted about the episode, "I believe Restaurant Impossible chose our place due to our unique situation. We began as a business lunch casual type restaurant and had to evolve into a restaurant adjacent to a park filled with families. We love all of our customers but sometimes it’s a difficult balance to keep everyone happy. This is the challenge that piqued the interest of Chef Irvine and the RI crew. We are so grateful for the experience. We will always be learning but they provided a road map." (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/RunwayCafeSC/posts/pfbid0xBHnM41WPvm8snyW6opSFyimpSmjnWuyZu7sg66WPP6EaVDP8XWat9na1QMmbRHul?comment_id=897510214861191&__cft__[0]=AZUrTRv04L4d5N006cNKEN8D6L_SXrOzyubcWFWhTX6IAPIOv8paSRRsiUh594-86X-zLqLh4QNURY3aiti0X2030X7HJEzJHx_EfwKabuKD8P3XEL0EGI7DLYx6R3BsMPUENdjzXKuo74-HbNzhe23x0uHI0KWiK1X2W2sg_It2T-3c0zZ7dso3tJsiP_QEADrD6jhNQdMmzFwr8yiT6guS&__tn__=R]-R" target="_blank">Link</a>)</li><li>Runway Cafe is open 7 days a week for lunch from 11am to 2:30pm. They mentioned they were planning on opening for dinner and it appears they offer reservations for Friday and Saturday nights.</li><li>Here are the reviews for Runway Cafe from <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/runway-cafe-greenville?sort_by=date_desc" target="_blank">Yelp</a>, <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g54258-d1892229-Reviews-Runway_Cafe-Greenville_South_Carolina.html" target="_blank">TripAdvisor</a>, and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=runway+cafe+greenville+sc&safe=active&sxsrf=AJOqlzVokyP9UFz6Q6wnp3xQg4Tc7j14HA%3A1677117885044&ei=vcn2Y72fAsqi5NoP7tG_iAc&ved=0ahUKEwj98aL-xqr9AhVKEVkFHe7oD3EQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=runway+cafe+greenville+sc&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAzIQCC4QDRCvARDHARCABBDqBDIGCAAQBxAeMgYIABAHEB4yGwguEA0QrwEQxwEQgAQQ6gQQ3AQQ3gQQ4AQYAToKCAAQRxDWBBCwAzoNCC4QxwEQrwEQsAMQQzoJCAAQBxAeEPEEOgsIABAFEAcQHhDxBDoJCAAQBRAeEPEESgQIQRgAUPoUWPsgYP8haAFwAXgAgAHjAYgBgAmSAQUzLjYuMZgBAKABAcgBBcABAdoBBggBEAEYFA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#lrd=0x88582e537f65ce51:0xb3a6c39056d558d,1,,,," target="_blank">Google</a>.</li><ul><li>The restaurant responds to the reviews on Google.</li></ul></ul></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>Conclusion:</b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b><br /></b>The reviews for Runway Cafe since the <i>Restaurant Impossible</i> visit are mostly positive with people liking the atmosphere, service and food. With the location near a playground a lot of reviews do mention children. The restaurant seems happy with the experience on the show and it looks like they have expanded their hours to offer dinner two nights a week.<br /><br /><br />*Visit Our <a href="https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/p/restaurant-impossible-updates.html">Restaurant Impossible Update Page</a> to see all <i>Restaurant: Impossible</i> updates, and which restaurants are open, closed, or have been sold. Also <a href="https://twitter.com/FoodNetworkGoss">Follow Us on Twitter</a></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8808060991534955915.post-77434716605876596412023-02-19T22:03:00.002-05:002023-02-27T21:00:13.830-05:00Kids Baking Championship Winner - Season 11<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOx-pcbLI5q8u8_hpwzrJLCYX8NVEbifkTLAQKelnbe_m3TxZ8-BI2R138q5lxz-gmW8lVCUvQdL41u0T4LQSDim3j7Lw8_7X84uVPvepbuq7To-_LbCp86tOmoJuj7-ChcQGvsASjFKcD-8WnTZUJooBLaD0FHyrIPEB1nQ2fOeWPeWYm1t_muEhItw/s966/Kids%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%2011.jpeg" style="clear: right; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="966" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOx-pcbLI5q8u8_hpwzrJLCYX8NVEbifkTLAQKelnbe_m3TxZ8-BI2R138q5lxz-gmW8lVCUvQdL41u0T4LQSDim3j7Lw8_7X84uVPvepbuq7To-_LbCp86tOmoJuj7-ChcQGvsASjFKcD-8WnTZUJooBLaD0FHyrIPEB1nQ2fOeWPeWYm1t_muEhItw/s400/Kids%20Baking%20Championship%20Season%2011.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo - Food Network</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Monday night at 8pm ET on Food Network is supposed to be the season 11 finale of <i>Kids Baking Championship</i> where the winning baker will take home the prize of $25,000 and a feature in <i>Food Network Magazine</i>. The original release said the final two episodes will be played back-to-back and the winner will be revealed after the 9pm episode. But in looking at the Food Network website, it seems they are listing one episode this week and the final episode listed next week. The channel is also running advertisements that the finale is this week, so there seems to be conflicting information.</p><br />The four remaining bakers going into the final episodes are: <b>Naiel Chaudry</b> (Los Altos, CA; age 12), <b>Sohan Jhaveri</b> (Denver, CO; age 13), <b>Genevieve Kashat</b> (Detroit, MI; age 11), and <b>Naho Yanagi</b> (Morgan Hill, CA; age 13).<br /><br /><br />The first episode description <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/kids-baking-championship/episodes/biz-kids-cookies-are-for-closers" target="_blank">states</a>, "This isn't your grandma's cookie! Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman challenge the kid bakers to put their own stamp on one of today's biggest trends: the loaded cookie. They want the bakers to really go crazy while making batches of two different types of over-the-top cookies. The more toppings, filling and frosting the better for this semi-final challenge!"<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The final episode description <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/kids-baking-championship/episodes/biz-kids-birthdays-are-big-business" target="_blank">states</a>, "There is one event that is the staple of any baking business, and it keeps Duff busy all year round -- birthdays! In order to find out which flavor they’ll be making, the kid bakers must record a commercial for their baking business and sell Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman on why they'd make a great birthday cake. The top commercial maker will assign the flavors, and the best young baker wins $25,000 and the title of Kids Baking Champion!<br /><br /><br />I will update this post with the season 11 winner of <i>Kids Baking Championship</i> once the episode airs, whether that is this week or next week. Feel free to discuss the final episodes and the season in the comments.<br /><br /></div><div>UPDATE 2/20 - There was no double episode this week and Genevieve was eliminated. This makes a final three of Naiel, Sohan, and Naho who will compete for the prize next week. I will update this same post with the winner next week.</div><div><br /></div><div>Continue reading to see who won season 11 of <i>Kids Baking Championship</i>.....<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The judges decided that Naiel Chaudry made the best birthday cake and he won season 11 of <i>Kids Baking Championship</i>. Naiel will take home the $25,000 prize and a feature in <i>Food Network Magazine</i>.</div><div><br /></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917581663732710258noreply@blogger.com0