Monday, December 29, 2014

Giada De Laurentiis Announces Divorce To Husband On Facebook

Photo - Twitter
Giada De Laurentiis announced on Facebook that she and her husband Todd Thompson have been separated since July 2014 and have decided to end their marriage.  In her statement on her Facebook page, Giada stated:
"After an amicable separation since July, Todd and I have decided to end our marriage. Although our decision to separate comes with a great deal of sadness, our focus on the future and overwhelming desire for our family's happiness has given us the strength to move forward on separate, yet always connected paths. Todd and I share a beautiful daughter and a lifetime of great memories that we both treasure more than anything. We are so thankful for our friends and family, and really appreciate the support in this time of change."
The statement was also posted on her website.  It will be interesting to see if any rumors start after this announcement, especially since there have been rumors in the past.  I am sure many people will have their opinions on why they split up as well.

This is the second Food Network divorce announcement in the past few months with the Neely's revealing that they filed for divorce in September 2014.

Monday, December 22, 2014

The Paula Deen Network Christmas Video

The Paula Deen Network releases short preview videos every now and then to try to get people to subscribe to the network.  Their most recent Christmas video has drawn some criticism from a lot of websites such as Eater and Huffington Post, who wonder what the heck is going on in the video.  The network kept it politically correct by titling the video with "Happy Holidays", and the video is below:



I am not sure if this will draw any more subscriptions from the public, but I guess they are hoping for the thought of "there is such thing as bad publicity."

If you are interested in what Thanksgiving looked like on the Paula Deen Network, here was a preview video of that.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Hurley's American Grille From Restaurant Impossible To Close

Photo - Food Network
Hurley's American Grille in Horsham, PA, which was featured on season six of Restaurant Impossible will be closing on December 21, 2014.  Hurley's, named Edibles before the makeover, was one of the few restaurants from Restaurant Impossible that Robert Irvine decided to change the name of.

On December 16th, the restaurant posted the following on their Facebook page:
"We regret to inform you that Hurley's American Grille will be closing our doors at the end of the business day on Dec. 21st.. We wish to thank all of you that have supported us over the years."
They also commented that "Corman Corp has bought the property and plans to build a new shopping center here."

That comment makes it seem like they could have been forced out, but it appears like they have no plans to relocate. 

This will be the ninth restaurant from season six (2013) of Restaurant Impossible to close and the Restaurant Impossible Update page has been updated with this information. 

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Justin Warner's Food Network Web Series - Viewers Pick The Concept

The Food Network announced that Justin Warner will be getting a web series in 2015, and that the viewers will get to choose the concept between three pilots that were filmed.  Justin was the winner of season 8 of Food Network Star, and received a 1-hour special on the Food Network after winning.  He has also appeared on multiple shows as a judge and he blogs about Food Network Star episodes on the Food Network site.

Here are the three concepts of each of his pilot videos:

  • The first concept is called Warner's Walk-In where Justin explores trending ingredients and makes something with them.
  • The second concept is called Tomorrow's Eats with Justin Warner where Justin looks at new and trending restaurant concepts.
  • The third concept is called Foodie Call with Justin Warner and he has Jean Grae, a hip-hop artist on with him.  Jean brings him random ingredients, and he puts them together to make a dish.
People waiting for a Justin Warner show on the Food Network somewhat get their wish, however with this being a web series, I doubt that many will see the series or will even be aware of it.

The videos of each pilot is below if you want to watch, and you can also vote at the Food Network site:

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Grace's Place From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Grace's Place Bagels & Deli in Palm Coast, FL, which was featured on season eight of Restaurant Impossible has closed.  The reason for closing..... Rats.

The restaurant failed an inspection in September of 2014 due to the finding of rat droppings in multiple places (see bottom of update).  After that inspection, they were forced to close for a day, but were allowed to reopen.  However, the restaurant closed for good in November, which was again due to rats.

An article in the  Daytona Beach News Journal details the closure, and Grace and Ed Tutak blame the landlord for the rats, while the property owner blames the restaurant.  The rats still remain at the empty restaurant and have "eaten through the dry wall and they’ve chewed holes through boxes and bags to get to the nonperishable food that typically sits on shelves and counters at most restaurants."

The owners also stated that business was booming after the makeover, but the October article about the rat droppings found during a restaurant inspection doomed them.  They also fell behind on rent due to this.

The restaurant is currently selling everything in the restaurant with a "Forced To Leave Sale," which they seem to poke fun at themselves by posting a picture of mice.  They have also responded to their critics on their Facebook page, which is interesting to read.

This is the third restaurant from season eight (2014) of Restaurant Impossible to close and the Restaurant Impossible Update page has been updated with this information.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Restaurant Impossible - Knife & Fork Gastropub Update

Photo - Food Network
Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in San Antonio, Texas to makeover Knife & Fork Gastropub.  Brothers Gabe and Javier have owned the restaurant for two years with the financial help of their mother and stepfather.  Although the restaurant seems successful, the mother and stepfather called on Robert Irvine for help.  Robert needs to figure out where the money is going, get the restaurant clean, and inspire the brothers to turn the restaurant around.

As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Knife & Fork Gastropub 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 Restaurant: Impossible):

Thursday, December 11, 2014

'Duff Till Dawn' with Duff Goldman - New Competition Show In January

Photo - Food Network
A new series called Duff Till Dawn on the Food Network will premiere on the Food Network on Thursday, January 29th at 10:30pm.  The six episode series is yet another competition show on the channel, and will be hosted by Duff Goldman.  In each episode, two teams of cake decorators compete against each other by trying to finish their cake decorations before sunrise and they have to pull all-nighters to do so.  There will be a rotating panel of judges, which include:
  • Haylie Duff (actress/food blogger/sister of Hillary Duff)
  • Elena Fox and Geof Manthorne (Ace of Cakes)
  • Carrie Keagan (VH1's Morning Buzz)
  • Catherine McCord (Guy's Grocery Games judge)
  • Alysia Reiner (Actress - Orange is the New Black), 
  • Kelis Rogers (Musician known for her song "Milkshake" which brings all the boys to the yard)
  • Aarti Sequeira (Aarti Party/Food Network Star)
  • Kevin Smith (Writer/Director/Actor/Producer) 
The prize for winning appears to be "bragging rights and the coveted golden whisk," which doesn't sound like much of a prize.  Duff Goldman seems to be back in the rotation at the Food Network with his judging of the Holiday Baking Championship and now this new series Duff Till Dawn.

Read the full press release about the show below:

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

'The Kitchen' Co-Hosts Compete On 'Chopped' Tonight

Tonight at 10pm ET on the Food Network is a special holiday edition of Chopped that features the co-hosts of The Kitchen competing against each other for charity.  Geoffrey Zakarian was left out of the mix leaving Sunny Anderson, Jeff Mauro, Marcela Valladolid, and Katie Lee competing to win $10,000 for their charity of choice.

The show description states:
"We're decking the Chopped halls with the stars of Food Network's The Kitchen! In the first round, the talented co-hosts must make merry appetizers out of seafood salad and challah bread. Then in the entree round, meat and potatoes seem like a great gimme, but what will the star cooks do to bring yule logs to the holiday party? And the two finalists' demeanors become fast and focused as they try to win a $10,000 holiday gift for a favorite charity."
Perhaps Geoffrey Zakarian was left out due to him being an Iron Chef with a skill advantage as well as him being a frequent judge on Chopped.  The episode was filmed all the way back in June, but it just airing now due to the holiday theme.  Jeff, Sunny, and Marcela have all competed on Chopped before, so Katie Lee is probably at a disadvantage from the start.  Who do you think wins it tonight?

Monday, December 8, 2014

Restaurant Impossible - Double H Ranch (Holiday Impossible)

Photo - Food Network
Tonight is a special Holiday: Impossible episode of Restaurant Impossible, at the Double H Ranch in Lake Luzerne, New York.  Double H Ranch is a 320-acre camp in the Adirondack mountains and is a non-profit organization that serves children dealing with life-threatening illnesses.  In this episode, Robert will be making over the dining area of the camp in three days, and it is the largest space he has ever done.

As this is a special episode of Restaurant Impossible, there will not be the normal type of update on this site.  If you want to find more out about Double H Ranch, here is their Facebook page, and here is their website.  Their website has more information about the programs they offer and also has a donation page if you are interested.

Saturday, December 6, 2014

"New" Food Network Show 'All-Star Academy' Is Actually 'America's Best Cook'

Photo - Food Network
The Food Network announced a "new" series called All-Star Academy where ten home cooks from across the country are paired up with four different Food Network chefs to compete in culinary challenges for a grand prize of $50,000.  The eight episode series is hosted by Ted Allen, and the four Food Network mentors will be Alex Guarnaschelli, Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, and Curtis Stone.  The season is set to premiere in March 2015 on the Food Network.

In April 2014, America's Best Cook premiered on the network and was hosted by Ted Allen with Alex Guarnaschelli, Tyler Florence, Michael Symon, and Cat Cora as mentors of home cooks competing for a $50,000 prize. 

The slight differences between the two are that Bobby Flay and Curtis Stone replaced Tyler Florence and Cat Cora, and the new competition will start with 10 competitors rather than 16.  Everything else is pretty much the same including the production company.  Perhaps the Food Network had issues with the name America's Best Cook and had to rename the series due to this?

(Scripps/FN Dish)

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton) to Host Unwrapped 2.0 On Food Network - Why Not Marc Summers?

Photo - Facebook
Alfonso Ribeiro, who most people know as Carlton from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, posted on his social media accounts that he will be hosting a new show on the Food Network called Unwrapped 2.0.  Alfonso also just won season 19 of ABC's Dancing With The Stars, so some may know him from that as well.

There isn't any information about Unwrapped 2.0, but you would have to assume it is just a newer version of Food Network's long running show Unwrapped with Alfonso as the host rather than Marc Summers.

I reached out to Marc Summers on Twitter to see if he was producing the show, and he responded with "no comment," which made it seem like he wasn't a fan of the idea of Unwrapped 2.0.

Monday, December 1, 2014

Worst Cooks In America Season 6 - Anne Burrell vs. Tyler Florence

Photo - Multivu
Worst Cooks In America will return to the Food Network on Sunday, January 4th at 9pm for its sixth season.  The season will be seven episodes long, and the prize will be $25,000 for the contestant that makes the most impressive culinary transformation.

The sixth season will feature a new chef going against Anne Burrell as Tyler Florence will be mentoring one of the teams.  This comes as a bit of a shock as the casting site for season 6 had Anne Burrell vs. Bobby Flay, and they were also trying to cast people who had a crush on Anne Burrell or Bobby Flay.  Perhaps Bobby Flay has a scheduling conflict for when the season was filmed?

As Bobby won the last season, this will be the first time that the winning mentor is not back to defend their reign as champion:
  • Anne Burrell won season 1 vs. Beau MacMillan
  • Anne Burrell won season 2 vs. Robert Irvine
  • Anne Burrell won season 3 vs. Bobby Flay
  • Bobby Flay won season 4 vs. Anne Burrell
  • Bobby Flay won season 5 vs. Anne Burrell

The full press release about this season is below, as well as more information about the episodes and contestants:

Monday, November 24, 2014

Restaurant Impossible - Mama E's Wings and Waffles Update

Photo - Food Network
Tonight on the season 10 premiere of Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to makeover Mama E's Wings and Waffles.  Mama E's was a thriving restaurant and was even featured of Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in the past.  They attempted to open a 2nd location, which failed and put a strain on the owner's finances and marriage.  Robert needs to get the owners Keith and Stephanie communicating again to help save their restaurant.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Mama E's Wings and Waffles 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 Restaurant: Impossible):

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Picture of Guy Fieri With A Mullet In 2000

This week a photoshopped picture of what Guy Fieri with normal hair would look like went viral despite being created in June 2014.  That picture is below:
Photo - Twitter


Guy Fieri decided make fun of the situation by posting an actual picture of himself with a mullet from the year 2000:
 
Photo - Twitter

Which photo do you find more disturbing?

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Food Network Chefs Opening Restaurants In Newark Airport

Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey will be upgrading their United Airlines Terminal C in which 28 new restaurants by high profile chefs are planned.  The restaurants will start opening next summer, and the project is scheduled to be complete in 2016.

Among the 28 restaurants planned, some are from Food Network chefs, including:
  • Alex Guarnaschelli with a French restaurant
  • Elizabeth Falkner with a meatball themed restaurant called Nonna's Meatball Kitchen
  • Marc Forgione will be in charge of "Classified" in United's Elite Membership Club
  • Amanda Freitag with a salumeria
  • Jose Garces with a Latin-themed small plate restaurant

Other chefs who will open restaurants include: Alex Stupak, Einat Admony, Dan Kluger, Paul Liebrandt, Jacques Torres, , Elizabeth Karmel, Ratha Chaupoly, John DeLucie, Amanda Cohen, Wilson Tang, Ben Daitz, Roberto Caporuscio, Josh Capon, and Shoushin Yanaura.

Read more about the project on Eater or NY Times, and images of a recent preview event can be found here.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Pioneer Woman Christmas Special To Air In December On Food Network

Photo - Food Network
The Food Network announced two Christmas specials that will air on the channel on Saturday, December 6th.  Ree Drummond will be moving to primetime for a special one hour episode of Pioneer Woman called "Cowboy Christmas Hoedown."  The special will air at 8pm and the description of the show states:
"Ree Drummond is throwing a holiday party for local ranchers and their families. The menu is a fabulous seasonal spread, starring Sirloin Christmas Kebobs with Bell Peppers, Christmas Ham, Creamy Rosemary Potatoes, Bacon Green Bean Bundles and Cowboy Santa Cookies with salads and desserts, courtesy of the guests. This dinner and dance celebration is complete with gifts under a glorious Christmas tree, a roping CONTEST with western-themed prizes, and a live band to get the party started. It is frontier-festive all the way!"
Following the Pioneer Woman special, there is an Outrageous Foods Christmas special, described as:
"From the world's largest gingerbread village to a 1,000-pound chocolate Santa sculpture to an eight-foot-tall handmade candy canes, along with a life-size Christmas tree cake; these holiday creations are sure to make jaws drop. There is no doubt that bigger is always better, especially for the holidays."
I am sure there will be other Christmas-themed episodes on the channel in December, and I will include those in the December programming highlights.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Guy Fieri's Johnny Garlic's Abruptly Closes

Photo - GuyFieri.com
Guy Fieri's restaurant chain Johnny Garlic's abruptly closed their Sacramento, California location on Monday, which left dozens of employees out of work.  An employee that was hired just three days before the closure spoke to the local news about the lack of notice and other employees also stated they had no warning before the closure.  Some employees will have the opportunity to transfer to a Roseville location, but there will not be enough spots for everyone.

A chief operation officer of Johnny Garlic's spoke to the news stating, "Our real estate site selection has evolved into big box, theaters, things of that nature. This lease coming to an end no longer fits the profile of what we’re looking for."

Guy still has plenty of other restaurants with his name on them, mostly in tourist attractions/casinos such as Times Square, Atlantic City, Mt. Pocono, Baltimore, Las Vegas, and Carnival cruise ships.

The restaurant in this location was open for about 10 years, and was originally a Tex Wasabi's, but re-branded as a Johnny Garlic's in 2013.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Villari's From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Photo - Food Network
Villari's restaurant in Palmyra, New Jersey, which was on the pilot episode of Restaurant Impossible has closed.  The restaurant has rebranded as a sports bar called Jerseys Pub and appears to still be under the same ownership.

The Villari's website redirects to a Jerseys Pub website, and the Villari's Facebook page now says Jerseys Pub.  An October post on their Facebook page says the bar is under new management, so it is unclear who is now running the bar.

In a NY Times article from 2012, Villari's said they kept the Restaurant Impossible changes for about 60 days, and then went back to their old menu as the changes were not working out for their clientele.  Villari's didn't have the best reviews on either Yelp or Tripadvisor, so maybe they will have better success as a bar.

As Villari's is no longer operating as a restaurant under the same name, this restaurant will be marked as 'Closed' on the Restaurant Impossible Update page.  This is the 4th restaurant from the first season of Restaurant Impossible that has closed.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Cutthroat Kitchen: Superstar Sabotage Winner

Photo - Food Network
Tonight on the Food Network was the Cutthroat Kitchen: Superstar Sabotage finale with the final four chefs competing for up to $50,000 extra for their charity of choice.  The final four chefs competing were:
  • Aarti Sequeira after defeating Susan Feniger, Jeff Mauro,  and Michael Psilakis on episode one.
  • Marcel Vigneron after defeating Nadia G, Brian Malarkey, and Justin Warner on episode two.
  • Eric Greenspan after defeating Anne Burrell,  Johnny Iuzzini and Damaris Phillips on episode three.
  • Fabio Viviani after defeating Melissa d’Arabian, Elizabeth Falkner, and Alex Guarnaschelli on episode four.
In the final episode, their first challenge was to make meatballs and Aarti Sequeira was eliminated after her vegetable meatball looked nothing like a meatball and was overpowered by curry.  The second challenge was to make fish and chips and Marcel Vigneron was eliminated due to his fish being slightly overcooked.

That made a finale of Eric Greenspan vs. Fabio Viviani where they had to make candy.  In the end, Eric Greenspan won and won $45,000 additional dollars for his charity, which was Pancreatic Cancer Research .  Eric made it through the competition only winning one bid to sabotage his opponents.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Restaurant Impossible - Papa C's Eastside Cafe Update

Photo - Food Network
Tonight on the season nine finale Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Fairport, New York to makeover Papa C's Eastside Cafe.  The owner Sal and his three sons spend way too much time fighting with each other rather than doing their jobs.  The restaurant has grease and grime all over the restaurant, and one argument the family had ended in a fistfight.  Robert needs to repair the family issues along with the restaurant to turn around Papa C's.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Papa C's Eastside 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 Restaurant: Impossible):


Friday, October 31, 2014

Food Network's November 2014 Programming Highlights

Here are some of the highlights of the Food Network programming scheduled to air on the channel in November:

  • The finale of Cutthroat Kitchen: Superstar Sabotage on Wednesday, November 5th at 9pm.
  • The series premiere of Kitchen Inferno on Wednesday, November 5th at 10pm.
  • The series premiere of Holiday Baking Championship hosted by Bobby Deen and judged by Duff Goldman, Nancy Fuller, and Lorraine Pascale on Sunday, November 9th at 9pm.  The winner gets $50,000.
  • Outrageous Giant Foods and Outrageous Thanksgiving Foods specials
  • A Thanksgiving special called Thanksgiving at Bobby's featuring Bobby Flay, and co-hosted by Katie Lee.  Guest also include Alex Guarnaschelli, Michael Symon, Sunny Anderson.  This replaces Thanksgiving Live, which will not take place this year.
  • A Veteran's Day special called A Hero's Welcome featuring Robert Irvine.
  • New primetime episodes of Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped, Cutthroat Kitchen, Guy’s Grocery Games, Mystery Diners, Rewrapped, Food Truck Face Off, Hungry Games, and Restaurant: Impossible. 
  • New daytime episodes of Farmhouse Rules, Giada at Home, Guy’s Big Bite, The Kitchen, The Pioneer Woman, Southern at Heart and Trisha’s Southern Kitchen.

The press release with episode descriptions and air dates is below:

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Ina Garten Releases Cookbook "Make It Ahead"

Ina Garten just released her new cookbook called Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, which is her ninth cookbook.  As you can probably tell by the title, this cookbook deals with recipes that have components that you can prep, cook, or assemble in advance.   The book description states,  "Whether you’re hosting a party or simply making dinner on a hectic weeknight, Ina gives you lots of amazing recipes that taste just as good—or even better!—when they’re made in advance."

The book is currently number 1 on the Amazon Best Seller List and was actually on the best seller list before the release date.  Ina is doing a small book tour in November with stops in 5 cities (Boston, Chicago, Cupertino, Beverly Hills, and Denver), and each event is an interview led by a local moderator followed by a Q & A session with the audience.

This was the last cookbook by a Food Network personality to be released this year on the Cookbooks list; however I will make additions if I missed any.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Food Network Related News and Links

Here is some more recent news involving Food Network shows and chefs/personalities from the Food Network.  Topics include: The Kitchen, NYCWFF, Paula Deen, Lenny Mcnab, Food Network Star, and Scott Conant.

Photo - Instagram
  • On The Kitchen this weekend, there is a Halloween theme and the hosts are dressed up (pictured).  Katie Lee is dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood, Sunny Anderson - Diana Ross, Jeff Mauro - Mike Ditka, Geoffrey Zakarian - Guy Fieri, and Marcela Valladolid - Calavera Catrina.
  • The New York City Wine & Food Festival (NYCWFF) was this past weekend.  At the marquee event, The Burger Bash, Chopped judge Marc Murphy was chosen the winner by the judges, and Josh Capon was the people's champion.  Here are thousands of pictures from the many events of the weekend.
  • Chopped judge Scott Conant will be opening a new restaurant in New York City in 2015 called Conant.  He did a pop up version of his restaurant this past weekend at the NYCWFF.
  • Food Network Star winner Lenny Mcnab will be making a public appearance at the Savannah Food & Wine Festival at multiple events.  There hasn't been much heard from him after winning Food Network Star (we know why), but this festival has no connection with the Food Network.
  • The media is after Paula Deen again after they think an image on her restaurant website should be considered racist (Link).  The photo has supposedly been on her restaurant website for five years.
  • Food Network Star season 11 is casting and there are some upcoming open casting calls in Los Angeles, Denver, Philadelphia, Austin, Atlanta, Miami, and New York.  Casting for season 4 of Beat Bobby Flay is also happening now.
  • Saturday at 9pm on the Food Network is a special called Candy Craze where Jeff Mauro takes a candy-centric road trip.
Enjoy the weekend!

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Marcela Valladolid Is Pregnant With Second Child

Photo - Food Network
Food Network's Marcela Valladolid (The Kitchen/Mexican Made Easy) announced last week on Instagram and Facebook that she is expecting another child.  She posted a picture of her son Fausto wearing a shirt that said, "Keep calm I'm going to be a big brother."

After a lot of people congratulating her on Facebook, she posted the following:
"Fau, Philip and myself have read and appreciate every single comment and the well-wishes sent our way. Just about done with the first trimester, and just like with my first little warrior, the nausea has been kind of wicked but it's a small price to pay for this much awaited blessing. Thank you so much for the kind words Facebook familia... I promise to keep you posted! XO PS Fau is incapable of being in photos these days without making a funny face. Nutso, just like his momma..."

The Philip in that message is Philip Button who works at the William Morris Endeavor Entertainment Agency.

This is probably the first Food Network pregnancy is quite some time.  Many people relate Food Network's The Kitchen to ABC's The Chew, and now this will give them more similarities as The Chew's Daphne Oz just had a baby.  The Kitchen is a taped show rather than a live show, so we will have to see if they work Marcela's pregnancy into the show or if they try to tape around it.

You may remember last year, Marcela was all over the British tabloids for an alleged affair with co-judge Paul Hollywood on The American Baking Competition.  It seems that both have moved on with Marcela being pregnant, and Paul admitting to the affair and getting back together with his wife.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Restaurant Impossible - Abudanza Update

Photo - Food Network
Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Wilbraham, Massachusetts to makeover Abudanza Ristorante.  Lou is the owner/chef of the restaurant and he is burned out from the restaurant due to caring for his family and a sick child.  Robert helps the restaurant with its management issues as well as a makeover, but he is so moved by the family and their story that he gives them another much needed surprise.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about the Abudanza 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 Restaurant: Impossible):

Friday, October 10, 2014

The Fork Diner From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Photo - Food Network
The Fork Diner in Calhoun, Georgia, which was featured on the current season of Restaurant Impossible (season 9) has closed.  I received multiple emails and comments from locals regarding the restaurant being closed.  The restaurant originally had a "closed for maintenance" sign on the door, but it appears they are now closed for good.

Also, both of the restaurant's Facebook pages have been taken down, the restaurant's website no longer works, and the phone number to the restaurant is disconnected.

You may remember The Fork Diner as they boldly had a GoFundMe fundraiser set up to try to raise money to avoid bankruptcy and to pay employees.  Despite the Facebook pages and restaurant website being taken down, the fundraiser is still active.  Also, just a day ago, Gray posted an update to the fundraiser to advertise a rental house that she has for sale.

This is the first restaurant from season nine (2014) of Restaurant Impossible to close and the Restaurant Impossible Update page has been updated with this information.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Curtis Stone To Host Food Network's Kitchen Inferno

Photo - Multivu
A new series on the Food Network called Kitchen Inferno will be hosted by Curtis Stone and premiere on Wednesday, November 5th at 9pm.  This is a competition show where chefs go head-to-head over four possible rounds against "Culinary Gladiators."  Each round is judged in a blind taste-test by judges Daniel Green, Judy Joo, and Michael Ruhlman.  If the competing chef wins, they can keep moving up to higher levels which increase in difficulty.  In the final round, the contestants "face a pivotal choice: take the money and run, or risk it all for a chance to reach the final round and win up to $25,000, all in front of a studio audience. If they lose, they will watch their winnings go up in smoke and leave with nothing."

The show had a working title of Food Chain and was casting back in July.   When they were casting, the flyer said the prize was for up to $50,000, but now it looks like the top prize is only $25,000.  Kitchen Inferno is also similar to NBC's Food Fighters, but on that show there is not as much risk as chefs don't have to put any of their winnings on the line.


There will be eight episodes in this season of Kitchen Inferno and the episode descriptions can be found here.  Some chefs are competing for charity, while others are competing to win the prize for themselves.  In one episode Viet Pham from Iron Chef/Food Network Star/Extreme Chef is competing against a 16 year-old chef.

The four levels of "Culinary Gladiators" which have been identified include:
  • Level 1 Culinary Gladiators - Penny Davidi (pictured above), Stephanie Goldfarb, and Mikey Robins
  • Level 2 Culinary Gladiators - Vic Casanova, Nyesha Arrington, Chris Oh, and Michael Psilakis
  • Level 3 Culinary Gladiators - Madison Cowan, Elizabeth Falkner, Jet Tila
  • Level 4 Culinary Gladiators - Michael Chiarello, Curtis Stone, and Geoffrey Zakarian


The full press release about the show is below:

Monday, October 6, 2014

Restaurant Impossible - Padre Rita Grill Update

Photo - Food Network
Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in South Padre Island, Texas to makeover the Padre Rita Grill.  The restaurant has been open for four years and has both food and music, but is apparently not good at either.  Robert needs to get rid of the tacky decor and get the owners to focus more on their bottom line to turn the restaurant around.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about the Padre Rita Grill 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 Restaurant: Impossible):


Cave Inn BBQ From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Photo - Food Network
Cave Inn BBQ in Winter Garden, Florida, which was featured on season 8 of Restaurant Impossible has closed.  On October 4th, 2014, the restaurant posted the following message on their Facebook page:

"Friends and fans, we are saddened to announce that we will be closing our doors tomorrow night. We'd love to see you all one last time so come on in for your final Cave Inn fix!"

No specific reason was given for the closure, and it seems like there was not much warning given to customers about the closure either.  This is the second restaurant from season eight (2014) of Restaurant Impossible to close and the Restaurant Impossible Update page has been updated with this information.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Food Network Related News and Links

Photo - Steve Harvey
Here is some more recent news involving Food Network shows and chefs/personalities from the Food Network:

  • Scripps Networks Interactive reached a short term deal with Netflix, and Food Network shows such as Alton Brown's Good Eats are now available on Netflix.  The deal includes shows from Food Network, Travel Channel, and HGTV,
  • After the Neelys filed for divorce last week, TMZ reported that they were separated during the filming of the show and that they "hated each other FOR YEARS."  They also said that the marriage was doomed even before the show started, and "the pressures of TV made things a lot worse."
  • Ina Garten is releasing a book called Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on October 28th, 2014.  Despite the release date not being until next month, the book is already on the Best Seller List on Amazon in the "Cookbooks" category.
  • Paula Deen continues to make appearances on shows to try to promote her new Paula Deen Network.  One appearance definitely done for PR purposes was her going on the Steve Harvey Show.  She is teaming up with Steve Harvey to mentor 100 youths who are mostly African American.  Here is Jezebel's take on the partnership.
  • Mario Batali will be opening an Eataly in Los Angeles, however it will not open until 2017.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Food Network's October 2014 Programming Highlights

Photo - Multivu
Here are some of the highlights of the Food Network programming scheduled to air on the channel in October:
  • Halloween Wars starts on Sunday, October 5th where 5 teams compete for a $50,000 prize.  The series is four episodes long and concludes on October 26th.
  • The start of the Cutthroat Kitchen: Superstar Sabotage tournament on Wednesday, October 8th at 9pm.  With this being on Wednesday nights, new episodes of Restaurant: Impossible get moved to Monday nights.  Regular Cutthroat Kitchen episodes will still be new on Sunday nights as well.
  • The series premieres of Food Truck Face Off on Thursday, October 2nd and Hungry Games on Monday, October 20th.
  • The third season of Southern At Heart on Sunday, October 26th at 12pm.
  • New primetime episodes of Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped, Restaurant: Impossible, Guy’s Grocery Games, Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives, Mystery Diners and Rewrapped.
  • New daytime episodes of Farmhouse Rules, Barefoot Contessa, The Kitchen, The Pioneer Woman and Trisha’s Southern Kitchen
  • Special Halloween episodes of Giada at Home, Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped, Cutthroat Kitchen, Guy's Grocery Games, Rewrapped, and Farmhouse Rules.

The press release with episode descriptions and air dates is below:

Monday, September 29, 2014

Middle Feast Wins The Great Food Truck Race Season 5

Photo - Food Network
Last night on the Food Network was the season 5 finale of The Great Food Truck Race, which took place in Florida.  If you follow this blog, you knew before the season started that the last two remaining trucks were Middle Feast and Lone Star Chuck Wagon.

In the finale, the Middle Feast food truck gained an advantage by winning double the seed money, and this advantage helped them win as they had $700 more than Lone Star Chuck Wagon at the end of the episode.  Middle Feast's prize was $50,000 and their own food truck, which they plan to operate in Los Angeles, California.  They also plan to use some of their money for a catering business.

If you are interested in following Middle Feast, here is their Facebook page, and here is their Twitter page.


In other Great Food Truck Race news, season 5 truck Military Moms plan to have a food truck up and running in January of 2015.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Pat and Gina Neely To Divorce

Photo - Food Network
Gina Neely filed for divorce from her husband Pat Neely after 20 years of marriage citing "irreconcilable differences." 


The couple released a joint statement that said:
"Today we announce that we are ending our marriage of 20 years for irreconcilable differences. This was a tough decision, but we believe it is the best decision for us. As parents of two beautiful adult daughters that we love dearly, we will continue to be involved in each other's lives as parents and friends. Together we have built a strong brand as The Neelys . Moving forward our focus will be on our individual brands and we are optimistic about our respective futures. We ask for your prayers as we go through this transition and honor our request for privacy at this time."

Their show Down Home With The Neelys hasn't had new episodes on the Food Network for quite some time.  Since being on the Food Network, Gina Neely lost some weight and became a spokesperson for George Foreman Grills.  The Neelys also closed their Memphis restaurant in June of 2013, however they still have a restaurant together in New York City.

You may have also seen the Neelys on ABC's Celebrity Wife Swap in May of 2014, and they recently released a cookbook in April of 2014 called Back Home with the Neelys: Comfort Food from Our Southern Kitchen to Yours.

It seems from their statement that they plan to divorce and also break up their brands, so it should be interesting to see what comes out of this.

(WHJL)

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Restaurant Impossible - Mamma Lucrezia's Update

Photo - Food Network
Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Bellefonte, PA to makeover Mamma Lucrezia's.   The restaurant is supposedly losing thousands of dollars a month and is causing trouble between family members and staff.  The restaurant is owned by sisters Maria and Stefania, and their brother has a competing Italian restaurant across the street.  The food at Mamma Lucrezia's is good, so Robert needs to focus on other things to try to turn the restaurant around.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about the Mamma Lucrezia's 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 Restaurant: Impossible):

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Chopped: Ultimate Champions Finale Tonight - Winner Gets $50,000 And A Car

Photo - Food Network
Tonight on the Food Network at 10pm ET is the Chopped: Ultimate Champions finale where the winner will take home $50,000 and a new car.  The final four competitors are Giorgio Rapicavoli (Professional Chefs), Keith Young (Amateurs), Diana Sabater (Heroes), and Laila Ali (Celebrities)


Here was the order of eliminations for each of the first four episodes:
  • Episode 1 (Professional Chefs) - Fatima Ali (appetizer), Lauren Kyles (entree), Tom McKenna (dessert) - Winner - Giorgio Rapicavoli
  • Episode 2 (Amateurs) - Marisa Biaggi (appetizer), Dinah Surh (entree), Elda Bielanski (dessert), Winner - Keith Young
  • Episode 3 (Heroes) - Richard Fields (appetizer), Paul Rut (entree), Robbie Myers (dessert) - Winner - Diana Sabater
  • Episode 4 (Celebrities) - Gillian Vigman (appetizer), Brandi Chastain (entree), Carnie Wilson (dessert) - Winner - Laila Ali

With Giorgio being the only professional chef in the finale, he should be the clear favorite, but you know how the judges can be won over by a feel good story.  There is a fan vote on the Food Network site, and as of writing this, Keith has about 80% of the people rooting for him to win.  So everyone is probably pulling for the underdogs (amateur/hero) to win over the professional with an advantage and a celebrity who probably doesn't need the prize.

I will update this post with the winner after the episode airs. (Spoiler after the break)

Monday, September 22, 2014

Food Network Related News and Links

Here is some recent news involving Food Network shows and chefs/personalities from the Food Network:
Photo - PaulaDeen.com
  • Justin Warner is trying to raise $15,000 through Kickstarter to build an outdoor enclosure for his restaurant Do or Dine.  I guess that Food Network contract isn't all it is cracked up to be if he is asking for handouts.
  • This past weekend was the Food Network In Concert event in Chicago, IL.  Here are a bunch of photos from the event, including a human pyramid, and someone being mistaken for Sunny Anderson.
  • A former manager of Tick Tock Diner in Clifton, NJ, which was featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives, was sentenced to eight years in prison for trying to hire a hit man to kill his uncle (co-owner of restaurant) to gain greater control for himself.
  • Gibson Borelli won the 2nd season of Rachael vs. Guy: Kids Cook-Off last night and his web series is called Jersey Shore Kid.
  • The Paula Deen Network is launching this week, and the Wall Street Journal revealed yesterday that Paula Deen bought the rights to her Food Network shows (440 episodes plus un-aired footage).  So you probably will not be seeing any Paula Deen re-runs on the Food Network in the future.  Paula also has appearances this week on the Today show (Tuesday), and on The Chew (Friday).
  • Food Network alum David Rosengarten is trying to make a comeback and is relaunching the Rosengarten Report, which is his food newsletter.

Seven From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Photo - Food Network
Seven restaurant in La Porte, Indiana, which was featured on season 7 of Restaurant Impossible has closed.  The restaurant posted the following message on their Facebook page on September 20th:
"All good things must come to an end. Tonight was our last night at SEVEN and we are closing the doors. It's been a great ride but it's time for us to move on our next big adventure! To our loyal customers and supporters...Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being so awesome, and to our staff, past and present... You're all amazing and we will always consider all of you family!! It's been a GREAT 2.5 years!! Thank you all!! XOXOXO"
You may remember that Seven was listed for sale before their Restaurant Impossible episode even aired, which caused a bit of controversy.  The restaurant opened in 2012, so the closure comes just 2 years after opening, and a year after the Restaurant Impossible visit.  This is the fourth restaurant from season seven of Restaurant Impossible to close and the Restaurant Impossible Update page has been updated with this information.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Restaurant Impossible - Green Beret Club (Smoke Bomb Grille) Update

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Fort Bragg, North Carolina to makeover the Green Beret Club.   Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, and the Green Beret Club is the only full service restaurant there.  Robert is on a special mission to update the restaurant while also keeping the tradition of the restaurant alive.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about the Green Beret Club 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 Restaurant: Impossible):


Monday, September 15, 2014

Food Network Related News and Links

Photo - Food Network
Here is some recent news relating to Food Network shows and chefs/personalities:

  • Bobby Flay recently sold two horses for over a million dollars each at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Kentucky. (Link)
  • Worst Cooks in America is still casting for the upcoming season, and they are not only looking for bad cooks, but people with a crush on Anne Burrell or Bobby Flay. (Link)
  • Country music star Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn is filming a pilot for the Food Network called Steakout.  It is a traveling show that visits steakhouses across the country. (Link)
  • Scott Conant is no longer involved with Scarpetta in New York City, but may be opening a second restaurant in Miami. (Link)
  • Here is an article that tries to rank and grade many food competition shows over the years, and there is a lot of discussion in the comments regarding the rankings. (Link)
  • Top Chef alum Richard Blais will host a new show on the Food Network called Hungry Games.  The show begins on October 20th and Richard "will investigate the psychology and science behind our decisions and cravings when it comes to food." (Link)

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Restaurant Impossible - Spicy Bar and Grill Update

Photo - Food Network
Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Falls Church, Virginia to makeover Spicy Bar and Grill.  The restaurant is a Vietnamese restaurant and the owners are supposedly $300,000 in debt.  One owner has no culinary experience, while the other lets the staff, who are supposedly 'scantily-clad,' do whatever they want.  During the makeover, Robert needs to find a new chef and figure out a way to change the unprofessional staff.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about the Spicy Bar and Grill 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 Restaurant: Impossible):