Food Network Shows Now Available On Amazon.com

Amazon.com announced today a content licensing agreement with Scripps Network Interactive that will make episodes of their shows available on Amazon's Prime Instant Video.  This includes many shows from the Food Network, Cooking Channel, and Travel Channel.  From the Press release:

Starting today, Prime members will be able to instantly view hundreds of episodes of original programming, including Rachael Ray’s Week in a Day; Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations; Cupcake Wars; Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives; House Hunters and House Hunters International; Iron Chef America; Man v. Food; Selling New York and Selling LA; Throwdown With Bobby Flay; Chopped; Ghost Adventures; and Yard Crashers, among other popular shows across the networks. Many of the popular lifestyle programs from Scripps will also be available for purchase and download from Amazon Instant Video.

Restaurant Impossible - Dinner Bell Update

Photo - Dinner Bell Facebook

Tonight's Restaurant: Impossible has Robert Irvine going to the Dinner Bell in Madison, Tennessee to help out the owner Tommy, who is supposedly two days away from closing.  I normally search around the Internet and provide reviews and comments both positive and negative on the restaurant since Restaurant Impossible visited.  As with last week, in doing that, I came across some interesting stuff.  In the previews, you see the owner about to go to blows with Robert Irvine, and apparently he still is not happy with him or Restaurant Impossible:

Chopped All-Stars Competitors Announced - Begins April 7th

We knew Chopped All-Stars was coming back for a third season, but we didn't know the actual competitors that were going to appear on the show.  We now know the competitors after a press release today detailing who will be on the five episode series.  The series will start on Sunday, April 7th at 9pm EST and the finale will be on Sunday, May 5th with the winning chef getting $50,000 for their charity.  The categories for the first 4 episodes are: Food Network Vs. Cooking Channel, Mega Chefs, Chopped Judges, and Celebrities.  See the competitors and judges for each episode after the jump:

Food Network March 2013 Programming Highlights

Photo - Food Network

The Food Network has put out a press release detailing the programming in March on the channel and some of the highlights(their term, not mine) include:

• The last five episodes of Worst Cooks In America Sundays at 9pm EST including the finale on Sunday, March 31st.


• Cupcake Wars returns Sundays at 8pm EST with the season premiere on Sunday, March 3rd.  I guess Food Network feels the cupcake craze/trend is not over.

Food Network's Harlem Shake Video

With the 'Harlem Shake' videos taking over the internet and going viral, the Food Network decided to produce one at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.  Some of the chefs you will see in the video include: Sunny Anderson, Justin Warner, Bobby Flay, Robert Irvine, Geoffrey Zakarian, Michael Symon, Anne Burrell, Aaron Sanchez, Marc Murphy, Jeff Mauro, Andrew Zimmern, Anne Burrell, Amanda Freitag, Spike Mendelson, and Tim Love.  Video after the jump:

Bobby Flay and Jeff Mauro Win at Burger Bash SOBEWFF

Photo - Jeff Mauro Facebook

The 7th annual Burger Bash was held last night at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival (SOBEWFF).  The Burger Bash is one of the most popular events at SOBEWFF and there is a lot of competition and bragging rights between the star-studded chefs that compete.

There are prizes awarded for the judge's favorite burger, and for the people's favorite burger each year.  The judges this year were Anne Burrell, Andrew Zimmern, Jeffrey Chodorow, Geoffrey Zakarian and Spike Mendelsohn. 

Bobby Flay To Appear On Dancing With The Stars

Photo - Food Network

Hollywood Life is reporting that Bobby Flay will be on the next season (season 16) of Dancing With The Stars.  While there is no official announcement about the cast until Tuesday, February 26th, Hollywood Life says Bobby Flay, Bachelor Sean Lowe, and Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman are the first three stars to join the cast.

Dancing With The Stars returns to TV on Monday, March 18th at 8pm.  See a video of Bobby's moves after the jump:

Chef Wanted With Anne Burrell - Abel's On the Lake

Another new episode of Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell is on tonight in its normal Thursday at 10pm EST time slot on the Food Network.  This episode will be trying to find an executive chef for the restaurant Abel's On The Lake in Austin, Texas.  The chefs competing for the job this episode are Jon Gaboric, Teri McLeod, Chris Cook, and Matt Martinez.  Spoiler and more restaurant info after the jump if you want to know the winner:

Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Frozen Meals Launch

Ina Garten has paired with Contessa Premium Foods to create a frozen food line that is set to hit grocery stores this weekend.  Back in 2008, Contessa Premium Foods filed suit against Ina Garten, LLC over using her name for retail frozen meals (copies of legal documents if you are interested).  Since then, they have decided to partner up and release a Barefoot Contessa frozen meal brand with Ina Garten using her recipes and having full quality control over the product. 

Restaurant Impossible - Nanny Goats Cafe Update

Wednesday's new Restaurant: Impossible has Robert Irvine going to the Nanny Goats Cafe and Feed Bin in Kilgore, Texas to help a once successful restauranteur Nancy Dupre.  She has depleted her savings, and has a volatile relationship with her daughter that is driving customers away.  On the previews, you see her saying she wants the show to end and for everyone to leave.  I normally search around the Internet and provide reviews and comments both positive and negative on the restaurant since Restaurant Impossible visited.  I did not do that for this restaurant, and you will see why after the jump:
 

Whistle Stop From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

The Whistle Stop in Hot Springs, Arkansas, which was on Restaurant Impossible in October of last year has closed just a few months after the episode aired.

Owner Linda Todd (no way to verify it is her, but sure looks like it is) went to Urbanspoon to write the reason why in a review titled "Shame on you." Her statement pretty much blames everyone else such as her 'worthless employees' for her closing the restaurant and says she looks forward to having some free time for her 'kids and grandkids.'  Read the full review below:

Justin Warner's Show to Premiere March 30th at 10pm

Well, it looks like we finally have the air date for Justin Warner's show.  From a press release that came out today, Justin's show will premiere on March 30th at 10pm and will be called Rebel Eats rather than the working title "Justin's Excellent Adventure."

A little timeline regarding the show progression -

The show went from Fall, to Winter to now Spring 

In January we found out Alton Brown was not producing the show

Then the reason Alton Brown was not producing the show

It looks like it is only a one hour special from the press release rather than a series, where Justin "hits the road in search of unique culinary rule-breakers in the one-hour special." 

Chef Wanted With Anne Burrell - Oceano

A new episode of Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell is on Sunday night at 10pm this week, in addition to the normal Thursday time slot.  Sunday's episode will be trying to find an executive chef for the restaurant Oceano in San Juan, Puerto Rico (Side Note - Anne recently got engaged in Puerto Rico).  The chefs competing for the job this episode are Austin Henry, Carolyn Rivera, Robert Pagan, Christian Alejandro, and Michael Brady.  Spoiler after the jump if you want to know the winner:

Next Food Network Star Judges Addicted to Seoul Sausage?

Bobby at Seoul Sausage - Twitter

You might remember Seoul Sausage from the latest season of the Great Food Truck Race, where they won $50,000 and their own food truck.  In October, they also opened a restaurant called Seoul Sausage Company, which is located in West Los Angeles. 

While the new season of Next Food Network Star is being filmed in Los Angeles, it seems as if judges Alton Brown, Bobby Flay, and Giada De Laurentiis can't get enough of Seoul Sausage.

 

Chef Wanted With Anne Burrell - Sea Dog Update

Tomorrow's episode of Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell will be looking to hire a new chef at Sea Dog Steak & Ale, in Northborough, Massachusetts, which is right outside of Boston.  The four contestants on this episode are Nathan Hartman, Amie Hurd, Paul Scheffler, and Amanda Pavone.  I will not spend too much time on the chef's backgrounds due to the update after the jump, which could be a spoiler depending on the person.

• Amie Hurd -  the executive chef at Mojo's and The Exchange, both in Portsmouth, NH.

• Nathan Hartman - a sous chef at Public 612 in Los Angeles, California

Chrissy Teigen's Hungry On Cooking Channel Tomorrow Night

Photo - Twitter

Christine (Chrissy) Teigen has a special called Chrissy Teigen's Hungry that will air tomorrow night on the Cooking Channel at 10pm EST.  Chrissy is engaged to Grammy Award Winning singer/songwriter John Legend and the special will follow them around as they taste food for their upcoming wedding.  During the episode, Chrissy heads to Blackberry Farm resort in Tennessee, which is in the Smoky Mountain foothills, to sample different foods for her wedding.

Chopped Champions Final - Winner Receives $50,000

Fan Vote at Food Network

The finale of Chopped: Champions is tomorrow night at 10pm EST, and the winner will be taking home $50,000.  By looking at the fan vote right now, it seems most people are pulling for Vinson Petrillo or Rob Evans, but lets take a look at the final 4 who won their episode, and are competing for the $50,000 prize:

Winner Of Rachael Vs. Guy Season 2 Crowned This Sunday

Photo - Food Network

This Sunday is the season 2 finale of Rachael Vs. Guy: Celebrity Cookoff, where the winner will take home $50,000 for their charity of choice.  The 2 finalists are Dean McDermott and Carnie Wilson, and Dean's charity is Miracle Babies, while Carnie's is the Autism Research Institute.

Lets take a look back at the order of eliminations so far this season:

Episode 1 - Gilbert Gottfried was eliminated after his 2nd try at peanut butter and jelly didn't impress

Home For Dinner With Jamie Deen Ordered for 2nd Season

Jamie Deen's show Home For Dinner With Jamie Deen has been picked up for another season.  The first season of his show had 10 episodes, and Jamie sent out a tweet earlier today announcing the Food Network ordered season 2 of the show.  See the tweet below:

Jamie is also working on a book, as you can see.  Are you a fan of Jamie's show?

Chef Wanted With Anne Burrell Mirabelle Contestants

The second episode of Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell is set to air this Thursday at 10pm, and this episode will be looking to hire a chef at Mirabelle in West Hollywood, California.  The four contestants on this episode are Matthew Smith, Drew Ison, Jeffrey Williams, and Shelley Cooper.  Lets take a look at the backgrounds of the chefs set to appear on this episode:

• Jeffrey Williams - Jeffrey is a graduate of Baltimore International College and has worked in various restaurants in the hotel industry.  When the show was filmed, Jeffrey was the Executive Chef at The Crescent Hotel in Beverly Hills (Linkedin Profile).  Jeffrey also is set to appear on the popular Youtube series, Epic Chef, which was already filmed, but not yet posted.

Emeril Lagasse - 2013 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian Award Winner

The James Beard Foundation announced today that Emeril Lagasse will be awarded the 2013 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award.  The award will be given to Emeril at the James Beard Awards ceremony on May 6th, 2013 in New York City.

Emeril is receiving the award because of the work he does through his foundation, which "makes an incredible impact in communities where his restaurants operate by supporting key educational initiatives and culinary arts programs that create opportunities for children in need."

"The Emeril Lagasse Foundation has granted over $5.3 million to children’s education and culinary arts programs in New Orleans, Las Vegas, and the Gulf Coast."

Full James Beard Press Release

Food Network Celebrities At The Superbowl

Here is a roundup of which Food Network celebrities were at the Superbowl last night:

Guy Fieri's view of the game from a suite provided by the Jacksonville Jaguars (not sure of the relationship there):

Guy Fieri's Glowing Hair At The Superbowl

Guy Fieri is making the rounds in New Orleans at the Superbowl and tweeted out this picture with Blues Traveler's John Popper:
 

Check out that hair!  Must be a fresh bleaching.   He has also yet to take his sunglasses off indoors.