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.

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.

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. 

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:

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.

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):

'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:

'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?

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.

"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)

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.

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: