The Food Network is responding to its growing
popularity by giving viewers more of what they want: fewer straight-cooking shows and more food-related programming.
You know, shows are about events where there happens to be food, or cooking contests instead of sharing actual recipes.
There certainly is a lot to be said for the appeal of watching shows that feature food as opposed to watching regular
network programming. I also applaud the network for finding talented yet viewer-friendly hosts for their shows, like
the bubbly Giada diLaurentis. Unfortunately, “in with the new” means “out with the old” and the
Food Network is removing one of their longest running shows, Sara’s Secrets, from the network on December
31st.
Sara Moulton has been on the network for almost a decade, hosting both Sara’s Secrets and Sara Moulton Live. Sara Moulton Live was a favorite of mine, where in a 60 minute show callers could cook along with Sara and call in with their problems. As the executive chef of Gourmet magazine, her shows were always about the recipes and technique. She is among the chefs, along with Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali, that have been with the network the longest. Though her contract was not renewed, she won’t be leaving the world of cooking shows entirely. Sara will be starting a cooking program on a Boston-area PBS station and I’m sure that I’m not the only one who hopes it goes national.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-02-2005 @ 12:59PM
sarah said...
it actually makes me very sad to think someone like sara moulton isn't being renewed. i loved her shows, both the old ones with the "cook along" and the newer ones.
it makes me even sadder to think that what people want to see are stupid silly shows like giada de laurentiis running around hollywood at all the parties (i also don't loooove her other everyday italian show, but at least she's cooking). sure she's checking out the food at the parties, but to be quite honest, there really isn't much substance to that show. do viewers really want to see that? isn't that what E! is for?
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12-02-2005 @ 1:03PM
marissa said...
This just goes along with the overall trend of the Food Network to turn more and more into crap crap crap. What is the POINT then, of the Network, if the backbone isn't about cooking and preparing your own meals? How many times do we watch how our favorite processed foods got made? No more Ming Tsai, no more Anthony Bourdain, now no more Sara Moulton!? I say Mario Batali should leave in protest. They can keep Emeril. Unfortunately, for a network that is supposed to be about food, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
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12-02-2005 @ 1:19PM
David said...
I am so disappointed in the Food Network. As a fanatic fan from day-one, I am dismayed to watch its slow spiral into mediocrity. I watched it for ideas, inspiration and technique. Now it has degenerated into one insipid bit of blather after another. I mean, how many "Secret Life of..." pieces of nothingness can they dish out. Lots, apparently.
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12-02-2005 @ 2:48PM
smashthesymbols said...
Great, one less show on the network now. Are they trying to become completely unwatchable? I don't want to know the secret life of anything, I don't want to see Rachael Ray sit and giggle constantly, and I don't want to watch Giada de Laurentiis go to parties. I want to see people cook.
I swear, if it weren't for Good Eats I would give up on Food Network entirely.
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12-02-2005 @ 3:01PM
Jack Horowitz said...
I propose that everyone who feels that the Food Network is no longer meeting the needs of the viewing public should join me in a one week boycot of the channel on the first week of the New Year.
How about that!
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12-02-2005 @ 3:18PM
michelle said...
How on earth do they get rid of Sara Moulton but keep Sandra Lee? That's so not right...
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12-02-2005 @ 3:31PM
Punisher2k said...
YAAAAAAAHOOOOO!!!
What a hack she was. She couldn't get a single recipe right. EVERY show it was "you'll do it better". WHAT?? Your a alleged chef and I'm a home cook and I'll do it better? What king of crap is that?
Without her staff she is nothing. Couldn't cook her way out of a wet paper saute pan. She won't be missed by me.
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12-02-2005 @ 3:49PM
Nicole Weston said...
Incidentally, Mario Batali is also leaving the network thi s year. I don't know if his contract expired as well, but I assume it has something to do with the nation retaurant empire he is working on building.
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12-02-2005 @ 4:16PM
Punisher2k said...
Losing Mario Batali is bad. That guy can actually cook and is interesting to watch. Plus, he's an IRON CHEF.
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12-02-2005 @ 4:33PM
Nicole Weston said...
I wouldn't be suprised if he continues on Iron Chef; it's good exposure. I think that Molto Mario is getting the axe.
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12-02-2005 @ 7:15PM
Huffy said...
The Food Network is selling out, contract by contract; like David, I am (was) a from-day-one fan, but no more. I still Tivo Molto Mario, Good Eats, and Iron Chef America, however.
Gimme cooks who, well, COOK!
Huffy
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12-27-2005 @ 4:21AM
Don Domingo said...
Its really a shame that the food network is not renewing Sara Moulton`s contract.I really have enjoyed watching her over the years preparing different recepies and entertaining us with her sense of humor and her intersting stories.Instead of taking all her admirable credentials in the food industry and pursuing a restaurant empire Sara choose to teach all her viewers about cooking in a way that was not intimidating.Her departure is not only due to the food network but the viewers of the food network who are lacking the experience in life to reconize a role model.Teaching from experience like Sara Moulton is a far more effective way than teaching through entertaiment.I wrote a letter to the food network and I emailed a long comment in favor of Sara Moulton to the Scripts Corp. who owns the food network but I received no response. Well their loss.
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