"FoodNetwork" news and stories

"Chopped," Food Network's reality series that pits four chefs against each other in a battle for supremacy, has always had a great gimmick: Each contestant has to create dishes using all of the ingredients provided in a "mystery basket." Squid, gummy bears, Nutella -- you name it, these chefs have seen it. But now the series has a new trick up its sleeve: Chopped All-Stars. For a limited five-episode run starting Sunday, March 13th, at 7 p.m. EST, the series will feature Food Network personalities competing head-to-head for a $50,000 cash prize for charity. Our own Sarah DeHeer caught up with host Ted Allen and judge Alex Guarnaschelli at the Food Network kitchens in Manhattan to find out more.

Yesterday Andrew Cuomo was elected governor of New York State, which means, as Eater pointed out, that his girlfriend semi-scary, Semi-Homemade Food Network Star Sandra Lee is now Semi-First Lady-Elect of the grand state of New York.

A couple of weeks ago she told the AP she wasn't worried about becoming the state's first lady -- the only thing she wanted to be is "first lady of cookbooks right now." The 44-year-old Lee was promoting her new book, "The Complete Cookbook."

With Lee and Cuomo's busy schedules, Lee says the key to seeing each other is organization. Lee was also quoted as saying that she and Cuomo, "...just have fun. We're normal people. We're kind of boring, actually."

Premiering on the Food Network this Sunday, August 15 is The Great Food Truck Race -- a six episode series that pits seven food trucks against one another, vying for a $50,000 prize. As the food truck trend continues to grow in urban areas across the country, these mobile units will have to travel to locations outside their comfort zone and try to win over a whole new client base, before rolling out to the next stop.

Slashfood spoke with the show's host Tyler Florence (Tyler's Ultimate) about the concept behind The Great Food Truck Race and the economics and cultural impact of food truck culture.

The cooking-competition television genre is getting a little sweeter this week. Debuting this week on Food Network is a Chopped-inspired series called Cupcake Wars -- a baker's delight in who can outshine and outfrost each other for a $10,000 cash prize as well as a high-profile showcase event for their product.

Each show starts with 4 contestants and whittles them down to a final two through various challenges. The show taps into cupcake hopefuls from around the country -- some are already established in their field and are hoping to expand their cupcake empire, others are working their way up the ranks and the prize money could seed their first shop.

Gone are the days when these desserts were relegated to appearances at classroom birthday parties. Over the last several years, cupcake culture has become an explosive market, with boutique cupcakeries opening across the country in large cities and small towns alike.

It's been a few weeks since we checked in with the bizarre ritual/quite-possibly-rigged competition that is Iron Chef America. In that time, not only has the intermittently gaunt Alton Brown gained a little more color to his complexion, but also -- wonder of wonders! -- reigning Iron Chef Cat Cora was upset by Holly Smith in a grape face-off.

It was the first true Iron Chef loss this season, not counting the White House special where Bobby Flay and Mario Batali went head-to-head with non-Ironers. Would lightening strike twice? Would the Food Network judges reaffirm our faith that they're not, shall we say, stacking the decks?

Don't crack open the champagne -- or rather, the prosecco -- just yet. We mention the sparkling beverage because, in a fit of hubris, that's literally what this week's challenger did. Demonstrating a trick we've never attempted, venerable NYC chef Geoffrey Zakarian opened his prosecco with a few quick slashes of a chef's knife -- shattering the neck of the bottle while he was at it.