There’s an endless and overwhelming amount of hype about the new and returning shows on the regular networks, so it’s easy to not notice that new seasons are starting on the smaller niche channels as well.

This includes Food Network Canada, where they’re launching their fall season this coming week with new episodes of old favourites like Restaurant Makeover, plus eight new (or newly imported shows), including The Main with Anthony Sedlak (pictured above), winner of last year’s edition of Superstar Chef Challenge.

Descriptions and premiere dates for the seven new shows follow after the cut.

Continue reading Fall Season on Food Network »

If you’re a fan of cooking competition shows, then you’re probably spending a lot of time in front on the tube this summer. We’re already a couple of weeks into season three of Hell’s Kitchen, which is really more about Gordon Ramsay yelling belittling obscenities at the competitors than the actual cooking, but it’s still fun to watch. And while they’re not airing in Canada, the magic of file-sharing will allow you to download and watch the third seasons of Top Chef and Next Food Network Star if you know where to look for ‘em.

Joining the fray tonight (Tuesday, June 19th) at 10 PM is the third instalment of Superstar Chef Challenge on Food Network Canada. Unlike the previous two versions which shoved the entire competition into a single heavily edited episode, this edition will be spread out over six programs hosted by Kevin Brauch of Iron Chef America and Thirsty Traveller. Chefs Mark McEwan and Lynn Crawford will be judging the culinary abilities of the ten contestants, while Dominic Cyriax, the director behind Nigella Bites and other hit shows, will be looking for the star factor needed to become a successful celebrity chef.

And hopefully, the competitors this time around will be a bit more memorable than the previous ones so we’ll actually remember the winner for more than a day or so after he or she is crowned.

Yeah, we all do our fair share of complaining about how the Food Network hasn’t been the same since they got rid of David Rosengarten and Sara Moulton. But let’s be honest here: we all still watch it, even if it’s just to yell at Rachael Ray and Paula Deen.

And if you’re anything like our editor-in-chief, you also watch to swoon over Ricardo. In which case you’ll be happy to know that he’ll be doing an online chat over at blogTV.ca on Friday night at 8 PM.

Also on the Food Network front, there are a bunch of shows set to premiere next week, including three new Canadian series and three older imports that will be airing in Canada for the first time. Full details are behind the cut…

Continue reading Food Network News »