Selena Gomez Launching “Selena + Restaurant” Series for Food Network

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Selena Gomez is upgrading her kitchen for her next cooking series.

The 31-year-old Mexican American actress, singer and television host is launching Selena + Restaurant on the Food Network.

The Emmy-nominated Only Murders in the Building star had previously hosted four seasons of Selena + Chef for Max, as well as four-part series Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays for Food Network.

The new series will premiere on May2 on Food Network. It’ll see her head out of her home kitchen and into the kitchens of some of L.A.’s hottest restaurants.

Gomez will be joined by best friend, Raquelle Stevens, with chefs Shirley Chung, Keith Corbin, Stephanie Izard, Andrew & Michelle Muñoz, Wolfgang Puck and Marcel Vigneron teaching and testing Gomez to see how quickly she can learn the ropes with the ultimate goal of creating a dish good enough to make each restaurant’s menu.

Restaurants include Puck’s Cut Steakhouse in Beverly Hills, Chung’s Ms Chi, Vigneron’s Lemon Grove, the Muñozes Moo’s Craft Barbecue, Izard’s Girl & the Goat and Corbin’s Alta.

“After cooking mostly virtually from my kitchen with some of the best chefs for the last four years, I was thrilled to step into their world,” said Gomez. “You’ll have to see if being in person helped my skills at all.”

Selena + Restaurant is produced by Gomez’s July Moon Productions, along with executive producers Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman on behalf of Sony Pictures Television’s The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), showrunner Shauna Minoprio and Melissa Stokes.

Selena Gomez Bringing Four Holiday-Themed “Selena + Chef” Specials to Food Network

Posted on October 2, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Selena Gomez is preparing to spend more time in the kitchen…

The 31-year-old Mexican American actress/singer will be bringing some holiday cooking specials to the Food Network.

The Only Murders In The Building star has also announced that she’s moving her Selena + Chef, which debuted as an HBO Max original during the pandemic, to the cable network with four holiday specials.

Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays will launch on the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network on Thursday, November 30 at 8:00 pm. It will also be available on streamer Max.

For the specials, Gomez has invited all-star chefs Eric Adjepong, Alex Guarnaschelli, Michael Symon and Claudette Zepeda to bring their favorite dishes and culinary wisdom to her home kitchen to cook up perfect holiday meals to share with friends and family.

Selena + Chef ran for four seasons as a Max original with the fourth season airing last year. There had been some thought that it would be canceled alongside the slew of reality shows that were axed after Max, then known as HBO Max, moved out of its own unscripted reality originals.

It’s produced by Sony Pictures Television’s The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC) with Gomez’s July Moon Productions. Gomez, Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman and Melissa Stokes executive produce alongside showrunner Shauna Minoprio.

“The holidays have always meant so much to me. It was an honor to have these amazing chefs in my kitchen to introduce some of their favorite foods and what makes the holidays special for them,” said Gomez.

Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery, added, “Offering special culinary moments is the way Food Network celebrates the holidays, so to haveuperstar Selena Gomez, who has more than 650 million fans on social media, open the door to her own home kitchen is a holiday dream come true for fans.”

Selena Gomez Partnering with Food Network for Two Special Projects

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Selena Gomez is expanding his food empire…

The 30-year-old Mexican American actress/singer/television personality, the host of Selena + Chef, is joining the Food Network.

Gomez is working on two projects for the cooking channel. The first will be a “celebration-focused series just in time for the holidays,” which will launch later in 2023.

The second will debut in 2024 and will have her meeting up with some of the best chefs in the country in a quest to cook their most popular dishes when she visits their kitchens.

Both projects will be produced by July Moon Productions and The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), a part of Sony Pictures Television for Food Network.

“The holidays are always huge for Food Network, reaching nearly 60M P2+ viewers, and having Selena kicking off the nearly 100 hours of new and returning holiday programming will certainly make this coming season one to celebrate,” said Kathleen Finch, Warner Bros. Discovery Chairman and Chief Content Officer US Networks.

Gomez last stepped in the kitchen for Warner Bros. Discovery with her series Selena + Chef on HBO Max. The series ran for four seasons and featured Gomez brushing up on her cooking skills with the help of master chefs, learning new recipes, and revealing tips and tricks to deal with disaster in the kitchen.

The fate of Selena + Chef given the star’s new presence on Food Network is unclear.

Manolo Gonzalez Vergara to Host Roku Competitive Cooking Show “Celebrity Family Cook Off”

Posted on May 2, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Manolo Gonzalez Vergara is heading to the kitchen…

Roku has ordered a celebrity cooking show Celebrity Family Cook Off, which will be hosted by the 31-year-old Colombian actor and executive produced by his mother Sofia Vergara.

The streamer has greenlit the new series, which will see famous families face off in the name of charity.

In each episode, a food-loving celebrity and a family member compete against another celebrity family duo in a two-round battle, dinner followed by dessert. Each round of the competition will feature a culinary challenge inspired by a hit movie or television series. The winning celeb-family duo will receive a cash prize to donate to a charity of their choice.

Gonzalez Vergara will be joined by judges Kalen Allen and Fariyal Abdullahi.

The six-episode series is produced by Butternut, the Wheelhouse company run by former Food Network boss Courtney White and Latin World Entertainment, the company founded by Luis Balaguer and Vergara.

It is Roku’s latest food show after The Great American Baking Show, Morimoto’s Sushi Master, Martha Cooks and Emeril Tailgates.

Brian Tannenbaum, Head of Originals, Roku Media, said, “It’s incredible to have the opportunity to collaborate with Sofia Vergara and Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, alongside the production teams at Butternut and Latin World Entertainment, to serve up Celebrity Family Cook Off, a new Roku Original series that will dish out food, family and competitive spirit in the name of charity.”

“We’re so excited to be partnering with Roku to bring you a fun, new cooking competition! Working as a family is great and doing it in the spirit of giving back is even better,” said Manolo Gonzalez Vergara.

Courtney White added, “This show perfectly blends Sofia and Manolo’s infectious love for family with their shared passion for food. We think this series will be an absolute delight for viewers and a great addition to Roku’s endless entertainment offerings. Our team at Butternut is excited to be part of the fun.”

Chef José Andrés Partnering with ThinkFoodGroup to Launch Food-Focused Content Media Company

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

José Andrés is becoming a content creator…

The owner of ThinkFoodGroup, who has gained notice for his restaurants as well as recent efforts to help feed people caught in global disasters, has partnered with the 52-year-old Spanish chef, author and humanitarian to launch José Andrés Media.

The new company will produce unscripted and scripted television series, books, podcasts, and digital short- and mid-form content with a focus on food-related stories and characters, and the culture of food.

The outlet’s first project will be a six-episode series produced in association with documentary production company Nutopia that’s set in Spain and currently being developed for Discovery Plus.

“It’s been my dream to launch José Andrés Media for many years — to tell stories about who we are through the food we eat. Our food content will be as creative, fun, inspiring and authentic as our restaurants. I can’t wait to get started,” Andrés said in a prepared statement. “Food is so much more than just a plate of ingredients. It tells us where we have come from and where we’re going.”

Sam Bakhshandehpour, the president of ThinkFoodGroup, will serve as president of José Andrés Media. Richard Wolffe, a journalist, author and former MSNBC executive who is co-author of Andrés’ cookbooks, will serve as the company’s managing director.

Andrés has long focused on telling stories through preparation and examination of cuisine. He is also the founder of World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. He and his team see the new production company as a bid to reach bigger audiences. José Andrés Media is seeking producers and developing other projects. Additional information on the Discovery Plus series, new projects and new team members will be announced at a later date.

“José Andrés Media will embody the values people love in José: compassion, joy, global thinking and, of course, culinary excellence,” Bakhshandehpour said in a statement. “We are thrilled to launch our exciting new series on Discovery Plus and we look forward to shedding light on delicious food and the fascinating figures who cook it.” The company is expected to pursue strategic brand partnerships, including those having to do with consumer products and e-commerce.

“José Andrés is a one of a kind talent, world renowned and sought after for good reason, as there is no one more qualified to share food-related stories and characters centered on food culture,” Courtney White, president of Food Network and of streaming food content for Discovery Inc., the media outlet’s corporate parent, said in a statement. ”We are so excited to be working with José and his José Andrés Media team on bringing his creative vision to our global audience.”

Sanchez Switching Tongues for His Latest Cooking Program…

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

He’s won the hearts of millions on the Food Network… And, now noted chef Aaron Sanchez is hoping to win the corazones of Spanish-speaking viewers.

The 35-year-old Mexican American chef is taking a stab at Spanish-language television with his new show Aaron Loves New York, which premieres this week on the lifestyle cable network Utilisima.

Sanchez, the owner of New York City’s Centrico and Tacombi restaurants, will cook dishes with “people I admire” while taking viewers to iconic spots in the Big Apple, where the El Paso, Texas-born chef grew up.

“It’s a learning process for me as well,” says Sanchez. “I’m the expert, but there are also other experts who inspire me.”

Each of the 13 initial episodes has a specific theme, including an installment dedicated to Cuban music and cuisine with singer David Oquendo and members of his Raices Habaneras band.

“(Viewers) will see my favorite places, where I like to get the ingredients, where I go to eat, the farmers market in Union Square,” says Sanchezd. “In Spanish Harlem I visited a butcher’s shop, a bakery and La Marqueta.”

It’s part of Sanchez’s plan to reach his gente.

“I want the people of Latin America to get to know me, what my path has been,” says Sanchez, who is the son Zarela Martinez, an author of several cookbooks and owner of the acclaimed Café Marimba.

Sanchez currently appears on the Food Network shows Heat Seekers and Chopped. He’s also been featured on the network’s Chefs vs. City.

Aaron Loves New York will debut on Utilisima this Sunday at 8:00 pm ET.

Click here to learn more about Sanchez or to view his recipes.

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