10 Chefs Who Left Food Network Behind

Television chefs go back a long way. In the U.S., it all started when the legendary James Beard hosted a 15-minute program called "I Love to Eat" back in 1946. Over the subsequent decades, other shows popped up here and there. Personalities such as Julia Child, Graham Kerr, and Martha Stewart gained fame with the viewing public. These shows generally presented the chef cooking a specific recipe and instructing viewers on the ingredients and techniques involved. Little did anyone know at the time that there was much more potential entertainment in watching chefs at work. The big breakthrough came in 1993.

An innovative cable channel was launched, and televised cooking would never be the same. Food Network has since become hugely popular and successful and has launched or enhanced the careers of a plethora of celebrity chefs. Personalities such as Bobby Flay, Anne Burrell, and Alex Guarnaschelli are household names. Then there's Guy Fieri, who is pretty much the face of the network and is always juggling several entertaining programs.

But, not every chef who has appeared on Food Network has stuck around for the long haul. There are quite a few who have departed for various reasons. These talented folks have landed on their feet and are still involved in successful culinary careers. Here are 10 such chefs, and their stories.

Among the most popular Food Network chefs was two-time James Beard and Peabody award-winner Alton Brown. Brown imparted unique information, such as his quick kitchen gadget hack to easily remove watermelon rinds. His long and fascinating career in show business started as a camera operator while he was a college student. Brown then became a commercial director and spent eight years in that occupation. Eventually, he was bitten by the food bug and went to culinary school to fulfill his goal of producing TV cooking programs.

Brown landed on the fledgling Food Network, writing and hosting the show "Good Eats." The series ran for 16 seasons, and Brown hosted or appeared on other shows such as "Cutthroat Kitchen," "Iron Chef America," "Worst Cooks in America," and was one of the hosts and judges of "Next Food Network Star." Alton Brown was truly a name that was synonymous with the Food Network. So, where is he now, and why did he leave?

After bringing back "Good Eats," Brown learned that Netflix was rebooting the classic "Iron Chef." This was far too appealing a gig to pass up. As Brown stated to Variety, "There was never a second thought for me. It meant removing myself from one network, but that was not a hard decision. Timing just worked out that I was able to extricate myself from that." He made the move and never looked back, and is as successful as ever. It just goes to show, talent shines no matter where it is.

Absolutely Alton Brown's equal when it comes to popular and successful Food Network celebrity chefs, Giada De Laurentiis' grandfather was legendary film producer Dino De Laurentiis. Although life has not always been easy, she has enjoyed a long culinary career.

She started life in Rome and grew up with quality Italian cuisine in her big Italian family. She learned cooking in the family kitchen and also hung out at her grandfather's restaurant. She earned an anthropology degree from the University of California in Los Angeles, but her heart was in the kitchen, so the young De Laurentiis headed to Paris to enter culinary school. In 2002, an executive of Food Network read an article about the De Laurentiis Family in Food & Wine magazine and was impressed with what he learned of the young chef.

Her TV career began with "Everyday Italian," an Emmy Award-winning show that launched De Laurentiis to the highest echelons of Food Network stardom. The chef taught viewers skills such as how to make jarred pasta sauce taste a whole lot better. Many other shows followed as De Laurentiis ended up alongside Alton Brown and Bobby Flay as a judge and host of "Next Food Network Star."

Eventually, De Laurentiis began to feel burned out. As she told Us magazine, "I couldn't see a path that was exciting anymore. I need excitement. I get bored. And if I'm getting bored, my viewers are getting bored." These days, De Laurentiis is busy with her online culinary business, Giadzy, and has a few deals with Amazon.

So many people love Mexican cuisine that Food Network needed an excellent chef and personality to cover that beat. Aarón Sánchez proved to be ideal in that role and had a nice run on the network. He grew up in a Mexican-American neighborhood in El Paso, Texas. His mother was a caterer, and the young Sánchez learned Mexican cooking by helping with her business. He spent a summer in New Orleans at the age of 16, studying with chef Paul Prudhomme. His culinary journey then took him to Johnson and Wales in Providence to further his cooking education.

Sánchez worked in several New York restaurants and landed on Food Network in 2001, co-hosting "Melting Pot" with his future business partner Alex Garcia. He appeared on many network programs and in 2009 became one of the judges of "Chopped" and "Chopped Junior." Sánchez competed on both "Iron Chef America" and "Next Iron Chef" and became one of Food Network's most popular personalities.

When the opportunity came in 2016 to become a judge on Fox Network's "Master Chef," Sánchez felt it was time for a change and jumped at it. He has co-hosted and judged "Master Chef Junior" as well. Fox has announced that the chef will not be returning for Season 15 of "Master Chef." Sánchez has plenty to keep him busy running his restaurants and working on his charitable endeavors.

Another big Food Network star, Rachael Ray had a terrific run hosting several popular shows and guesting on many others. Despite some tragic things about Rachael Ray's life, she has overcome adversity to remain a successful television personality.

Ray was born into a culinary family. Her parents owned restaurants in upstate New York, where she grew up. Per Food Network, Ray says, "My first vivid memory is watching my mom in a restaurant kitchen." Her grandmother, as well, helped her learn cooking techniques. As a young woman, Ray sought big city life and moved to New York, where she managed the fresh foods department of Macy's. Eventually, she headed back upstate to the Lake George area and managed restaurants and pubs at resorts.

After moving to Albany, Ray began hosting a show on a local CBS affiliate called "30 Minute Meals." This got the attention of the Food Network, which began producing the show, and Ray had hit the big time. She went on to host "$40 a Day" and "Rachael Ray's Vacation," and "Tasty Travels," picking up a daytime Emmy for "30 Minute Meals." She co-hosted "Guy vs. Rachael" with Guy Fieri and also appeared alongside Anne Burrell on "Worst Cooks in America" for a season. Why leave all that?

Opportunity knocked in 2007 when Ray landed a daytime talk show that was syndicated across the nation. She has left her talk show but hosts "Rachael Ray's Meals in Minutes," produced by Free Food Studios.

How can you not watch a guy called "The Cake Boss?" With his Italian Jersey guy accent and attitude, Buddy Valastro made a splash on Food Network, earning his nickname. Carlo's Bake Shop has been a staple in New Jersey since 1910. In 1964, the original Cake Boss, Bartolo Valastro Sr., bought it. His son, Bartolo Jr. (Buddy), learned the ins and outs of the business working by his dad's side. When the elder Valastro passed in 1994, Buddy took over and ran the place with his mother.

Carlo's developed a reputation for creating amazing and delicious wedding and specialty cakes and ended up on TLC on the show, "Cake Boss." This caught the attention of Food Network, and Buddy, a natural on camera, competed in several baking competitions on the network, winning "Battle of the Brides." Valastro began appearing on many Food Network programs and was half of the hit baking rivalry on "Duff vs. Buddy." He also did things big, creating a 14-foot Statue of Liberty cake and a full-size stock car cake.

The passing of his mother in 2017 due to complications of ALS stunned Valastro. In 2020, he badly damaged his right hand in a non-cooking related freak accident with the pinsetter machine in his home bowling alley. The chef is tough, though, and has recovered. He's doing quite well. He has two shows on A&E and runs 14 bakeries and eight restaurants, including the legendary Carlo's. He does it like a boss!

One of the most colorful Food Network chefs, with his exclamatory "Bam," Emeril Lagasse's personality was as big as his flavors. Lagasse started life in Fall River, Massachusetts, where, like many a chef, his first culinary training was at the hands of his mother. In high school, he learned the art of bread and pastry baking through a part-time job at a Portuguese bakery. So passionate about food was the young Lagasse that he turned down a scholarship from the New England Conservatory of Music. Instead, he earned a degree from the famed culinary institute, Johnson and Wales. The budding chef then lived in France for several years, honing his skills.

Heading back to the states, Lagasse helmed fine dining establishments in major Northeast cities before landing in New Orleans and running the beloved Commander's Palace. Building a great reputation in the Crescent City, Lagasse opened his own place in 1990 and won several awards over the next few years. In 1997, the fledgling Food Network came knocking.

"Emeril Live" gave the nation its first taste of the man who was as entertaining as he was expert in the culinary arts. Food Network had its first major star, and he helped the network grow into the juggernaut it is today. After 10 years, the network ended the show. It had begun shifting to competition reality shows. Lagasse and Food Network have parted ways, but he is still going strong, running his restaurant empire and winning awards.

Sandra Lee may not be as well remembered as some of the others by Food Network fans, but she did have a long-running show and was a part of the network's success. Lee's television career began on QVC hawking Sandra Lee Kraft Curtains. In a period of a year and a half, her viewers bought $20 million worth, prompting the network to put her on their U.K. and Germany schedules. She first popped up on Food Network hosting "Semi-Homemade Cooking With Sandra Lee," on which, as the title implies, she demonstrated recipes using some premade ingredients.

Lee also appeared on other shows and in films and earned herself a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Television, as well as a daytime Emmy. Her show had a great 15-season run, finally ending in 2011. There were several reasons for this. Lee had always been a big part of charitable endeavors and wanted to spend more time doing that. She also had other aspirations. As the (at the time) romantic partner of then-New York governor Andrew Cuomo, Lee felt she would be better served to focus on being the first lady of the Empire State. She has since broken up with Cuomo but is a lifestyle ambassador, New York Times bestselling author, and breast cancer survivor. Lee is back on the air with her Roku Network show, "Dinner Budget Showdown."

Inspired by Julia Child, Sara Moulton worked for Child in her first television job, behind the scenes. She was likely there the night of the dessert that made Julia Child cry. Ironically, per PBS affiliate KLCS, Moulton, discussing television, stated, "I thought that was tacky, only people who needed attention did that." She changed her tune and became successful on TV.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Moulton worked in restaurants in Boston and New York, honing her cooking chops. She got the attention of the Food Network, and in 1997, her show, "Cooking Live," premiered. One of the network's early stars, Moulton's show featured live call-ins from viewers. The show ran until 2002. Moulton also hosted "Cooking Live Primetime" in 1999 and "Sara's Secrets" from 2002-2005.

Food Network shifted its target demographic. As Moulton told Eat Your Books, "They didn't really want women at Food Network. Every male chef had his own set, graphics, music, and tools. Not me." In a 2010 interview with Eater, Moulton explained the network's decision to cancel her show, "Another thing happened, they switched their demographic. It had been women of I don't know what age group. But they changed it to 15-35 year old males." So her Food Network run ended, but not her career. Moulton is back where she started, stepping into the shoes of her idol, hosting a PBS show, "Sara's Weeknight Meals." The author of many bestselling cookbooks, Moulton continues to enjoy career success.

Our previous celebrity, Sara Moulton, helped launch the Food Network careers of several of the parade of guests who appeared on her show. One of these future stars was Ming Tsai. Like many TV chefs, Tsai was born into cooking. His parents owned Mandarin Kitchen in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio, and a young Tsai spent many hours cooking alongside them and learning Asian cuisine. He attended Phillips Academy Andover and earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Yale. However, the cooking bug had bitten him hard, and Tsai took classes at Le Cordon Bleu during the summer and headed for Paris after graduation to continue his culinary studies. A Master's in hotel administration and hospitality from Cornell followed.

Tsai, now skilled in Asian fusion cooking, guested on Sara Moulton's show, "Cooking Live," and in 1998, was given his own show, "East Meets West." In 1999, the program won a Daytime Emmy. Tsai became a popular Food Network personality and competed on "Next Iron Chef." He also hosted "Cooking With Ming Tsai" and "Ming's Quest." By 2003, Tsai decided he wanted to teach cooking, so he left Food Network. He has since been hosting a PBS show, "Simply Ming," where he gets to demonstrate recipes to an eager audience. When his wife Polly was diagnosed with cancer, he created MingsBings, a business that provides healthy ingredients to consumers. He is a James Beard award winner who continues to thrive as a TV chef.

Jason Smith was a unique and popular personality during his Food Network run. His Kentucky witticisms were as colorful as the outfits he wore.

Coming from humble beginnings in his native Kentucky, Smith is a self-taught chef and baker who worked in a school cafeteria, as well as stints as a caterer, event planner, and pastry chef. In 2016, he took the step that changed his life. Smith auditioned for and was cast on the third season of "Holiday Baking Championship." He charmed the judges with his baked goods and his dynamic personality and won the competition. The following year, Smith competed in the 13th season of "Food Network Star" and, to no one's surprise, won that too.

Smith began popping up on several Food Network programs and landed a spot as a judge on "Best Baker in America." For reasons only known to him, Smith decided to depart Food Network and return home to Kentucky. He appeared on the Amazon show, "The GOAT" in 2024, and now co-hosts a podcast, "Lord Honey! Forking Around With Chef Jason and Angelina." Smith has also published two cookbooks and continues to educate and entertain with his unique style.