Fans of “The Kitchen” will soon have to bid goodbye to the show as Food Network has announced its staple weekend series is coming to an end after 40 seasons.
The cooking channel shared the news in a joint Instagram post Tuesday, Oct. 20, with co-hosts Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee Biegel, Jeff Mauro and Geoffrey Zakarian, as well as frequent guest host Alex Guarnaschelli.
“After 40 unforgettable seasons with over 500 episodes, #TheKitchen will officially come to an end on Saturday, December 13th,” reads the post. “We’re immensely grateful to our hosts, crew, guests, and most of all, our loyal viewers for 10+ incredible years. Thank you for tuning in, cooking along, and being part of our community.”
The network encouraged fans to keep watching to see the final holiday episodes.
Biegel re-shared Food Network’s post on her Instagram story and added, “It’s the end of an era. Thank you so much to all our fans. The Kitchen was the greatest professional honor of my life and I will be forever grateful.”
Mauro reflected on the show’s cancellation in a lengthy message on Facebook.
“I always knew what we had was special — rare, a unicorn, an anomaly. Shows don’t last this long… and ours did. I’ve prayed and given thanks every night for that fact,” he wrote. “I got to spend a dozen years with my best friends — cooking, laughing, and eating life-changing bites from some of the world’s greatest chefs and cooks. I got to play Twister with Daniel Radcliffe, sing and strum with Trisha Yearwood, and spit bars with Vanilla Ice and Rev Run.”
He also mentioned how “The Kitchen” even managed to air episodes during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to the show’s dedicated team.
Mauro then thanked his fellow co-hosts, fans, network and crew members. “Geoffrey, Sunny, Katie, and Alex — I love you all and will cherish every moment we created together,” he wrote. “To our fans — I love you and thank you for the years of watching, supporting, and growing with us. To the @foodnetwork family, thank you very much for the opportunity to live out my dream.”
He said at the end of his statement that although he is sad the show is ending, he is optimistic about future opportunities.
“The Kitchen” debuted in 2014 with culinary experts Anderson, Biegel, Mauro, Zakarian and chef Marcela Valladolid, who previously appeared as a co-host before exiting the show in 2017. Guarnaschelli later joined the group to break down recipes, share meal tips and chat about the latest food trends.
The co-hosts have passed down more than 2,000 recipes throughout the show’s run, according to a press release. Episodes featured special appearances from many celebrities and chefs over the years, like Regina King, Willie Geist, Kathie Lee Gifford, Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay and Carla Hall.
Flay commented on the cancellation below the Instagram announcement.
“Thank you to the Kitchen and its fabulous chefs and hosts for holding it down in daytime on @foodnetwork for the last decade. Well done everyone.. an iconic run,” he wrote.
The final episode of “The Kitchen” will air on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 11 a.m. ET/PT.
