''The Best Thing I Ever Ate'' is a

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

that originally aired on

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ( ...

, debuting on June 22, 2009 (after a preview on June 20). The program originally aired as a one-time special in late 2008. After being cancelled by The Food Network, it was brought back on the

Cooking Channel Cooking Channel is an American basic cable channel owned by Food Network, a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (69%) and Nexstar Media Group (31%). The channel is a spin-off of Food Network, broadcasting ...

in 2018. It consists of chefs picking out favorite dishes they've eaten in places throughout the United States, in specific categories.

Contributing Chefs/Hosts

* Ted Allen - Food and wine connoisseur; host of '' Chopped'' * Sunny Anderson - Host of '' Cooking For Real''; co-host of ''

The Kitchen The Kitchen is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary avant-garde performance and experimental art institution located at 512 West 19th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was foun ...

'' *

Mario Batali Mario Francesco Batali (born September 19, 1960) is an American chef, writer, and restaurateur. Batali co-owned restaurants in New York City; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; and Newport Beach, California; Boston; Singapore; Westport, Connecticut; and N ...

- Former Iron Chef, ''

Iron Chef America ''Iron Chef America'' is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's ''Iron Chef'', and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed ''Iron Chef USA'' that aired in 2001. The show is produced by Food Network, w ...

''; chef/owner of '' Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca''; host of '' Molto Mario'' and ''

Ciao America ''Ciao America'' is a 2002 American-Italian comedy-drama film directed by Frank Ciota. Cast * Eddie Malavarca as Lorenzo Primavera *Maurizio Nichetti as Giulio Fellini * Violante Placido as Paola Angelini *Nathaniel Marston as Skip Cromwell ...

''; former co-host, ABC's '' The Chew'' * Valerie Bertinelli - Actress; host of ''

Valerie's Home Cooking ''Valerie's Home Cooking'' is an American television cooking show, starring Valerie Bertinelli. It premiered on August 8, 2015 on the Food Network channel. Episodes Series overview Season 1 (2015) Season 2 (2015–2016) Season 3 (2016) Sea ...

'' *

John Besh John Besh (born May 14, 1968) is an American chef, TV personality, philanthropist, restaurateur and author. He is known for his efforts in preserving the culinary heritage of New Orleans cuisine. Background Besh was born in Meridian, Mississippi, ...

- Competitor on '' The Next Iron Chef''; chef and owner of ''August Restaurant'' (

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

) * Elena Besser - Chef/TV host; contributor to ''Food Network Kitchen'' *

Richard Blais Richard Blais (born February 12, 1972) is an American chef, television personality, restaurateur and author. He appeared on the reality show cooking show ''Top Chef'', and is known for his take on classic American cuisine. Blais was the runner- ...

- Chef/Restaurateur; judge on many Food Network competition shows *

Brian Boitano Brian Anthony Boitano (born October 22, 1963) is an American figure skater from Sunnyvale, California. He is the 1988 Olympic champion, the 1986 and 1988 World Champion, and the 1985–1988 U.S. National Champion. He turned professional foll ...

- Olympic figure skater and host of '' What Would Brian Boitano Make?'' * Stephanie Boswell - Executive Pastry Chef, Peninsula Beverly Hills; judge on ''

Halloween Baking Championship ''Halloween Baking Championship'' is an American cooking competition show that premiered on Food Network on October 5, 2015. Like its sister show, Holiday Baking Championship, it's a seasonal program that runs for a few weeks (in this case, the m ...

'' and ''

Halloween Wars ''Halloween Wars'' is an American reality competition series from Super Delicious, the production company that also produces ''Cupcake Wars'' and '' Cake Wars''. It premiered on October 2, 2011, on Food Network and it runs over the course of fou ...

'' * James Briscione - Culinary Director at

Institute of Culinary Education The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) is a private for-profit culinary college in New York City. ICE is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), and offers career training diploma programs in the c ...

; First ever two-time ''Chopped'' Champion *

Alton Brown Alton Crawford Brown Jr. (born July 30, 1962) is an American television personality, food show presenter, chef, author, voice actor, and cinematographer. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show '' Good Eats'' that ran for ...

- Host of '' Good Eats'', "

Cutthroat Kitchen ''Cutthroat Kitchen'' is an American cooking show hosted by Alton Brown that aired on the Food Network from August 11, 2013 to July 19, 2017. It features four chefs competing in a three-round elimination cooking competition. The contestants face ...

" and ''

'', and author of ''Good Eats 2: The Middle Years'' * Kardea Brown - Chef and host of '' Delicious Miss Brown'' * Frank Bruni - Former restaurant critic for ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''; author of ''Born Round'' * Justin Brunson - Chef/restaurateur; Owner at River Bear American Meats in Denver, CO * Anne Burrell - Sous chef on ''

; host of ''

Secrets of a Restaurant Chef ''Secrets of a Restaurant Chef'' is an American cooking television series that aired on Food Network. It was presented by chef Anne Burrell; and the series featured Burrell demonstrating how to cook restaurant A restaurant is a business that ...

; co-host of '' Worst Cooks in America'' *

Josh Capon Josh Capon (born 1972) is an American chef and television personality. Early life Josh Capon attended the University of Maryland where he discovered his talent in cooking for his friends, which he funded by accepting small donations. Subsequently, ...

- Executive chef at New York City's Lure Fishbar; guest judge on ''Chopped'' and '' Beat Bobby Flay'' *

Monti Carlo Mairym “Monti” Carlo (born May 7, 1975) is a Puerto Rican-American Food TV Host and Special Events Chef. She blogs at islandgirlcooks.com. Monti hosts Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food ...

- Chef instructor/recipe developer; food blogger at islandgirlcooks.com *

Cody Cody may refer to: People *Cody (given name) *Cody (surname) * Cody (wrestler), a ring name of Cody Runnels Places Canada *Cody, British Columbia United States * Cody, Florida * Cody (Duluth), Minnesota * Cody, Missouri * Cody, Nebraska *Cody, ...

and Samantha Carroll - Louisiana Chefs; co-hosts of Food Network's ''Cajun Aces'' owners/operators of Hot Tails in New Roads, LA *

Michael Chiarello Michael Chiarello (born January 26, 1962) is an American celebrity chef specializing in Italian-influenced California cuisine. He hosts the cooking show ''Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello'' on Food Network and hosts ''NapaStyle'' on Fi ...

- Entrepreneur/restaurateur, and host of '' Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello'' * Hannah Chloe- Host of Spoon University's ''SpoonProof'' *

Scott Conant Scott Conant (born February 19, 1971) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. Since 2009, Conant has been a judge on the reality cooking television series '' Chopped''. He has published four cookbooks. Early life Conan ...

- Host of '' 24 Hour Restaurant Battle'', and chef/owner of ''Scarpetta'' (

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

) and '' D.O.C.G. Enoteca'' (

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

) * Cat Cora - Former Iron Chef, ''

'' * Dick Cummings - Host of '' Crave'', senior editor of '' Riviera Magazine'' * Melissa d'Arabian - ''

The Next Food Network Star ''Food Network Star'' is a reality television series that premiered June 5, 2005. It was produced by CBS EYEtoo Productions for seasons 1–8 and by Triage Entertainment for subsequent seasons. It airs on the Food Network in the United States. ...

'' Season 5 winner, and host of ''

Ten Dollar Dinners Melissa Donovan d'Arabian is an American cookbook author and television show host. She won the fifth season of ''Food Network Star'' in 2009. Following her victory, she went on to host '' Ten Dollar Dinners'' on Food Network. Early life and ed ...

'' *

Mark Dacascos Mark Alan Dacascos (born February 26, 1964) is an American actor, martial artist and television personality. He won numerous karate and kung fu championships between the ages of 7 and 18. He is known for his roles as Wo Fat in ''Hawaii Five-0'' ...

- Martial artist/actor; "The Chairman" on ''

'' *

Paula Deen Paula Ann Hiers Deen (born January 19, 1947) is an American chef, cookbook author, and TV personality. Deen resides in Savannah, Georgia, where she owns and operates The Lady & Sons restaurant and Paula Deen's Creek House with her sons, Jamie ...

- Host of ''

Paula's Home Cooking ''Paula's Home Cooking'' is a Food Network show hosted by Paula Deen. Deen's primary culinary focus was Southern cuisine and familiar comfort food that is popular with Americans. In the show, classic dishes such as pot roast, fried okra, fried c ...

'', ''Paula's Best Dishes'', and ''

Paula's Party ''Paula's Party'' is a show on the Food Network hosted by Paula Deen. Unlike her other show on the Food Network, '' Paula's Home Cooking, Paula's Party'' was originally taped in front of a small audience at Uncle Bubba's Oyster House in Savannah ...

'' *

Giada De Laurentiis Giada Pamela De Laurentiis (; born August 22, 1970) is an Italian-American chef, writer, and television personality. She was the host of Food Network's ''Giada at Home''. She also appears regularly as a contributor and guest co-host on NBC's ...

- Host of ''

Everyday Italian ''Everyday Italian'' is a Food Network show hosted by Giada De Laurentiis. In the show, De Laurentiis focuses for her viewers on traditional Italian cuisine with an American flair. Popularity The show is recorded (shot at 24 frames for a cinemat ...

'' and ''

Giada at Home ''Giada at Home'' is a television show hosted by Giada De Laurentiis. It first aired on October 18, 2008 on the Food Network. The show was nominated for two Daytime Emmy The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive rang ...

''; TV judge/mentor on ''

'' *

Rocco DiSpirito Rocco DiSpirito (born November 19, 1966) is an American chef and reality television personality based in New York City, known for starring in the program '' The Restaurant''. Early life and education DiSpirito was born in Queens, New York. He gr ...

- Chef/author of ''Now Eat This! Diet''; winner of

James Beard Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...

Guy Fieri Guy Ramsay Fieri (, ; ''né'' Ferry; born January 22, 1968) is an American restaurateur, author, and an Emmy Award winning television presenter. He co-owns three restaurants in California, licenses his name to restaurants in New York City, Las ...

- Winner of Season 2 of ''

Food Network Star ''Food Network Star'' is a reality television series that premiered June 5, 2005. It was produced by CBS EYEtoo Productions for seasons 1–8 and by Triage Entertainment for subsequent seasons. It airs on the Food Network in the United States. ...

''; host of ''

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives ''Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'' (often nicknamed ''Triple D'' and stylized as ''Diners, Drive-Ins, Dives'') is an American food reality television series that premiered on April 23, 2007, on the Food Network. It is hosted by Guy Fieri. The show o ...

'' and ''

Guy's Big Bite ''Guy's Big Bite'' is a Food Network show starring Guy Fieri Guy Ramsay Fieri (, ; ''né'' Ferry; born January 22, 1968) is an American restaurateur, author, and an Emmy Award winning television presenter. He co-owns three restaurants in Cali ...

'', and chef/owner of Johnny Garlic's and Tex Wasabi's (

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

) *

Bobby Flay Robert William Flay (born December 10, 1964), is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and reality television personality. Flay is the owner and executive chef of several restaurants and franchises, including Bobby's Burger Palace, Bobby's ...

- Former Iron Chef, ''

''; co-host/mentor of ''

'' and ''

Throwdown! with Bobby Flay ''Throwdown! with Bobby Flay'' is a Food Network television program in which celebrity chef Bobby Flay challenges cooks renowned for a specific dish or type of cooking to a cook-off of their signature dish. At the beginning of each show, Flay rec ...

'', chef/owner of

Mesa Grill Robert William Flay (born December 10, 1964), is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and reality television personality. Flay is the owner and Chef de cuisine, executive chef of several restaurants and franchises, including Bobby's Burger ...

s in

and

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

* Tregaye Fraser - Winner of Season 12 of ''

'' & host of Discovery+'s ''Tregaye's Way in the Kitchen'' *

Tyler Florence Tyler Florence (born March 3, 1971) is a chef and television host of several Food Network shows. He graduated from the College of Culinary Arts at the Charleston, South Carolina, campus of Johnson & Wales University in 1991. He was later given a ...

- Host of ''

The Great Food Truck Race ''The Great Food Truck Race'' is a reality television and cooking series that originally aired on August 15, 2010, on Food Network, with Tyler Florence as the host. Billed as a cross between Cannonball Run and Top Chef ''Top Chef'' is an Ame ...

'' and ''Tyler's Ultimate'' *

Ina Garten Ina Rosenberg Garten ( ; born February 2, 1948) is an American author, host of the Food Network program '' Barefoot Contessa'', and a former staff member of the Office of Management and Budget. Among her dishes are ''cœur à la crème'', celery ...

- Host of ''

Barefoot Contessa ''Barefoot Contessa'' is an American cooking show that premiered November 30, 2002, on Food Network, and is currently the oldest show on the network's daytime schedule. Hosted by celebrity chef Ina Garten, each episode features Garten assembli ...

'' * Gabriella Gershenson - TV judge on '' 24 Hour Restaurant Battle'', senior editor '' Saveur Magazine'' * Adam Gertler - Host of ''Kid in a Candy Store'' *

Duff Goldman Jeffrey Adam "Duff" Goldman is a pastry chef, television personality, and cookbook author. He is the executive chef of the Baltimore-based Charm City Cakes shop, which was featured in the Food Network reality television show ''Ace of Cakes'', a ...

- Pastry chef/owner of '' Charm City Cakes'', and host of ''

Ace of Cakes ''Ace of Cakes'' is an American reality television show that aired on the Food Network. The show focused on the daily operations of Duff Goldman's custom cake shop, Charm City Cakes, in Baltimore, Maryland; including small-business ownership, wor ...

'' and ''Sugar High'' *

Alex Guarnaschelli {{Infobox chef , name = Alex Guarnaschelli , image = , caption = , birth_date = {{birth date and age, 1969, 6, 20 , birth_place = St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. , birth_name = Alexandra Maria Guarnaschelli ...

- Chef/host on ''Alex's Day Off''; Iron Chef on "Iron Chef America"; TV judge on '' Chopped''; executive chef of '' Butter Restaurant'' (

) *

Carla Hall Carla Hall (born May 12, 1964) is an American chef, television personality and former model. She appeared in the fifth and eighth seasons of ''Top Chef'', Bravo's cooking competition show. She was a cohost on ''The Chew'', a one-hour talk sh ...

- Chef/TV personality/former model; former co-host of ABC's '' The Chew'' *

Robert Irvine Robert Paul Irvine (; born 24 September 1965) is an English celebrity chef and talk show host who has appeared on and hosted a variety of Food Network programs including '' Dinner: Impossible'', ''Worst Cooks in America'', '' Restaurant: Imposs ...

- Host of '' Dinner: Impossible'' and '' Restaurant: Impossible''; co-host of seasons 2 & 14 of '' Worst Cooks in America'' * Eddie Jackson - Season 11 winner of ''

''; host of '' BBQ Blitz'' * Pati Jinich - Chef & Host of ''Pati's Mexican Table'' *

Judy Joo Judy Joo is a chef and television personality. She is best known as being the host of Food Network's "Korean Food Made Simple" and an ''Iron Chef UK'' and her restaurant Seoul Bird in London. Joo splits her time between New York City, London, and ...

- TV judge '' The Next Iron Chef'', Iron Chef UK, executive chef ''

Playboy Club The Playboy Club was initially a chain of nightclubs and resorts owned and operated by Playboy Enterprises. The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago in 1960. Each club generally featured a Living Room, a Playmate Bar, a Dining Room, and a Club R ...

'' (

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

) *

Kristen Kish Kristen Kish (born December 1, 1983) is a Korean-born American chef known for winning the tenth season of ''Top Chef''. She was formerly chef de cuisine at Menton in the Fort Point neighborhood of Boston. She is the host of ''36 Hours'' on Tra ...

- Chef/TV Host; winner of Season 10 of ''Top Chef''; host of ''36 Hours'' on Travel Channel and co-host of ''Fast Foodies'' on TruTV * Ali Khan - Food blogger; host of ''

Cheap Eats Cheap Eats is an original food travelogue television series on Cooking Channel Cooking Channel is an American basic cable channel owned by Food Network, a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (69%) and Nex ...

'' * Dan Kohler - Culinary Anthropologist/Food Nerd; contributor to Cooking Channel's '' Food: Fact or Fiction?'' *

Ellie Krieger Ellie Krieger (born September 26, 1965) is an American registered dietitian and nutritionist. She is the host of Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger on Food Network, anEllie's Real Good Foodon PBS. She is also an author and has written several ...

- Host of '' Healthy Appetite'' *

Emeril Lagasse Emeril John Lagassé III ( ; born October 15, 1959) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, cookbook author, and National Best Recipe award winner for his "Turkey and Hot Sausage Chili" recipe in 2003. He is a regio ...

- Host on ''

Essence of Emeril ''Essence of Emeril'' (1994–96, 2000–2007) is a Food Network show hosted by chef Emeril Lagasse. In each episode, Emeril shares with his viewers some of his 'kicked-up' recipes, similar to those on '' Emeril Live'', but with a far calmer ...

'' and ''

Emeril Live ''Emeril Live'' is a television program that aired on Food Network from October 6, 1997, to December 11, 2007, and then on Fine Living (now The Cooking Channel) from July 7, 2008, to December 14, 2010. Hosted by Emeril Lagasse, ''Emeril Live'' f ...

'' * Dan Langan - Baker/Blogger; Host, ''Dan Can Bake'' on Food Network Digital *

Nigella Lawson Nigella Lucy Lawson (born 6 January 1960) is an English food writer and television cook. She attended Godolphin and Latymer School, London. After graduating from the University of Oxford, where she was a member of Lady Margaret Hall, Lawson ...

- Host on '' Nigella's Kitchen'' * Katie Lee - Cookbook author/food critic; co-host of ''

'' * Sandra Lee - host on '' Semi-Homemade Cooking'' and '' Sandra's Money Saving Meals'' * Shinmin Li - Pastry Chef/Cake Artist; judge on Food Network's ''Cookie Wars'' and ''Halloween Wars'' *

Tara Lipinski Tara Kristen Lipinski (born June 10, 1982) is an American former competitive figure skater, actress, sports commentator and documentary film producer. A former competitor in women's singles, she is the 1998 Olympic champion, the 1997 World ...

and

Johnny Weir John Garvin Weir (; born July 2, 1984) is an American figure skater and television commentator. He is a two-time Olympian (representing the United States in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics, respectively), the 2008 World bronze medalist, a t ...

- Champion Figure Skaters; co-hosts of ''Wedding Cake Championship'' * Antonia Lofaso - Chef/restaurateur; judge on ''

'', ''

Guy's Grocery Games '' Guy's Grocery Games '' (often nicknamed ''Triple G'') is an American reality-based cooking television game show hosted by Guy Fieri on Food Network. Each episode features four chefs competing in a three-round elimination contest, cooking food ...

'' et al. * Sabin Lomac - Chef/TV Host; co-founder of Cousins Maine Lobster; host of ''Grill of Victory'' *

Beau MacMillan Beau MacMillan (born March 4, 1971) is an American chef and television presenter, television personality. He is the executive chef for Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, an Luxury good, upscale resort in Arizona, and its featured restaurant, ''ele ...

- Executive Chef, ''elements'' in Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain in Arizona *

Simon Majumdar Simon Majumdar (born April 7, 1964) is a British-born food and travel author, and food television personality. He has appeared on many Food Network shows and is based in Los Angeles and London. He also judges tables on shows such as ''Iron Chef''. ...

- TV judge on '' The Next Iron Chef'' and "

" et al.; author of ''Eat My Globe'' *

Jeff Mauro Jeff Mauro (born July 24, 1978) is the co-host of the Food Network series ''The Kitchen'' and host of ''Sandwich King'' and ''$24 in 24''. Prior to this, he was the winner of the Food Network Star (season 7), seventh season of the ''Food Network ...

- Season 7 winner of ''

''; host of '' Sandwich King'' and co-host of ''

'' * Brad Miller - Chef; host of ''Food Truck Nation'' on Food Network * Brandi Milloy - Co-host of ''Let's Eat'' on Food Network; best known for the YouTube series ''POPSUGAR Food: Eat the Trend'' *

Roger Mooking Roger Mooking is a Trinidadian-Canadian chef, musician, and television host. Mooking is the host of the television series '' Man Fire Food'' (2012 to present). He is also the host and co-creator of ''Everyday Exotic''. Both programs aired on the ...

- Chef/musician; host of ''

Man Fire Food ''Man Fire Food'' is an American food travelogue television series that airs on Cooking Channel. It is presented by chef Roger Mooking; and the series features Mooking traveling to different cities and learning unique methods of barbecuing ...

'' * Marc Murphy - Chef/Restaurateur; Judge on ''Chopped'' *

Pat Neely Pat Neely (born July 20, 1964) is an American restaurateur, television personality, and author. He is the co-owner of Neely's Bar-B-Que restaurant in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. He and former wife Gina hosted two Food Network television programs ...

and

Gina Neely Gina or GINA or ''variation'' may refer to: Gina Gina may refer to: * Gina (given name), multiple individuals * Gina (Canaan), a town in ancient Canaan * Arihant (Jainism), also called gina, a term for a human who has conquered his or her inne ...

- Hosts '' Down Home with the Neelys'' *

Candace Nelson Candace Nelson (born May 8, 1974) is an Indonesian-born pastry chef and judge on the television series ''Cupcake Wars'' and ''Sugar Rush (Netflix TV series), Sugar Rush''. Early life Nelson grew up in Indonesia. Baking runs in her family, as h ...

- TV judge ''

Cupcake Wars ''Cupcake Wars'' is an American reality competition series that premiered on December 27, 2009, on cable television network Food Network. The show, which is based on creating unique and professional-style cupcakes, was hosted by Justin Willman a ...

'', founder ''Sprinkles Cupcakes'' (

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

) * Stuart O'Keeffe - Co-host of ''Let's Eat'' on Food Network; best known for his appearance on the Food Network's ''

Private Chefs of Beverly Hills Private Chefs of Beverly Hills is a scripted reality television show airing on Food Network. The show follows six chefs from the Big City Chefs private chef placement agency in Beverly Hills, California. The show chronicles preparations for lavi ...

'' *

Jamie Oliver James Trevor Oliver MBE OSI (born 27 May 1975) is an English chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He is known for his casual approach to cuisine, which has led him to front numerous television shows and open many restaurants. Oliver reache ...

- Host of ''

Naked Chef James Trevor Oliver MBE OSI (born 27 May 1975) is an English chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He is known for his casual approach to cuisine, which has led him to front numerous television shows and open many restaurants. Oliver reache ...

'' and '' Jamie at Home'' *

Tom Papa Thomas Papa Jr. (born November 10, 1968) is an American comedian, actor, and radio host. He hosts the Sirius XM Satellite Radio show ''Come to Papa'' and, in July 2019, he and Fortune Feimster started hosting the Sirius XM show ''What a Joke wit ...

- Comedian/Baker; host of Sirius XM's ''Come to Papa'' *

Lorraine Pascale Lorraine Pascale (born 17 November 1972) is a British television cook and USA Food Network host and former top model, best known for selling almost one million books in the UK alone. Her TV shows are in 70 countries worldwide. She had her own ...

- Chef/Former Model; Judge on Food Network's ''Baking Championships'' & judge on/host of '' Bakers Vs. Fakers'' * Jamika Pessoa - Chef/Businesswoman; "Caterer to the Stars" * Katie Pix - Chef/YouTube host; YouTube Channe
YouTube Channel
* Michael Psilakis - TV judge on '' Ultimate Recipe Showdown'', chef/owner ''Kefi'' (

) *

Wolfgang Puck Wolfgang Johannes Puck (born July 8, 1949) is an Austrian-American chef and restaurateur. Early life and career Puck was born in Sankt Veit an der Glan, Austria. He learned cooking from his mother, who was a pastry chef. He took the surname ...

- Chef and owner of ''

Spago Spago is chef Wolfgang Puck's flagship restaurant worldwide, known for serving California cuisine. Spago is Puck's first restaurant venture. Name and history The word "spago" is Italian for "string" or "twine". The plural would be "spaghi," whi ...

'' (

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

); former Iron Chef on '' Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters'' * Courtney Rada - stand-up comedian; host of ''Carnivorous'' on Food Network *

Rachael Ray Rachael Domenica Ray (born August 25, 1968) is an American cook, television personality, businesswoman, and author. She hosts the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program '' Rachael Ray'', and the Food Network series ''30 Minute Meals'' ...

- Host of '' 30 Minute Meals'' and '' $40 a Day'' *

Claire Robinson Claire Robinson is a television host, author and cook. She graduated from the French Culinary Institute in 2005 and was a television host of the Food Network series '' 5 Ingredient Fix''. On April 4, 2010, she debuted as the new host of Food Ne ...

- Host of '' 5 Ingredient Fix'' *

Marcus Samuelsson 25 January 1971) is an Ethiopian-born Swedish-American celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality. He is the head chef of Red Rooster in Harlem, New York. Early life and education Kassahun Joar Tsegie was born in Ethiopia. His fa ...

- Chef/restaurateur; frequent judge on '' Chopped'' * Aarón Sánchez - Co-host on '' Chefs vs. City''; TV judge on ''Chopped''; executive chef/owner of ''Centrico'' (

) * Claudia Sandoval - Chef/Cookbook Author; Winner of Season 6 of ''MasterChef'' * Jonathon Sawyer - James Beard Award-Winning Chef; owner of three Cleveland restaurants, including the Greenhouse Tavern *

Aarti Sequeira Aarti Lucica Sequeira (born 19 August 1978) is an Indian American cook and television personality, best known as the winner of the sixth season of Food Network's reality television show, ''The Next Food Network Star''. In 2010, after her victor ...

- Season 6 winner of ''

''; host of '' Aarti Party'' and ''Taste in Translation'' *

Donal Skehan Donal Skehan (born 3 June 1986) is an Irish television personality, presenter (specialising in food programmes), food writer, cook, photographer and former singer. He is known for his television series, cookbooks, popular YouTube channel and us ...

- Food Writer/Singer; host of Food Channel UK's ''Follow Donal'' and co-presenter/judge on BBC's ''Junior MasterChef'' * Fanny Slater - Cookbook Author; regular contributor to ''

The Rachael Ray Show ''The Rachael Ray Show'' is an American television talk show hosted by Rachael Ray that debuted in syndication in the United States and Canada on September 18, 2006 and also airs in other countries. It is taped at Chelsea Television Studios in Ne ...

'' * Jason Smith - Season 3 ''

Holiday Baking Championship The ''Holiday Baking Championship'' is an American cooking competition series produced by Triage Entertainment and aired on Food Network. It airs from early November through late December, covering the U.S Thanksgiving and Christmas season. The f ...

'' winner and Season 13 ''Food Network Star'' Winner *

Martha Stewart Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing pub ...

- Writer/businesswoman; host of ''

Martha Stewart Living ''Martha Stewart Living'' is a magazine and former television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of ...

'' *

Curtis Stone Curtis Travis Stone (born 4 November 1975) is an Australian celebrity chef, author and television personality. Stone has been the fresh food and recipes ambassador for Coles Supermarkets in Australia since 2010. Early life Stone was born in ...

- Celebrity chef; author of ''Relaxed Cooking With Curtis Stone'' *

Marc Summers Marc Summers (born Marc Berkowitz; November 11, 1951) is an American television personality, comedian, game show host, producer, and talk show host. He is best known for hosting '' Double Dare'' for Nickelodeon, and ''Unwrapped'' for Food Networ ...

- Host on ''

Unwrapped ''Unwrapped'', also known as ''Unwrapped with Marc Summers'', is an American television program on Food Network that reveals the origins of sponsored foods. It first aired in June 2001 and is hosted by Marc Summers. The show leads viewers on to ...

''; host/judge on '' Ultimate Recipe Showdown'' *

Michael Symon Michael D. Symon (born September 19, 1969) is an American chef, restaurateur, television personality, and author. He is of Greek, Sicilian, and Eastern European descent. He is seen regularly on Food Network on shows such as ''Iron Chef America' ...

- Iron Chef, ''

''; former co-host of ABC's '' The Chew''; chef/owner ''Lola Lolita'' (

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

) * Anne Thornton - Chef/host of '' Dessert First with Anne Thornton'' *

Jet Tila Jet Tilakamonkul, known professionally as Jet Tila ( th, เจ็ท ติลกมลกุล; ), is an American celebrity chef, author, restaurateur, and restaurant developer. Early life Tila was born in Los Angeles to Thai Chinese parents ...

- Chef & restaurateur; floor reporter for ''Iron Chef America'' * Isaac Toups - Chef/Restaurateur; voted Fan Favorite on ''Top Chef: California'' * Nguyen Tran - Food Writer/Restaurateur; owner of Starry Kitchen in Los Angeles, CA *

Ming Tsai Ming Hao Tsai (; born March 29, 1964) is an American restaurateur, television personality, and celebrity chef. Tsai's restaurants have focused on east–west fusion cuisine, and have included major stakes in Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Massachuse ...

- Host of "Simply Ming", chef/owner Blue Ginger (

Wellesley, Massachusetts Wellesley () is a New England town, town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of Greater Boston. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson Col ...

), Blue Dragon ( Boston, Massachusetts) *

Justin Warner Justin M. Warner (born February 11, 1984)Justin M. Warner (EatFellowHumans) on ...

- Winner of ''Food Network Star'' Season 8; author of ''The Laws of Cooking: And How to Break Them'' * Bev Weidner - Food Blogger; Host, ''Mom Wins'' on Food Network Digital * Jernard Wells - Chef/cookbook author; 1st-Runner-Up in season 12 of ''

'' * Lee Anne Wong - Former culinary producer for Seasons 2-5 of ''Top Chef''; owner/operator of Koko Head Café in

Honolulu, HI Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island of ...

Buddy Valastro Bartolo "Buddy" Valastro Jr. (born March 3, 1977) is an American baker and reality television personality of Italian heritage. He is the owner of Carlo's Bakery, as well as the face of Buddy V's Ristorante. Valastro is best known as the star of ...

- Owner/operator of '' Carlo's Bake Shop''; star of ''

Cake Boss ''Cake Boss'' is an American reality television series, which originally aired on the cable television network TLC. The series premiered on April 19, 2009, and has spawned four spin-offs: '' Next Great Baker'', ''Kitchen Boss'', ''Bake You Ric ...

'' *

Marcela Valladolid Marcela Luz Valladolid (born July 19, 1978) is an American chef and author. She was the host of the Food Network television series ''Mexican Made Easy'', and a judge on the Food Network series '' Best Baker in America''. Early life Valladolid wa ...

- Host of '' Mexican Made Easy''; former co-host of ''

'' * Fabio Viviani - Chef/Vintner/Restaurateur; "Fan Favorite" winner on season 5 of ''Top Chef'' * Casey Webb - Restaurateur; Host, ''

Man v. Food ''Man v. Food'' is an American food reality television series. It premiered on December 3, 2008 on the Travel Channel. The program was originally hosted by actor and food enthusiast Adam Richman. In each episode, Richman explores the "big food" o ...

'' on Cooking Channel *

Molly Yeh Molly Yeh (born May 22, 1989) is an American cookbook author and blogger who is the host of the Food Network cooking show ''Girl Meets Farm''. Early life Yeh was born and raised in Glenview, Illinois, to Jody (née Shinbrod) and clarinetist ...

—Host of Food Network's '' Girl Meets Farm'' *

Andrew Zimmern Andrew Scott Zimmern (born July 4, 1961) is an American chef, restaurateur, television and radio personality, director, producer, businessman, food critic, and author. Zimmern is the co-creator, host, and consulting producer of the Travel Channe ...

- Host of ''

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern Bizarre may refer to: *Bizarre (rapper) (born 1976), an American rapper and member of hip hop group D12 * Bizarre (band), a Spanish rock band * ''Bizarre'' (TV series), a Canadian sketch comedy television series * ''Bizarre'' (magazine), a siste ...

'' on

Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Switch to The Cooking Channel and Season 7

The original broadcast of ''The Best Thing I Ever Ate'', Seasons 1–6, were on

The Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable Cable television first became available in the United States in 1948. By 1989, 53 million U.S. households received cable television subscriptions, with 60 percent of all U.S. households doing so in 1992. ...

from 2009 to 2011. In 2018, the show switched to

The Cooking Channel Cooking Channel is an American basic cable channel owned by Food Network, a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (69%) and Nexstar Media Group (31%). The channel is a spin-off of Food Network, broadcasting p ...

. Season 7 did not have any new restaurants. Rather, episodes were compilations from the previous 6 seasons. Episodes were based on cities like

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, and

, with the previous restaurants from those cities featured in each episode. Starting with Season 8, episodes would consist of new restaurants and food items, with a mix of old and new contributors.

Season 8

Season 9

This season was a mix of "compilation" episodes (with footage from seasons 1-6) and newly produced episodes. Compilation episodes are so marked and do not have a segment listing.

Season 10

Episode 4 was the only "compilation" episode this season (see Season 9 above), and as such has no segment listing.

Season 11

All-Star Best Thing I Ever Ate

In 2020, the Food Network aired an eight-episode hour-long series spin-off of the show entitled ''All-Star Best Thing I Ever Ate'', featuring the network's biggest chefs sharing both their favorite foods & locations along with some of their own recipes fitting the given subject. Episodes consisted of newly recorded segments and reused footage from both older episodes and (in the case of the "CHEF'S RECIPE" entries below) the presenters' cooking shows.

References

External links

*
Episode guideDilbert pre-parodyAuthentic Entertainment's Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Best Thing I Ever Ate Food Network original programming Food travelogue television series 2000s American reality television series 2009 American television series debuts 2011 American television series endings Television series by Authentic Entertainment English-language television shows

Contributing Chefs/Hosts

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Switch to The Cooking Channel and Season 7

Season 8

Season 9

Season 10

Season 11

All-Star Best Thing I Ever Ate

See also

References

External links