The Next Food Network Star: New Season Premieres June 7, 2009

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The Next Food Network Star: New Season Premieres June 7, 2009

April 11, 2009 01:00:17 by Britteny Elrick

On June 7, ten new finalists will compete in The Next Food Network Star to see who will star in their own Food Networkshow. Season five promises to to be sizzling with guest appearances by Rachel Ray, Emeril Lagasse, and Ina Garten just to name a few. Iron Chef Bobby Flay will lead the committee that will ultimately determine the fate of the contestants and make one chef’s dream come true…

The season premiere will kick off with a challenge in which the contestants will cater Food Network’s Sweet 16 party, where network talent and media will judge. Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President of Programming and Production says, “This season we’ve created the biggest and toughest challenges the show has ever seen. We have an incredibly competitive group of finalists who are hungry to become Food Network stars, and they all came to win.”

The ten finalists include: Brett August (Washington Heights, N.Y.), Katie Cavuto (Philadelphia, Pa.), Melissa d’Arabian (Keller, Texas), Teddy Folkman (Alexandria, Va.), Eddie Gilbert (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), Jen Isham (Orlando, Fla.), Debbie Lee (West Hollywood, Calif.), Jamika Pessoa (Atlanta, Ga.), Michael Proietti (New York, N.Y.) and Jeffrey Saad (Los Angeles, Calif.).

According to the Food Network press release: “This season’s finalists must prove their culinary expertise and star potential through a series of complex challenges. In each episode, their cooking chops will be put to the test to see who can handle the pressure and present the most mouth-watering food. Challenges include catering a party for a roomful of Food Network stars, impressing the “Barefoot Contessa” herself in the Hamptons and preparing a comforting meal for returning soldiers on the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum. The show also flies to sunny Miami - for the first time - where the finalists must survive a beachside wood-grilling challenge for Red Lobster and create a delicious dinner for a group of culinary elite at a screening of Columbia Pictures’ movie Julie & Julia (in theaters August 7). Throughout the season, they will also have to prove they have star quality and dazzle a variety of media outlets with their personalities, including Access Hollywood, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Food Network Magazine, and USA WEEKEND.”

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Photo Credit: The Food Network