Food Network Show Hosted by Chicago Native Cancelled

After 40 seasons, Food Network is ending one of its flagship programs, which was cohosted by a Chicago native.

One of the staple programs on Food Network was The Kitchen, which premiered all the way back in 2014. The cooking-theme talked show featured a plethora of presenters, including Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee Biegel, Geoffrey Zakarian, recurring guest Alex Guarnaschelli, and Chicago-area native Jeff Mauro.

The Kitchen will conclude its 40-season, 500+ episode-run on December 13th, 2025 with one final holiday themed show, per WGN. A representative from Warner Bros. Discovery released a statement on the show's cancelled:

For over a decade Sunny, Katie, Jeff, Geoffrey and more recently Alex have engaged audiences with their individual and distinct food sensibilities and sense of humor that together make The Kitchen a delicious way to spend an hour. Everyone knows all good parties end up in ‘The Kitchen,’ where the conversation, laughs and food flow; the best parties probably end a little bit earlier then some guests would like, but we’ve got twelve years of memories and wanted to celebrate this team’s hard work during one final holiday season - Betsy Ayala of Warner Bros. Discovery, per WGN

The Kitchen was a spot where celebrities of all backgrounds made appearances, such as Daniel Radcliffe, Martina McBride, and Vanilla Ice. Other culinary experts like Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray made appearances on the show too.

Jeff Mauro, who grew up in Oak Park, IL and always highlighted Chicago eateries on the show, summarized the show's cancellation with a statement of his own. It boiled down to three words: "What a run!"

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. I didn’t expect to feel this sad, but my optimism for what lies ahead outweighs the sadness. More than anything, I’m deeply grateful and humbled for this immense opportunity that I will never forget - per Jeff Mauro's Facebook page

Read more about Food Network cancelling The Kitchen on WGN's website.