Finalists: Season 2
Andrew Shumacher
Signature recipe: Sauteed Skirt Steak with a Mushroom Pan Sauce
Age: 26
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Culinary education: After college, I took a year off from applying for medical school and found my true love—cooking! I began to teach myself the basics of cooking and ended up in NYC attending culinary school at the French Culinary Institute.
Three favorite dishes: Assorted olives and cured meats, fresh goat cheese and pristine baguette; sauteed skirt steak with a red wine pan sauce—quick and delicious; a large hazelnut coffee and a chocolate croissant—a Sunday ritual
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: How to correctly sear a piece of meat
Why you’d make the best Food Network Star:
The magic of cooking is evoked when time-honored craft is instilled with creativity. Learning the basics of cooking and how to improvise inside these techniques is my approach to cooking. I have a natural warmth and an understanding of how to bring this knowledge to others.
***
Carissa Seward
Signature recipe: Easy Breezy Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Age: 33
From: San Diego, Calif.
Culinary education: My mom. Tooling around the kitchen and screwing up. Practicing, experimenting. Le Cordon Bleu in Paris (Le Grand Diplome in both cuisine and patisserie). Just figuring it out as I went along. Became really good at popcorn for awhile!
Three favorite dishes: Is it possible to pick just 3? Not a fair question! Pan fried rib eye steak with sizzling butter, sauteed mushrooms, and Lyonnais potatoes; ruby rare seared ahi tuna steak with a wasabi aioli, soy combo and garlic green beans; garlic/herb encrusted rack of lamb
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: Play around, experiment, have fun. Don’t worry if you screw up—most people won’t even know the difference!
Why you’d make the best Food Network Star:
Because I just thoroughly love food..all aspects of it, the social, sharing, enjoying, creating, experimenting. I’m a young, single, sexy 30-something/Sex in the City type that is looking for love, having a blast cooking and traveling and enjoying all that life has to offer. We need a young, fresh, flirty, fun gal to mix it up and reach a younger audience that may get bored watching the Food Network. I’m here to spice it up, get crazy and fun and have a ball doing it together.
***
Elizabeth Raynor
Signature recipe: Turkey Pine Nut Cabbage Wraps
Age: 32
From: Sausalito, Calif.
Culinary education: Essentially, I am a self-taught cook utilizing all available resources to keep abreast of new trends in the culinary world. I have been a student of some highly creative and innovative cooks within my family for decades. On a daily basis, for pleasure and professional development, I spend free time reading cookbooks (Madeleine Kamman, Julia Child and Mary Risely have provided significant inspiration) and culinary magazines, searching the ever powerful Internet for innovative recipe ideas, watching cooking shows and sharing with friends and family our similar passions for food and entertaining. The most substantial lessons, however, are from the thousands of hours I’ve spent in the kitchen.
Three favorite dishes: Braised Maine lobster in a saffron cream sauce served with caramelized onions, steamed baby spinach and garlic toast points; roasted lemon chicken with herbed nicoise olive tapenade served over a Tuscan bread salad; grilled lavash with Black Mission figs, prosciutto de Parma, caramelized shallots and English stilton cheese
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: Be bold and use your imagination—add ingredients you may not have tried before (more than likely you’ll be pleasantly surprised)
Why you’d make the best Food Network Star:
I believe there is a creative cook inside of everyone. I’ve found that most people just need a little guidance and inspiration. Cooking and entertaining has provided immeasurable fulfillment to me and I’d love to share my knowledge and creativity in hopes of igniting that same passion in others.
***
Evette Rodriguez
Signature recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade Over Spaghetti
Age: 35
From: Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Culinary education: Self-taught, mom, grandma
Three favorite dishes: Mashed potatoes with anything braised in sauce; eggs any style; arroz con gandules (yellow rice with pigeon peas)
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: The plus side of using a hot pan
Why you’d make the best Food Network Star:
I am passionate about food and the art of its preparation. I feel that I have an engaging personality and can effectively teach others not just how to cook food but how to infuse cooking with passion! I bring with me a unique Latin American point of view.
Fun fact: Evette was selected as the 8th finalist by FoodNetwork.com users in November via a web vote
***
Guy Fieri
Signature recipe: Rhode Island Calamari
Age: 38
From: Santa Rosa, Calif.
Culinary education: BS in restaurant administration, UNLV, 1990
Three favorite dishes: Crab cioppino, carnitas with fresh tortillas, jambalaya
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: How to use a knife
Why you’d make the best Food Network Star:
I have cooked with some of the best and crashed and burned with the rest. Food is a journey and I am a well suited tour guide. From BBQ to sushi, if it is fun, unique and exciting, I want to know it, feel it and cook it!
***
Jess Dang
Signature recipe: Asian Bolognese
Age: 24
From: Menlo Park, Calif.
Culinary education: Although I've absorbed a great many cooking secrets from spending time in the kitchen with my mom and dad, I've learned the most through personal experimentation and traveling abroad.
Three favorite dishes: A steaming bowl of pho doused with Thai basil, sriracha and oyster sauce; freshly fried cha gio (Vietnamese spring rolls) wrapped in crisp lettuce dipped into nuoc nam (a Vietnamese dipping sauce); a seared piece of prime filet mignon
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: Recipes are meant to act as a guide. They are by no means a strict formula. Let your taste buds be your intuition.
Why would you make the best Food Network Star?
I hope to share my philosophy that food is not just something that provides sustenance but should be made and received with great gusto and heart. Cooking should never be a chore but an outlet for the soul's creativity.
***
Nathan Lyon
Signature recipe: Asian Infused Pork Tenderloin with Melted Onions and Herbed Goat Cheese
Age: 35
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Culinary education: First from mom and grandmother, classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu
Three favorite dishes: Braised short ribs, soft polenta, chard and brown veal pomegranate sauce; seared black sea bass, garlic smashed potatoes, flashed spinach and lemon beurre blanc; a good mushroom risotto
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: Do not use processed salt—it is 2.5 times too salty
Why you’d make the best Food Network Star:
I’m well read, good looking and a great teacher
***
Reggie Southerland
Signature recipe: Pureed Spinach and Sweet Pea Soup with Fresh Mint Cream
Age: 39
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Culinary education: I am self-taught. Culinary influences: Time Life—Good Cook Series, Betty Crocker and Julia Child (of course)
Three favorite dishes: Chicken pot pie; cherry balsamic glazed ribeye with warm green bean and edamame salad; lemon and herb roasted chicken
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: The faster, easier foolproof pie crust
Why you’d make the best Food Network Star: I work in a small cafe in Los Angeles where I am called upon to do everything: the baking, the grilling, the roasting, breakfasts, sandwich making--I DO IT ALL! This sort of cafe bootcamp has enabled me to think very quickly on my feet. I have to come up with dishes that are simple yet somewhat gourmet and at the same time healthy. As the Next Food Network Star, I can teach viewers how to have great fun while making simple, well prepared food with a sassy sense of style.
Andrew Shumacher
Signature recipe: Sauteed Skirt Steak with a Mushroom Pan Sauce
Age: 26
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Culinary education: After college, I took a year off from applying for medical school and found my true love—cooking! I began to teach myself the basics of cooking and ended up in NYC attending culinary school at the French Culinary Institute.
Three favorite dishes: Assorted olives and cured meats, fresh goat cheese and pristine baguette; sauteed skirt steak with a red wine pan sauce—quick and delicious; a large hazelnut coffee and a chocolate croissant—a Sunday ritual
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: How to correctly sear a piece of meat
Why you’d make the best Food Network Star:
The magic of cooking is evoked when time-honored craft is instilled with creativity. Learning the basics of cooking and how to improvise inside these techniques is my approach to cooking. I have a natural warmth and an understanding of how to bring this knowledge to others.
***
Carissa Seward
Signature recipe: Easy Breezy Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Age: 33
From: San Diego, Calif.
Culinary education: My mom. Tooling around the kitchen and screwing up. Practicing, experimenting. Le Cordon Bleu in Paris (Le Grand Diplome in both cuisine and patisserie). Just figuring it out as I went along. Became really good at popcorn for awhile!
Three favorite dishes: Is it possible to pick just 3? Not a fair question! Pan fried rib eye steak with sizzling butter, sauteed mushrooms, and Lyonnais potatoes; ruby rare seared ahi tuna steak with a wasabi aioli, soy combo and garlic green beans; garlic/herb encrusted rack of lamb
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: Play around, experiment, have fun. Don’t worry if you screw up—most people won’t even know the difference!
Why you’d make the best Food Network Star:
Because I just thoroughly love food..all aspects of it, the social, sharing, enjoying, creating, experimenting. I’m a young, single, sexy 30-something/Sex in the City type that is looking for love, having a blast cooking and traveling and enjoying all that life has to offer. We need a young, fresh, flirty, fun gal to mix it up and reach a younger audience that may get bored watching the Food Network. I’m here to spice it up, get crazy and fun and have a ball doing it together.
***
Elizabeth Raynor
Signature recipe: Turkey Pine Nut Cabbage Wraps
Age: 32
From: Sausalito, Calif.
Culinary education: Essentially, I am a self-taught cook utilizing all available resources to keep abreast of new trends in the culinary world. I have been a student of some highly creative and innovative cooks within my family for decades. On a daily basis, for pleasure and professional development, I spend free time reading cookbooks (Madeleine Kamman, Julia Child and Mary Risely have provided significant inspiration) and culinary magazines, searching the ever powerful Internet for innovative recipe ideas, watching cooking shows and sharing with friends and family our similar passions for food and entertaining. The most substantial lessons, however, are from the thousands of hours I’ve spent in the kitchen.
Three favorite dishes: Braised Maine lobster in a saffron cream sauce served with caramelized onions, steamed baby spinach and garlic toast points; roasted lemon chicken with herbed nicoise olive tapenade served over a Tuscan bread salad; grilled lavash with Black Mission figs, prosciutto de Parma, caramelized shallots and English stilton cheese
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: Be bold and use your imagination—add ingredients you may not have tried before (more than likely you’ll be pleasantly surprised)
Why you’d make the best Food Network Star:
I believe there is a creative cook inside of everyone. I’ve found that most people just need a little guidance and inspiration. Cooking and entertaining has provided immeasurable fulfillment to me and I’d love to share my knowledge and creativity in hopes of igniting that same passion in others.
***
Evette Rodriguez
Signature recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade Over Spaghetti
Age: 35
From: Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Culinary education: Self-taught, mom, grandma
Three favorite dishes: Mashed potatoes with anything braised in sauce; eggs any style; arroz con gandules (yellow rice with pigeon peas)
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: The plus side of using a hot pan
Why you’d make the best Food Network Star:
I am passionate about food and the art of its preparation. I feel that I have an engaging personality and can effectively teach others not just how to cook food but how to infuse cooking with passion! I bring with me a unique Latin American point of view.
Fun fact: Evette was selected as the 8th finalist by FoodNetwork.com users in November via a web vote
***
Guy Fieri
Signature recipe: Rhode Island Calamari
Age: 38
From: Santa Rosa, Calif.
Culinary education: BS in restaurant administration, UNLV, 1990
Three favorite dishes: Crab cioppino, carnitas with fresh tortillas, jambalaya
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: How to use a knife
Why you’d make the best Food Network Star:
I have cooked with some of the best and crashed and burned with the rest. Food is a journey and I am a well suited tour guide. From BBQ to sushi, if it is fun, unique and exciting, I want to know it, feel it and cook it!
***
Jess Dang
Signature recipe: Asian Bolognese
Age: 24
From: Menlo Park, Calif.
Culinary education: Although I've absorbed a great many cooking secrets from spending time in the kitchen with my mom and dad, I've learned the most through personal experimentation and traveling abroad.
Three favorite dishes: A steaming bowl of pho doused with Thai basil, sriracha and oyster sauce; freshly fried cha gio (Vietnamese spring rolls) wrapped in crisp lettuce dipped into nuoc nam (a Vietnamese dipping sauce); a seared piece of prime filet mignon
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: Recipes are meant to act as a guide. They are by no means a strict formula. Let your taste buds be your intuition.
Why would you make the best Food Network Star?
I hope to share my philosophy that food is not just something that provides sustenance but should be made and received with great gusto and heart. Cooking should never be a chore but an outlet for the soul's creativity.
***
Nathan Lyon
Signature recipe: Asian Infused Pork Tenderloin with Melted Onions and Herbed Goat Cheese
Age: 35
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Culinary education: First from mom and grandmother, classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu
Three favorite dishes: Braised short ribs, soft polenta, chard and brown veal pomegranate sauce; seared black sea bass, garlic smashed potatoes, flashed spinach and lemon beurre blanc; a good mushroom risotto
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: Do not use processed salt—it is 2.5 times too salty
Why you’d make the best Food Network Star:
I’m well read, good looking and a great teacher
***
Reggie Southerland
Signature recipe: Pureed Spinach and Sweet Pea Soup with Fresh Mint Cream
Age: 39
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Culinary education: I am self-taught. Culinary influences: Time Life—Good Cook Series, Betty Crocker and Julia Child (of course)
Three favorite dishes: Chicken pot pie; cherry balsamic glazed ribeye with warm green bean and edamame salad; lemon and herb roasted chicken
Cooking tip you'd like to teach others: The faster, easier foolproof pie crust
Why you’d make the best Food Network Star: I work in a small cafe in Los Angeles where I am called upon to do everything: the baking, the grilling, the roasting, breakfasts, sandwich making--I DO IT ALL! This sort of cafe bootcamp has enabled me to think very quickly on my feet. I have to come up with dishes that are simple yet somewhat gourmet and at the same time healthy. As the Next Food Network Star, I can teach viewers how to have great fun while making simple, well prepared food with a sassy sense of style.