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Anne Burrell, the Food Network chef found dead in her Brooklyn, home June 17 at age 55, was a TV star almost from the moment she first appeared as a sous chef on one of the first episodes of Iron Chef America in 2004, assisting Mario Batali. Her spiky hair and kitchen intensity fascinated viewers so much that she was eventually given her own cooking show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. When I interviewed her for my 2013 book From Scratch: Inside the Food Network, Burrell told me about her difficult upbringing, and her childhood fantasy that Julia Child was her friend. She spoke of a family member who struggled with drinking. Restaurant work often attracts people looking for surrogate families. I remember her in better times at karaoke singing “Country roads/ take me home…” You could not look away. She gave everything her all, including, as you’ll see below in this excerpt adapted from my book,...

On Thursday April 10 2025, E! broadcasts Top Chef!

Set Sail Season 21 Episode 13 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “Top Chef,” titled “Set Sail,” promises to be an exciting adventure for the final four chefs. Airing soon on E!, this episode challenges the contestants to create unique dishes that highlight two key ingredients: fish and cheese. With the pressure on, the chefs will need to impress the show’s esteemed judges, including Kristen, Tom, and Gail, along with special guest judge Helmi Smeulders.

As the competition heats up, the chefs will showcase their culinary skills and creativity. Each dish must not only taste fantastic but also present a perfect balance between the flavors of fish and cheese. The judges will be looking for innovation and execution, making this challenge one of the toughest yet.

After the intense cooking challenge, the chefs will embark on a special journey aboard Holland America Line’s Eurodam.

The Roku Channel has announced that Morimoto’s Sushi Master will return for its second season on Friday, April 25. The trailer and key art for the second season are now available.

Chef Masaharu Morimoto tests the skills of eight expert sushi chefs alongside fellow judge Chef Phillip Frankland Lee and host Lyrica Okano. Each week, the chefs will face challenges that test their fundamental sushi skills, creativity, and out-of-the-box thinking.

They’ll present artfully inspired creations, including exquisite sushi platters, bento boxes, an omakase service, and more, hoping to evade elimination. One chef will win a cash prize and the title of Morimoto’s Sushi Master.

Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel is the home of free ad-supported streaming television on Roku and features a diverse lineup of more than 80,000 on-demand movies and programs, more than 500 live linear television channels, and premium subscription offerings in the U.S.

The Roku Channel licenses and...

The Tournament of Champions has made history. It’s worth celebrating that, as Season 6 began on March 2, a woman has won every season previously, and the runners-up have also been women.

Brooke Williamson was the first Tournament of Champions winner in 2020, and she was the runner-up in Seasons 2 and 3.

She was precisely the type of chef Guy Fieri wanted for this competition initially because, outside of Top Chef, she wasn’t well-known. This competition took her places.

(Anders Krusberg/ Food Network)

For those who don’t know, the show matches up all kinds of culinary chefs, who cook with ingredients and equipment from the “randomizer.”

They present their food in blind judging, where only a culinary expert can present their dish. This ensures there is no bias, which may have aided the female chefs in winning.

We recently chatted with Williamson about all things Toc, including cooking with the randomizer,...

Fifth Season and Roku are extending their international unscripted pact.

The pair have agreed a deal that will see Fifth Season selling Roku originals in Latin American and Canadian distribution rights. Fifth Season has also picked up rights to new seasons of Roku shows.

Corus becomes the first Canadian network to benefit, acquiring unnamed shows from the Roku library.

When they first struck the unscripted distribution pact in November last year, the U.S., Canada and Latin America were excluded. Programs included at that time were, among others, Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis’ Honest Renovations, survivalist competition Fight to Survive, Morimoto’s Sushi Master, the Sofia Vergara-exec produced Celebrity Family Food Battle, Jay Brewer’s Reptile Royalty and The Cupcake Guys, which features football stars turned bakers Brian “Rak” Orakpo and Michael “Griff” Griffin.

Fifth Season will now take on second seasons of Honest Renovations, Morimoto’s Sushi Master,...

Fifth Season has expanded its sales partnership with Roku, taking on Roku’s unscripted originals slate for Latin America and Canada, in addition to the territories Fifth Season already handles.

Highlights of the deal, announced ahead of the international television market Mipcom later this month, include second seasons of Roku’s Honest Renovations featuring Jessica Alba, Morimoto’s Sushi Master, UFO Cowboys, Reptile Royalty, and Meet Me in Rome, a spin-off of the unscripted rom-com Meet Me in Paris from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine. These additions complement such unscripted fare as Fight to Survive, Celebrity Family Food Battle, executive produced by Sofia Vergara, and The Cupcake Guys featuring former NFL stars Brian Orakpo and Michael Griffin.

“Since the start of our partnership with Roku, we’ve had significant interest from buyers internationally in this slate – who are drawn to these elevated and aspirational shows fronted by some of the biggest household names in Hollywood,...

For years, one of the big questions for Naruto's devoted fanbase was who Naruto would wind up with, and it turns out that for series creator Masashi Kishimoto, the question was just as pervasive. Naruto is the kind of story where every character ends up with somebody, and a lot of ink has been spilled ranking its relationships. For its main character, Hinata Hyuga and Sakura Haruno were the two main love interests. Following Naruto Shippuden's climactic ending, Naruto marries Hinata while Sakura marries Sasuke Uchiha.

Not everybody is happy with how things played out. Naruto has always had an open interest in Sakura, while showing little in Hinata. Considering Sasuke's outright villainy during Naruto's second part, for a while, evidence seemed to mount that Sakura might turn away from Sasuke towards Naruto. At the same time, Hinata started doing more to show her affections. But many fans...

At the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2024, we met with the executives of Fortiche , the French animation studio that gave life to the acclaimed show Arcane , set in the League of Legends universe. After presenting their new project — Penelope of Sparta — we met Pascal Charrue, co-founder of Fortiche, to discuss their anime inspirations and learn more about the studio. From the “shorter” music videos to a longer format of a series, how did you all manage to scale up your production? Pascal Charrue: Fortiche Studio has gone through several transformative phases in its development. Our founders — Pascal Charrue, Jérôme Combe, and Arnaud Delord — each brought diverse yet complementary expertise to the table. Initially, we focused on producing advertisements, music videos, and various gaming cinematics. A significant milestone was our contribution to the Gorillaz music video, which showcased our ability to meet international creative standards. Our turning point came when Christian Linke,...

Roku is getting further into the food TV space, picking up a new series called Best Bite Wins.

The food competition series will be hosted and executive produced by actor Josh Peck, with chef Monti Carlo serving as the show’s culinary expert. The six-episode series is produced by Velvet Hammer Media and Bongo Pictures.

The concept of Best Bite Wins is to turn cocktail party food into a competition, with professional chefs competing to present the best party food to hungry judges and clientele at real events, including birthday parties and retirement celebrations.

“We thrilled to partner with Josh Peck, Velvet Hammer Media, and [EP] Michael Bloom to bring a fresh and fun new competition series for our audience to devour,” said Olivia Laroche, head of alternative originals for Roku. “Food content deeply resonates with our streamers, and we’re pleased to give them more of what they love and...

A year ago, Sen Morimoto was on the cusp of quitting music altogether. Instead, the Chicago-based, Japan-born multi-instrumentalist and producer channeled his disillusionment with the music industry and society at large into a new album, Diagnosis. He released it this fall on the quietly influential indie label he co-owns, Sooper Records, using his own blend of jazz, rap, neo-soul, and indie rock to rail against the rat race. “A lot of my music in the past is really peaceful, chill beats and thoughts about people and friendships,” Morimoto, 30, says. “And...

Here is a wrap-up of all the news you need to know from Thursday, September 28, 2023.

Netflix has unveiled the official trailer for Big Mouth Season 7, premiering October 20, 2023.

The penultimate season of the Emmy Award-winning Big Mouth follows the now-teenage students of Bridgeton Middle School as they make their way to high school.

Change is the only constant as our characters are faced with a new school, new friends, new adversaries, and new Hormone Monsters.

Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jessi Klein, Jason Mantzoukas, Ayo Edebiri, Maya Rudolph, Fred Armisen, Andrew Rannells, and Jordan Peele are set as series regulars.

The guest cast includes Megan Thee Stallion, Lupita Nyong'o, Stephanie Beatriz, Zazie Beetz, Padma Lakshmi, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Billy Porter, Rosie Perez, Brian Tyree Henry, and Zach Galifianakis. 

The guest cast also includes Randall Park, Chloe Fineman, Beck Bennett, Zach Woods, Mark Duplass, Thandiwe Newton, Paul Scheer, Brandon Kyle Goodman, Jon Daly, and Andy Daly.

Exclusive: There’s more sushi being served at Roku. The streamer has ordered a second season of Morimoto’s Sushi Master.

The series, which is the first-ever competition series focused on the art of sushi-making, will return for six more episodes. It launched in June.

The series comes from Ample Entertainment, which is behind Netflix’s Kangaroo Valley and HBO’s The Invisible Pilot.

It features icon Chef Masaharu Morimoto as head judge and executive producer as he puts chefs to the test as they compete in challenges that not only honor the skill, ingredients, delicacy, and talent needed to perfect the art of sushi-making, but also break the rules along the way.

Lyrica Okano also returns to host alongside Morimoto.

Morimoto’s Sushi Master is exec produced by Ari Mark, Phil Lott, and Kathryn Vaughn.

“We’re proud to continue partnering with our amazing collaborators at Ample Entertainment and the icon himself,...

What happens if a homeless man wins the lottery? Akihiro Takahama self-written short “Mimic” gives an entertaining answer to this fateful outline peppered with ingenious dialogue and wisdom.

Mimic is screening at Skip City International D-Cinema Festival

Morimoto lives in a cardboard box, spending his time at the park with other derelicts and looking for food in trash cans. By chance, a lottery ticket grants him a financial blessing. The first thing he wants to purchase is an apartment. But, with no valid address, he is not able to finalize the deal and Morimoto is forced to join a business that sells a magazine with the ironic title “Life theme – What's your reason to live?” on the street. He gets a new suit, a nice haircut, and finds shelter in a capsule hotel. After some time, his employer sponsors him a flat but Morimoto does not want to become a...

There are two truths to the universe: the sun will eventually burn out, and cooking shows will always be around. We're far removed from the days of talking heads walking you through recipes, with grandiose challenges, reality show shenanigans, and elaborate productions elevating what was one of the most simple concepts for a television show: cooking things in front of a camera. But, seeing as how just about anyone can do that with a device they carry in their pockets, modern audiences need something with a bit more depth to it.

Roku recently threw its hat into the ring with Morimoto's Sushi Master, and you might initially write this series off as another celebrity-endorsed competition. But this cooking series has a few secret ingredients that make it stand out above the competition. With a focus on Japanese cuisine and its brilliant host, Roku may have struck gold with this six-part sushi showdown.

What is it about cooking competition shows that we love? After all, it's not like we can eat the food, or even smell it. It feels like the ultimate kind of window shopping — watching people cook and bake things that we will never enjoy. And yet, there is something suspenseful, charming, educational, and even deeply human about some TV cooking competitions.

While many of them devolve into shouting, overly dramatic music, and manipulative editing, some of them stand out as genuinely great television, such as The Great British Bake-Off and Iron Chef. That latter series, especially in its original Japanese incarnation but also Iron Chef America, is often considered the greatest cooking competition franchise of all time.

Ironically, one of the great original Iron Chefs, Chef Masaharu Morimoto, is now presenting what's arguably the best cooking show of the past decade — Morimoto's Sushi Master, a new Roku Original.

Who Is Sushi Master?...

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From his time on Iron Chef to his best-selling cookbooks, Chef Masaharu Morimoto has never been shy about doling out opinions on everything from rice bowls to roasts. Now, the famous chef is sizing up sushi as the face of a new cooking competition show.

Morimoto’s Sushi Master is a six-episode competition series streaming June 16 on the Roku Channel. The series features eight chefs battling it out...

Roku is expanding its 2023-2024 slate with new series from Charlie Puth, Reese Witherspoon, Zoe Saldana, Juanpa Zurita and more, the streamer announced during its Iab NewFront presentation in NYC Tuesday.

Related: We’ll Be Back: Photo Gallery Of TV Series Renewed In 2023

Roku also announced renewals for popular series including Honest Renovation, hosted and executive produced by Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis, for Season 2. The Great American Baking Show also will return for a second season, and will be accompanied by The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Holiday Special for the second year, with a new lineup of celebrity bakers.

Related: No Kimmel? No Meyers? NewFront & Upfront Presentations Face Adjustments With WGA On Strike

Roku also has greenlighted a second installment of its Meet Me franchise, from Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Cinestar Pictures. Following its first film, Meet Me in Paris, the second installment of the reality rom-com,...