Jamika Pessoa Archives

Food Network debuts ‘Raid the Fridge,’ hosted by Dan Ahdoot

November 16, 2021

Dan Ahdoot in “Raid The Fridge” (Photo courtesy of Food Network)

The following is a press release from Food Network:

Chefs must use their instincts and test their luck in choosing mystery refrigerators based only on the photos, magnets, recipes and art on their doors in the new fast-paced competition series Raid the Fridge, hosted by food writer and restaurateur Dan Ahdoot. In each episode, four competitors can use only the ingredients from their chosen mystery fridge to create top-notch dishes. But looks can be deceiving, so there is always an element of surprise – sometimes a refrigerator that appears to belong to an avid home cook is filled with takeout, while a crayon art decorated fridge seemingly owned by a family with toddlers could contain high-end gourmet items. Over the course of three rounds, each with a new cooking challenge and a whole new batch of fridges to raid, chefs must impress judges Jordan Andino and Jamika Pessoa with dishes worthy of the grand prize: a fridge full of cash. Raid the Fridge premieres December 28, 2021 at 10pm ET/PT on Food Network.

“Our audience will have so much fun playing along with Raid the Fridge, guessing what’s in each fridge, and deciding which one they would choose makes this show an interactive experience,” said Courtney White, President, Food Network and Streaming Food Content, Discovery Inc. “They may even be inspired by the creativity of these chefs to experiment with what’s in their own refrigerator.”

Dan Ahdoot, a regular on Cobra Kai, is passionate about the culture of food. He is a restaurateur, creator, comedian and host of the popular food podcast Green Eggs and Dan and recently signed a book deal with Crown Publishing for a comedic food memoir entitled Undercooked.

Fans can check out Food Network’s social pages for a sneak-peek look inside the fridges every week, and join Dan, Jamika and Jordan on set as they reveal what’s in their refrigerators at home.

Raid the Fridge is produced by Critical Content.

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FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers’ best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring, empowering and entertaining through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to nearly 100 million U.S. households and draws over 46 million unique web users monthly. Since launching in 2009, Food Network Magazine’s rate base has grown 13 times and is the No. 2 best-selling monthly magazine on the newsstand, with 13.5 million readers. Food Network is owned by Discovery, Inc., a global leader in real life entertainment serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world and spanning 220 countries and territories; the portfolio also includes direct-to-consumer streaming services such as discovery+ and Food Network Kitchen, along with premium brands Discovery Channel, HGTV, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, and the multi-platform JV with Chip and Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Network as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport.

Food Network debuts ‘Let’s Eat’ starring Brandi Milloy, Stuart O’Keeffe and Jamika Pessoa

July 26, 2018

Stuart O'Keefe, Jamika Pessoa and Brandi Milloy — Stuart O’Keefe, Jamika Pessoa and Brandi Milloy (Photo by Jason DeCrow)

The following is a press release from Food Network:

From flavorful dishes, to popular restaurant trends, and to the latest food fads captivating social media, Brandi Milloy, Stuart O’Keeffe, and Jamika Pessoa are breaking it all down on new daytime series “Let’s Eat,” premiering on Sunday, August 12th at 11am PT/ET. The trio of food-passionate hosts will be joined by special culinary guests, as well as experts from Food Network Kitchen, as they explore everything that is current in the culinary world, and share tips, tricks, and mouthwatering recipes to make your time in the kitchen a breeze.

“With Brandi, Stuart and Jamika at the helm, ‘Let’s Eat’ celebrates all the hottest food crazes in an entertaining and educational half-hour of non-stop fun,” said Courtney White, General Manager and Executive Vice President, Programming, Food Network and HGTV. “Their innovative cooking hacks will help viewers recreate that wow factor to stun family and friends in their own homes.”

Food is front and center in each of the half-hour episodes, and every dish is unapologetically delicious. From comforting chicken pot pie with tater tot crust, to decadent bacon, cheddar, jalapeno stuffed hush puppies, and to chocolate mousse in cookie bowls, there is something to satisfy every type of salty, savory and sweet craving. Throughout the season, Brandi, Stuart and Jamika teach innovative cooking techniques to make preparing any meal quick and easy. Plus, they head out of the kitchen to top restaurants discovering the secrets behind their most popular dishes that have gone viral. Come along as they turn food fails upside down, create edible illusions, and mashup your favorite dishes.

Growing up in a military family that moved often fueled Brandi Milloy’s love of food, people, culture and travel. Widely known as a food and lifestyle expert, fans have come to rely on her popular blog for easy pantry staple meals and crowd-pleasing recipes. She is best known for the YouTube series “POPSUGAR Food: Eat the Trend” and “Get the Dish with Brandi Milloy.” Brandi is no stranger to television, and brings her expertise to the Today Show as a regular contributor. She has also appeared on Cooking Channel’s “Eat. This. Now.” and Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games,” “Food Network Star” and “Chopped Junior.”

Stuart O’Keeffe is an accomplished celebrity and professional chef, known for his hearty but healthy meals. Growing up in Ireland, he first explored his passion for food while cooking alongside his mother. After graduating from high school, he attended culinary school at the Dublin Institute of Technology. In 2016 Stuart released his first cookbook, “The Quick Six Fix,” which offers no-fuss recipes that are full of flavor. He has also starred on Irish television in “Stuart’s Kitchen,” and on Food Network’s “Private Chefs of Beverly Hills,” as a judge on “Chopped,” and as a featured chef on OWN’s Home Made Simple.

Jamika Pessoa is a chef and caterer to the stars, known for bold twists on traditional dishes, especially those of her Southern and Caribbean heritages. Audiences first met Jamika on Food Network Star where they came to know her innovative style, sassy personality, and inspiring tenacity in the kitchen.Since then she has been featured on Cooking Channel’s “Donut Showdown, Unique Sweets.” Jamika is also a recurring judge on Food Network’s upcoming series “Ultimate Summer Cook-Off.”

On Food Network’s Facebook and Instagram fans can meet the hosts in a series of insider clips, and get their takes on the latest trending food debates. Also, they can learn even more cooking tips and food hacks, watch over-the-top dishes come to life, and use #LetsEat to share their own tricks in the kitchen. Plus, for all the full recipes featured on the show visit FoodNetwork.com/LetsEat.

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Food Network debuts ‘Ultimate Summer Cook-Off’ with host Eddie Jackson

June 27, 2018

Host Eddie Jackson in "Ultimate Summer Cook-Off" — Host Eddie Jackson in “Ultimate Summer Cook-Off” (Photo courtesy of Food Network)

The following is a press release from Food Network:

Six talented chefs enter the summer house to square off in the new primetime culinary series, Ultimate Summer Cook-Off, premiering Sunday, August 5 at 8pm ET/PT on Food Network. Whether it’s a chef with a restaurant right on the beach, a seafood master, or a chef from Hawaii, each competitor has their own connection to the summer season and their culinary reputations at stake. Host Eddie Jackson challenges the chefs over four episodes, as each competitor must take on two rounds of summer culinary heats that test their skill and creativity. The chef who wins the first challenge in each episode will receive a key advantage during round two, gaining access to a special cooler with high-end ingredients that no other competitor can use, before presenting their creations to a panel of expert judges. Southern and Hungry’s Damaris Phillips and Let’s Eat’s Jamika Pessoa are joined by a roster of special guest judges each week, including Comfort Food Tour’s Mark Anderson and Ryan Fey, BBQ blogger Susie Bulloch, Comfort Nation’s Lazarus Lynch, Genius Kitchen’s Courtney Rada and pitmaster Cameron Treu, to determine which chef exemplifies what summer is all about with their dishes and earns the $25,000 grand prize.

“Summer is synonymous with spending time with family and friends, while gathering around the grill to dig in to some finger-licking BBQ,” said Courtney White, General Manager and Executive Vice President, Programming, Food Network and HGTV. “Eddie Jackson is the perfect host to challenge these six chefs in taking their culinary bona fides and placing them on the line, while creating summer dishes that are fun and exhilarating for a chance at walking away with $25,000.”

In the premiere episode, host Eddie Jackson presents the chefs with the first challenge: they will have 30 minutes to whip up their best backyard burger, with each chef randomly choosing a cooler with ingredients to use in their dish. Judges Damaris Phillips and Jamika Pessoa are joined by Mark Anderson and Ryan Fey to choose the best backyard burger, with the winner receiving a key advantage in the next round. In round two, the chefs make the quintessential American summer dish – hot dogs! The chefs have 60 minutes to create one fully loaded hot dog and one fully unexpected hot dog. In the end, one chef is sent home for the summer, while the rest continue in pursuit of the grand prize. Other challenges during the season include creating an entire summer dinner with a travel destination theme and having 30 minutes to prepare an outrageous six-foot-long lobster roll, all culminating with the last three chefs battling it out in the finale on Sunday, August 26 at 8pm ET/PT, to determine who wins Food Network’s Ultimate Summer Cook-Off and $25,000!Get to know the summer cook-off challengers and see photos and highlights of their dishes at FoodNetwork.com/SummerCookOff. To enjoy the ultimate summer culinary experience, share your favorite summer dishes using #SummerCookOff.

Premiering Sunday, August 5 at 8pm – “All-American Party”

Eddie Jackson welcomes six spectacular chefs to the summer house for the ultimate all-American showdown. First up, the chefs have 30 minutes to whip up their best backyard burger and each chef must randomly choose a cooler with an ingredient to use in their dish. Judges Damaris Phillips and Jamika Pessoa are joined by Mark Anderson and Ryan Fey to choose the best backyard burger, and the winner receives a key advantage in the next round. In round two, the chefs make another quintessential American summer food — hot dogs! They have 60 minutes to create one fully loaded hot dog and one fully unexpected hot dog. In the end, the judges will send one chef home for the summer, while the rest continue on in pursuit of the $25,000 grand prize.

Premiering Sunday, August 12 at 8pm – “Seafood Spectacular”

Eddie Jackson reveals the theme to the five remaining chefs: seafood! For their first challenge, the chefs have 30 minutes to prepare an outrageous six-foot-long lobster roll. Judges Damaris Phillips and Jamika Pessoa are joined by Lazarus Lynch to choose their favorite lobster roll, and the winning chef gets access to the special cooler in the second heat. Next up, Eddie challenges the chefs to present the judges with a 60-minute seafood feast. At the end of the round, the judges send one chef packing, while the final four move one step closer to $25,000.

Premiering Sunday, August 19 at 8pm – “Summer Vacation”

The four remaining chefs return to the summer house, and Eddie Jackson sets up the theme: summer vacation! For the first challenge, the chefs have 30 minutes to take one tropical fruit and serve it two ways, but no two chefs can use the same fruit. Judges Damaris Phillips and Jamika Pessoa are joined by Genius Kitchen‘s Courtney Rada to pick which chef used their tropical fruit the best. The winning chef gains access to the special ingredient cooler in the second heat, where they’ll have 60 minutes to prepare an entire summer dinner with a popular travel destination theme. One chef’s summer vacation ends, and the last three chefs move on to the finale and a chance to win $25,000.

Premiering Sunday, August 26 at 8pm – “Ultimate Summer Party” – SEASON FINALE!

Eddie Jackson greets the last three chefs for the big finale and tells them that they’ll be preparing the ultimate summer party. In their first challenge, the chefs have 30 minutes to create three kabobs with summer party themes and one chef will get skewered early by judges Damaris Phillips and Jamika Pessoa, who are joined by barbecue experts Susie Bulloch and Cameron Treu. In the second and final heat, the two remaining chefs have 60 minutes to create an elevated dinner and dessert for the ultimate summer dinner party, but the only heat source they can use is the grill. In the end, one chef wins the Ultimate Summer Cook-Off and $25,000!

Online, meet the summer cookoff challengers and see photo highlights of the competition. Share your favorite summer dishes using #SummerCookOff.

FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers’ best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring, empowering and entertaining through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to nearly 100 million U.S. households and draws over 46 million unique web users monthly. Since launching in 2009, Food Network Magazine’s rate base has grown 13 times and is the No. 2 best-selling monthly magazine on the newsstand, with 13.5 million readers. Food Network is owned by Discovery, Inc., a global leader in real life entertainment whose portfolio also includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, TLC, Investigation Discovery, and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.