The Next Food Network Star: Season 4 Finalists Dish On New Season

This Sunday, The Food Network will air the season 2 premiere of its popular competition, The Next Food Network Star. Bobby Flay will return as host with several well known guest judges dropping in to help decide who will go home each week. This season features 12 finalists, vying for their very own cooking show. As season 4 rapidly approaches, the finalists have been out in full force promoting the show to the media. The contestants opened up about everything from how they landed a spot on the show to what's in their fridge.

Jeffrey Vaden owns his own restaurant in Peekskill, NY and heard about the auditions for The Next Food Network Star through a customer of his. "On my demo tape, I made a rolled French omelet and I did a spinach salad with grilled chicken breast," said Vaden in an interview. "I had a great time doing it. It is easy for me to cook and talk at the same time – I'm always talking anyway."

Kelsey Nixon is a recent grad of Brighan Young University in Utah. While she was a student there, she hosted her own cooking show. However, joining the cast of The Next Food Network Star was a lot of pressure on this aspiring television personality. "Going into the show, I was most concerned about my lack of [kitchen] experience," she said in a recent interview. "I had only graduated from culinary school a few weeks before and I've never worked in a commercial kitchen."

Season 4 contestant Kevin Roberts has already published a cookbook of his own. In his interview, he dished on what viewers can find in his own house. “The 3 things always in my fridge are Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, soy milk and fresh Parmesan cheese,” he said. As for what he craves after a long day of hard work, he answered, “Mac & Cheese, but with a real good cheese and real macaroni. Not that white trash boxed version.”

Most people associate Cory Kahaney as a stand up comedian. She appeared on Last Comic Standing and has been in the business for years. What people might not know about her is that she’s also a talented cook. "People were always saying I should get on a cooking show," she told the New York Daily News. "The audition tape is what's important if you want to get on this particular show. They really want to see if you can walk and chew gum at the same time – and cook!"

- Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Source: The Salt Lake Tribune, Well Fed Network, New York Daily News