It's almost the end of “The Kitchen.”
Food Network announced Monday that its long-running weekend culinary talk show “The Kitchen” is coming to an end. The series finale, co-hosted by network favorites Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee Biegel, Jeff Mauro, Geoffrey Zakarian and recurring guest Alex Guarnaschelli, will air on December 13.
“It's the end of an era,” Biegel said on his Instagram Story sharing the news. “Thank you so much to all of our fans. The Kitchen was the greatest professional honor of my life and I am forever grateful.” Biegel has been one of the show's co-hosts since its premiere in 2014.
Mauro, who has also been on the show since the beginning, echoed her sentiments in his own Instagram post.
“I always knew what we had was special: rare, a unicorn, an anomaly,” Mauro said in a lengthy caption thanking fans and colleagues. “I got to spend a dozen years with my best friends: cooking, laughing, and eating life-changing bites from some of the best chefs and cooks in the world.”
Currently in its 40th season, the daytime Emmy-nominated cooking talk show featured its hosts and guests sharing recipes, discussing food trends and offering other food tips. In addition to celebrated chefs and culinary personalities, “The Kitchen” opened its doors to several actors, musicians and celebrities.
“For more than a decade, Sunny, Katie, Jeff, Geoffrey and, most recently, Alex have engaged audiences with their individual, distinct food sensibilities and sense of humor that, together, make 'The Kitchen' a delicious way to spend an hour,” Warner Bros. Discovery head of food content Betsy Ayala said in a statement.
“Everyone knows that all good parties end in 'The Kitchen,' where conversation, laughter and food flow; the best parties probably end a little earlier than some guests would like, but we have twelve years of memories and we wanted to celebrate this team's hard work during one last holiday season.”
Food Network titan Bobby Flay congratulated the show's team on “an iconic run” in the comments on the Food Network's Instagram post sharing the news.
“Thank you to Kitchen and your fabulous chefs and hosts for keeping things moving throughout the day. [Food Network] over the last decade,” Flay wrote.
Other Food Network stars also weighed in with tributes in the comments in response to the announcement.
“I loved this show because it reminded me why I fell in love with cooking in the first place,” wrote Aarti Sequeira, winner of the sixth season of “The Next Food Network Star,” “many voices and hands working together in a kitchen with equal portions of love and sass!!!!”
“[C]Congratulations on an incredible show, one of my favorites to watch and be a part of,” wrote “Chopped” judge Marc Murphy. “You are all legends.”
“Chopped” judge Tiffani Faison also congratulated the show’s staff for “a career worthy only of this team.”
