Remembering 12 Food Network Stars We Sadly Lost

The first Food Network show aired in 1993. At this time, no one thought the network would survive very long as the demand for food media was only in its infancy at this time. It was Emeril Lagasse's third show, "Emeril Live," which first aired in 1997, that kick-started the network. This show cemented food media's place on cable television. It also created one of the formats that Food Network still follows today, where shows are built around a celebrity chef.

Today, Food Network has developed another successful format: culinary competitions. Many current Food Network stars have risen from obscurity, cut their teeth, and won legions of fans in the stressful kitchens of shows like "Chopped."

Thanks to these two formats, there have been numerous Food Network stars over the years. Unfortunately, not all of Food Network's stars have made it to the present day. Old age, illness, and violence have spelled the end for some of the network's most adored stars. While these individuals are sorely missed, we can all take comfort in the fact that each Food Network star leaves behind a body of work that is comforting yet informative and entertaining yet personal. As legacies go, you couldn't ask for much more than that.

Fatima Ali first caught the public's attention in 2012 when she won one episode of Food Network's most prestigious competition shows: "Chopped." During this competition, Ali also gained a legion of fans inspired by her exceptional cooking skills, personal story, and charisma.

Ali's culinary journey began years before she featured on TV when she moved from Pakistan to attend the Culinary Institute of America at the age of 18. After graduating, Ali held senior roles in several professional kitchens. After she appeared in "Chopped," Ali also competed in Season 15 of Bravo's "Top Chef." Although she did not win "Top Chef," Ali was voted the season's "fan favorite."

Towards the end of 2017, Ali was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a type of cancer that affects bones and the soft tissue around them. She had surgery in early 2018 and was initially deemed cancer-free. Unfortunately, the cancer returned, and by the fall of 2018, Ali had been given one year to live.

Ali passed away in January 2019 at the age of 29. An essay she wrote for Bon Appétit about her response to the terminal diagnosis won a posthumous James Beard award, as did her book, "Savor, A Chef's Hunger for More."

Clarissa Dickson Wright burst onto British screens in 1996 by featuring in a food program titled "Two Fat Ladies." The premise of the show was simple: Wright and fellow gourmand Jennifer Paterson would travel the length and breadth of Britain exploring, cooking, and enjoying a range of food. Wright and Paterson were hugely entertaining due to their whimsical, eccentric, and deeply humorous approach to all things food. The program, which proved a hit in Britain, was broadcast in the U.S. by Food Network in 1997.

Before she was a TV personality, Wright was a lawyer and cookbook shop owner. Her former career failed due to a battle with alcoholism, a habit she kicked on her 40th birthday. The bookshops — her first in London, the second in Edinburgh — had mixed success. Nonetheless, Wright developed a reputation as one of Britain's foremost food personalities of the time thanks to her knowledge and wit.

Sadly, "Two Fat Ladies" only aired for four seasons, as Paterson passed away in 1999. Wright went on to do more television, but nothing was as successful as "Two Fat Ladies." In March 2014, at the age of 66, Wright died after a short and undisclosed illness.

Floyd Cardoz was born and raised in India, received his formal culinary education in Switzerland, and built an impressive career in the United States. His entire culinary career was constructed around a style called Indian-American fine dining. Tabla, a restaurant Cardoz opened alongside Danny Meyer in 1998, was the place where Cardoz championed his style. Positive reviews came in abundance; Ruth Reichl of The New York Times called the food "powerful, original and unexpected."

The success of Tabla did not prevent Cardoz from pursuing an adjacent career in food media. Over the years, Cardoz appeared in numerous Food Network shows, including "Chef du Jour." He was also a judge on "Worst Cooks in America." Cardoz was even featured in an episode of "Iron Chef America" where he took on Bobby Flay. However, the biggest moment of Cardoz's TV career came when he won Bravo's "Top Chef Masters" in 2011. Over nine weeks, Cardoz beat out more than 10 other competitors to claim the crown.

Cardoz's impact as a chef was immense. Through his cooking, he transformed America's notion of what Indian food was and could be. Unfortunately, his life was one of many cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. He contracted the virus at the beginning of 2020 and passed away in March of that year at the age of 59.

Before "Two Fat Ladies" was created, co-host Jennifer Paterson had an eclectic career that encompassed roles at The Theatre Royal and Padworth girls' boarding school. She broke into the food media world in 1978 when she became resident chef at The Spectator, a weekly magazine. After taking on the role, she began writing for the magazine. A cookbook followed.

In episodes of "Two Fat Ladies," Paterson was known for voicing her opinions on British cuisine. She favored rich ingredients, specifically cream, and butter; Paterson did not approve of vegetarianism. Her opinions and how they were delivered made her a hit both at home in Britain and in the U.S. Today, the show is also celebrated for the message of body positivity it spread.

Paterson died in 1999 from lung cancer. She was 71 years old. Despite airing over 25 years ago, "Two Fat Ladies" was still syndicated to the Food Network as of April 2022. This is a fact Paterson would surely be proud of.

After graduating from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, Carl Ruiz cut his teeth in a variety of restaurants. Much of his cooking celebrated his Cuban heritage. Although it was an Italian-American deli-style restaurant, Marie's Italian Specialties, that helped launch his TV career.

Ruiz opened Marie's Italian Specialties with his wife in 2011. Two years later, everything changed for Ruiz when Marie's Italian Specialties was featured in Guy Fieri's hit Food Network show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." Fieri and the Food Network team saw something in Ruiz; he was soon invited to be a guest judge on two further Fieri shows: "Guy's Grocery Games" and "Guy's Ranch Kitchen."

Such a prolific TV career did not dampen Ruiz's enthusiasm for restaurant work. In June 2019, he opened La Cubana. Regretfully, Ruiz never got to maximize the potential of the restaurant; he died in his sleep of a heart condition in September of that year. He was 44 years old.

Anthony Bourdain was the man who drew back the curtain of hospitality and showed Americans what life in a kitchen was really like. This was first made apparent in a bombastic article he wrote for The New Yorker in 1999, titled "Don't Eat Before Reading This." His first non-fiction book, "Kitchen Confidential" was released in May of the following year and immediately caught the attention of audiences around the world.

The effect that "Kitchen Confidential" had on Bourdain's life was immense. He quit his full-time job as executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles to begin work on "A Cook's Tour," a second non-fiction book that focused on themes of food and travel. Food Network and Bourdain agreed to shoot a TV program of the same name. The crew followed Bourdain around the world, filming as he feasted on delicacies, met locals, and learned about the area's culture.

"A Cook's Tour" kick-started Bourdain's career in TV. It was an opportunity he grabbed with both hands; Bourdain went on to feature in and produce numerous award-winning food-related TV programs. Nearly all his shows were defined by direct narration, an on-the-ground shooting style, and a sensitive approach to people and food.

Bourdain was staying in Alsace, shooting for an upcoming series of "Parts Unknown" in 2018, when he died by suicide. He was 61 years old.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

Judson Todd Allen used his own weight loss journey to inspire and inform others about healthy lifestyles. Allen lost 160 pounds by following a diet he coined The Spice Diet. This diet aimed to replace excess salt, sugar, and processed foods with highly spiced foods, ensuring people could eat healthier without suffering from a lack of flavor.

Allen brought this culinary message to wider America when he took part in Season 8 of "The Next Food Network Star." Just appearing on the show was a huge success for Allen; he had auditioned four times before he was given a chance.

Although Allen didn't win, the appearance did nothing but benefit his career. He was named the head chef at Taste 222 in 2017, and his cookbook "The Spice Diet" was released in the following year. Allen also became a personal chef to TV personalities like Steve Harvey.

A flourishing career was cut short when Allen suffered a heart attack in May 2018. It came as a great shock to everybody, especially as Allen was only 36 years old.

Cristie Schoen Codd was also a competitor on Season 8 of "The Next Food Network Star," featuring alongside Judson Todd Allen on Alton Brown's team. Unfortunately for Schoen Codd, she was the first person eliminated from the show after judges disliked her dishes of a black eyed-pea and cabbage soup and an American take on Scotch egg.

This early exit did not stop Schoen Codd from pursuing a career in cooking; Schoen Codd ran a catering company called Tree Hugger Catering and even worked on-site for "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes." This job complemented the few modest roles she had as an actor.

Schoen Codd married her husband, Joseph "JT" Codd, in 2014. In March of the following year, the couple was killed by a contractor called Robert Jason Owens, who ran them over with his car. In his statement, Owens claimed the murders were accidental. Schoen Codd was five months pregnant at the time.

Anthony Sedlak was involved in gastronomy from the age of 13 when he got a job as a bus boy at a North Vancouver cafe. He soon supplemented this experience by taking part in a four-year apprenticeship, which taught him everything he needed to know to be a successful chef. Sedlak wasted no time putting these skills into practice, landing a job at London's Michelin-starred La Trompette.

Later, Sedlak represented his country at the World Junior Chef Challenge in New Zealand. He won the silver medal — an impressive feat for someone in their early twenties. Sedlak then entered and won the second iteration of Food Network Canada's "Superstar Chef Challenge." Sedlak was rewarded with his own show on Food Network Canada titled "The Main."

"The Main" had a simple premise; in each episode, Sedlak would take one ingredient and build a main course around it. The series ran for two seasons and a total of 52 episodes. Like many Food Network stars, Sedlak's talents were not limited to one show. He was a judge on Food Network's "Family Cook Off" and starred in an episode of Food Network's "You Gotta Eat Here!" Sedlak was also involved in the running of restaurants, namely American Cheesesteak Co., a venture he opened in 2011.

On July 5, 2012, Sedlak was found unresponsive at his apartment. He died by suicide.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

Born in Australia, Kerry Vincent did not expect to become a darling of American food media. In fact, she moved to Tulsa in 1983 with her husband, Doug, to retire quietly. Instead of retirement, she set up a burgeoning wedding cake business that grew rapidly through word of mouth. During this time, Vincent influenced America's wedding cake sector immensely by hosting classes. Her biggest influence, however, came through the successful introduction of fondant to the U.S. Up until this point, the nation's cake makers had preferred buttercream.

Vincent's Food Network career began in 2006 when she was named a judge on the "Food Network Challenge." Vincent remained on the show for six years. In 2011, Vincent also became a judge on the only season of Food Network's "Last Cake Standing." She also hosted "Save My Bakery." Over her years as a judge and TV personality, Vincent developed a reputation for being a hard nut to crack. She consistently asked more of competitors and was always pushing them to greater heights. Those who failed to meet the mark were often criticized.

That said, Vincent was a loved and respected member of the baking community. This was thanks to her setting up the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show, a cake event that involved numerous competitions. The show ran for 25 years and was the highlight of many bakers' calendars. Vincent announced the termination of the Sugar Art Show in 2018. She died three years later from an undisclosed illness.

Jessica Vogel was a New Jerseyan who gained her culinary training in Denver. After graduating from culinary school, Vogel worked in a variety of restaurants, including Kevin's Thyme and Picnic on the Square.

Vogel was first introduced to the American public when she starred in Season 12 of "Hell's Kitchen." Working under the stern gaze of chef Gordon Ramsay, Vogel battled through several episodes but was ultimately eliminated.

In 2016, Vogel made an appearance on an episode of Food Network's "Cutthroat Kitchen" titled "Chocotage XXL." That same year, Vogel started a job as executive chef at Black Rebel Burger in her native New Jersey.

Unfortunately, 2017 saw Vogel's health take a turn for the worse. NorthJersey.com claims that, in a now-deleted post written by Vogel, she claimed she had cirrhosis. In 2018, she was taken to hospital for treatment of her bowel disease. During the treatment, Vogel's heart stopped, and she passed away.

As with several chefs on this list, Kerry Simon received his formal training at the Culinary Institute of America. This stellar education led him into the kitchens of New York's fine dining establishments. He boasted stints at two exceptional restaurants: La Côte Basque and Lutèce. In 1988, Simon became executive chef of Prime Steakhouse, which was located in the newly opened Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. This began a long love affair between Simon and Sin City; he would go on to work in many restaurants there, including his own, Simon Kitchen and Bar.

Throughout his career, Simon became known for rubbing shoulders with celebrities. This trend began in 1989 when Ivana Trump hired Simon to work at the Plaza Hotel. However, most celebrities he met were on the rock circuit, where he worked as a chef to bands, including Led Zeppelin. He also served David Bowie. Such high-profile customers earned him the title of "rock and roll chef" from Rolling Stone.

Simon appeared on iterations of Food Network's "Iron Chef" twice. In 2001, he challenged Todd English on "Iron Chef USA" and lost. Four years later, Simon avenged this loss by beating Cat Cora in Season 2 of "Iron Chef America." His winning dish was an exceptional hamburger. He also appeared as a judge on the show.

In 2013, Simon was diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy. Two years later, he passed away at the age of 60.