Have you heard of people call cooking the new rock and roll? Well, there is a good reason for that. There is no way you could have missed all the scandal and drama that has taken place among celebrity chefs. The music world does not hold a candle to all the controversy that surrounds this field in this day and age. Food Network was once squeaky clean, but times have changed. It has since put its good name on the line. Grab some popcorn and get ready to look back on the biggest headlines in the culinary world!
Who Would Have Thought That The Food Network Would Have This Much Drama
Bobby Flay Was Sued By His Employees
Restaurateur and Food Network star Bobby Flay joined the ranks of people sued by their employees in 2009. Who would have thought that the Iron Chef star would be in this position? He was always shown to be a good guy, but it turned out that this was not exactly true. The staff at his BOLO, Bar Americain, and Mesa Grill joints said that he had not been treating them very fairly.
Bobby Flay Was Sued By His Employees
He Forked Over $800,000
The employees in the three restaurants claimed that they were “cheated out of wages and tips and [sought] to recover minimum wages, overtime compensation and allegedly misappropriated gratuities.” Even though Bobby Flay denied these allegations, his actions did not seem to match his words. In the end, he decided to settle the matter by shelling out $800,000.
He Forked Over $800,000
Gordon Ramsay Went Too Far
It is no secret that Gordon Ramsay does not hold back when it comes to his thoughts. However, he crossed the line by verbally abusing a broadcaster on stage. The incident in question took place at an event in Melbourne in 2009. The Kitchen Nightmare stars showed the members of the audience an edited photo of a pig’s face that was attached to a woman who was naked and crouching down. “That’s Tracy Grimshaw. I had an interview with her yesterday. Holy crap. She needs to see Simon Cowell’s Botox doctor,” he informed the crowd.
Gordon Ramsay Went Too Far
He Apologized To Her
Tracy Grimshaw did not take it lying down. “I’m not going to sit meekly and let some arrogant narcissist bully me,” she said. Her remarks did not go unnoticed by the Australian Prime Minister. Kevin Rudd even called Gordon Ramsay “a new form of lowlife.” In the end, a spokesman for the celebrity chef issued an apology, which said “With hindsight, he realizes that his comments were inappropriate and offensive.”
He Apologized To Her
Paula Deen Allegedly Refused To Pay Her Employee
Ever since Paula Deen became a Food Network star, bad publicity seems to follow her everywhere. In 2013, an employee called Dora Charles spoke to the New York Times and revealed the difficulties she faced at the hands of the chef. Charles was allegedly instrumental in the creation of Deen’s cooking empire. But problems arose when she did not get the financial compensation that she was promised.
Paula Deen Allegedly Refused To Pay Her Employee
Not Trying To Paint Her As A Bad Person
Dora Charles explained, “It’s just time that everybody knows that Paula Deen don’t treat me the way they think she treat me.” It turned out that Deen only paid her less than $10 per hour. This stayed the same even though the chef called Charles her soul sister. In the end, the employee said, “I’m not trying to portray that she is a bad person. I’m just trying to put my story out there that she didn’t treat me fairly.”
Not Trying To Paint Her As A Bad Person
Anthony Bourdain Offended People With His Words
Alton Brown took offense when the late Anthony Bourdain said that the majority of the stars at Food Network can’t really cook. The Kitchen Confidential star said this during his 2015 “Close to the Bone” tour. “I don’t have to defend my skills against anybody. I’ve got 14 years and 252 episodes of a show called Good Eats that I’m pretty sure I can use as a résumé for my skills,” Brown countered when he spoke to People.
Anthony Bourdain Offended People With His Words
Zero Beef Between Them
That was not all. Brown also brought up a valid point when he said, “When was the last time you saw Anthony Bourdain actually cook anything? I’ve spent 14 years cooking my own food on television, and I’ve never seen him cook a meal.” Despite this, he did admit that the late cook was “the best writer about food.” Bourdain, in return, told the New Yorker that he had “zero beef” with the chef. As a matter of fact, it was said that Brown was a “hero to [Bourdain’s] daughter.”
Zero Beef Between Them
Viewers Called Jamie Oliver Out For His Alleged Hypocrisy
In 2008, people accused Jamie Oliver of hypocrisy after he criticized the sale of chickens that had been grown in “morally wrong conditions.” Aside from that, the Naked Chef star also asked his viewers to stop supporting stores that used factory farming for chickens and eggs. However, people could not take him seriously since he was the face of a retailer that used the same method.
Viewers Called Jamie Oliver Out For His Alleged Hypocrisy
Things Changed For The Better
People were referencing the fact that Jamie Oliver used to be linked to Sainsbury’s. This British supermarket chain said that it was not planning on changing the way its chickens are sourced. However, the company eventually changed its mind once it saw the outrage of animal welfare groups. Jamie Oliver was of the belief that he had been instrumental when it comes to this change of heart.
Things Changed For The Better
Robert Irvine Lied On His Resume
We have all been there. It is not really uncommon to throw in a white lie when you want to make your resume look better. Robert Irvine of Dinner: Impossible fame, however, embellished his a little too much. In 2018, people found out that he said that he worked on the wedding cake of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. This was nothing but a lie! However, there was more to the story.
Robert Irvine Lied On His Resume
Too Good To Be True
Aside from the royal cake lie, he also said that he has helped feed four Presidents of the United States. He also said that he has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth. Once the word got out, the Food Network installed Michael Symon to replace him. He eventually returned and has stayed a fixture ever since.
Too Good To Be True
Paula Deen And Her Diabetes Diagnosis
If you are a fan of Paula Deen, you must know that she likes to add sugar to her dishes. In 2012, it came out that she has Type 2 diabetes. This is not a surprise to most people. Things got more interesting when the New York Times said that the diagnosis came out three years before the announcement!
Paula Deen And Her Diabetes Diagnosis
Not A Good Look For Her
On top of that, it came out that Paula Deen and her sons signed a contract with Novo Nordisk the same year that they announced the diagnosis. The pharmaceutical firm had just created a non-insulin injectable treatment for the condition. People criticized her for her decision to do this. After all, her cooking had always seemed to exacerbate the condition.
Not A Good Look For Her
Employees Sued Graham Elliot For Pooling Tips
Graham Elliot, who was once an Iron Chef contestant, was accused of pooling tips by 14 waiters at his self-named restaurant. One of the former employees, Gregory Curtis, filed a lawsuit against him. It claimed that his employees at the Chicago establishment were required to collect their tips so that it would be distributed evenly among all the staff members.
Employees Sued Graham Elliot For Pooling Tips
Only Certain Positions Should Be Involved
This practice is legal under certain circumstances. Federal law says that it is only acceptable when it comes to employees who normally get tips. Sadly, cooks and food runners do not fall under that category and should not have benefited. In the end, Elliot forked out money to the waiters who thought that they had lost a huge sum of their rightful money this way.
Only Certain Positions Should Be Involved
Employee Discrimination Allegations Against Anne Burrell
Anne Burrell is best known for fronting a bunch of Food Network shows. The list includes Worst Cooks in America and Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. But her first real break happened when she was a sous chef for Mario Batali on Iron Chef America. Based on a lawsuit filed against her in 2009, it looks like her temperament matches his as well.
Employee Discrimination Allegations Against Anne Burrell
She Has Not Publicly Acknowledged It
According to the legal documents, she made derogatory remarks regarding the physical appearance and private lives of her employees at Centro Vinoteca. What made things even worse was the fact that she aimed these comments exclusively at the female staff members. Even though Anne Burrell has not acknowledged the claims in public, she did settle with the people who were affected by this.
She Has Not Publicly Acknowledged It
Ina Garten Snubbed Make-A-Wish On Two Occasions
Most people know Ina Garten to be an eternally comforting and cheerful maternal figure. It always feels like she can solve all of your problems with a calorific and delicious pie. But the Barefoot Contessa might not be as sweet as we thought. She actually snubbed the Make-A-Wish Foundation not once but twice!
Ina Garten Snubbed Make-A-Wish On Two Occasions
Not Just Once But Twice
In 2011, Make-A-Wish got in touch with her to ask if she could meet Enzo Pereda. The six-year-old boy was suffering from leukemia at the time. Back then, she had been busy working on the promotion of her book and turned down the request. She had the opportunity to make up for it the following year but still disappointed the little boy. Sadly, the only time that she relented was after the public outrage. By then, however, Pereda decided that he preferred to swim with dolphins instead of meeting Ina Garten.
Not Just Once But Twice
Geoffrey Zakarian Filed For Bankruptcy
In 2011, Geoffrey Zakarian was declared the winner of Iron Chef: Super Chefs. However, this victory was soured by his bankruptcy declaration. The Food Network star landed in hot water after he was sued by a couple of former employees at his Country joint. In the end, the lawsuit made him fork out $1.25 million in penalties and damages. Ouch.
Geoffrey Zakarian Filed For Bankruptcy
He Did Not Have Enough Money
The details involved Zakarian allegedly tampering with their pay records, docking wages for food that they did not consume, and cutting their overtime pay. However, the Chopped star denied all the allegations that were leveled against him by his former employees. Sadly, he did not have the money to counter the lawsuit. This was the reason he had to instead file for bankruptcy.
He Did Not Have Enough Money
Anthony Bourdain And His Sharp Tongue
We all know that Anthony Bourdain had never been afraid to speak his mind. He seemed to take delight in criticizing the chefs of Food Network! Over the years, he has talked about the likes of Guy Fieri, Rachael Ray, and Sandra Lee in rather unflattering ways. They are barely the tip of the iceberg, in fact.
Anthony Bourdain And His Sharp Tongue
The King Of Sly Digs
There was a time when he offered a compliment to one of the stars of the network but could not resist the temptation to throw in a subtle dig. He admitted that he was a fan of Ina Garten when he talked to Atlanta in 2016. He said, “She’s one of the few people on Food Network who can actually cook.”
The King Of Sly Digs
The Alleged Affair Between Bobby Flay And Giada De Laurentiis
In 2015, people started to talk when Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis both left their own partners around the same time. She filed for divorce from her husband of the time, Todd Thompson. On the other hand, he split up with his third wife, Stephanie. In the past, De Laurentiis had been linked to the likes of Matt Lauer and John Mayer. However, the tabloids believed that it was her Food Network colleague that caused her marriage to fail. Was there any truth to this?
The Alleged Affair Between Bobby Flay And Giada De Laurentiis
She Denied The Rumors
When she appeared on the Bravo show, Giada De Laurentiis denied all the rumors that had been going around about them. She told Andy Cohen, “Well, we’re very good friends. We’ve worked for many years together, but I don’t think [a relationship is] ever going to happen because I’m smarter than that.”
She Denied The Rumors
Guy Fieri Was Accused Of Homophobia And Sexism
Let us just say that Guy Fieri is not really the most politically correct star on the network. For one thing, the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives host has been accused of sexist and homophobic remarks in the past. These instances apparently happened when the cameras were not rolling. A former producer by the name of David Page said that editors needed to work overtime to keep these things in check.
Guy Fieri Was Accused Of Homophobia And Sexism
Always Making A Sexual Reference
In 2011, an insider expounded on this by speaking to City Pages. This person said, “Any time any woman mentioned ‘cream,’ Guy went into a sexual riff. When cutting the show, you had to tell the editors to watch Guy’s eye line, because it’s always on breasts.” David Page was also believed to talk about Fieri when he said, “Almost everyone who becomes a star in television develops an abnormal sense of self.”
Always Making A Sexual Reference
He Knows How To Make A Dramatic Exit
Bobby Flay of Iron Chef Showdown fame has no qualms about making dramatic exits. In 2017, halfway through taping an episode of the show, he took off his apron all of a sudden. It revealed a shirt that came with a surprise message. The piece of clothing read, “This is my last Iron Chef battle ever.” Vanity Fair reported that no one had received a heads up about this little stunt!
He Knows How To Make A Dramatic Exit
Bobby Flay Did It In Jest
Not only that, but he also told People that he did this as a joke. However, he did not return to the show after that. The year after that, he allegedly told Michael Symon, his Food Network colleague, that the relentless schedule of the show made him pull that attention-grabbing statement. It clearly worked.
Bobby Flay Did It In Jest
Mario Batali And The Tipping Scandal
Has there been a more troublesome Food Network star than Mario Batali? We doubt it. In 2010, the chef appeared in headlines for allegations of tip-skimming. A couple of the employees working at his New York restaurants claimed that he took as much as 5 percent of the tips meant for the servers. It was said that he used the money to pad the salaries of the sommeliers at the restaurants.
Mario Batali And The Tipping Scandal
Two Years After That
The class-action suit was resolved after two years. It ended with Batali and the business associates shelling out $5.25 million to pay the other party. There were 117 plaintiffs involved in the legal proceedings. The whole thing was launched by a former waitress called Stephanie Capsolas and a former kitchen runner called Hernan Ricardo Alvarado. They used to work at Babbo.
Two Years After That
Cat Cora And Her DUI Conviction
In 2012, Cat Cora got lucky by avoiding time behind bars after she was convicted of a DUI. She was twice more than the alcohol limit when she crashed into another car in Santa Barbara. The only thing that she received was a suspended prison sentence, a fine, and a three-year probation. Aside from that, she also had to spend nine months attending DUI school.
Cat Cora And Her DUI Conviction
Her Apology To The Public
She issued an apology for this after the verdict was given. In the statement, she said, “I deeply regret my decision to drive that evening after my designated driver became unavailable. I learned a very important lesson from this experience and take full accountability for my actions. This will never happen again.”
Her Apology To The Public
Josh Adam Garcia Lied About His Military Service
If you watched the third season of The Next Food Network, perhaps you also wanted Josh Adam Garcia to win. He went by the moniker JAG and said that he served in Afghanistan during his time in the Marine Corps. However, it turned out that he was not entirely truthful about his military service.
Josh Adam Garcia Lied About His Military Service
The Truth Came Out
“[Garcia] didn’t spend nearly two years in the infantry. He didn’t deploy to any war zone. And while it’s unclear whether he was ever a corporal, what is clear is that the Corps showed him to the door nearly eight months early as a private. Oh yeah, and he never finished culinary school in New York,” said the Army Times.
The Truth Came Out
Giada De Laurentiis Allegedly Has A Double To Eat For Her
If you watch her shows on the network, you might think that Giada De Laurentiis enjoys digging into the dishes that she makes. An insider told Page Six that she rarely eats the food that she cooks in front of the cameras! She allegedly has a double who eats in her place for close-up shots. How crazy is that?
Giada De Laurentiis Allegedly Has A Double To Eat For Her
Spitting Them Out Into A Bucket
There are times when she has been filmed eating the food with her whole face in sight. However, it is said that she does not swallow and simply spits the food into a bucket away from the cameras. Her representative said that these claims were “absurd” but conceded that “she doesn’t eat and swallow every time.” This was a reference to the fact that they sometimes take as many as ten takes for a scene.
Spitting Them Out Into A Bucket
Rachael Ray And Her Dog Food Brand
Aside from her passion for food, Rachael Ray is also known for her love of animals. In 2018, however, people threw her under the bus when she tried the combine these two things. The Food Network star launched Nutrish, her dog food brand, which claimed to use natural ingredients. However, a lawsuit was filed against her when it came to light that this was not true.
Rachael Ray And Her Dog Food Brand
The Rumors Were Debunked
Even though the brand claimed to be natural, people alleged that it came with glyphosate. This was a kind of herbicide typically used in weed killers. It was a good thing that the case was eventually dismissed. Petsmart, the pet retailer, also announced that it was going to stand by the product. Despite this, all the media attention clearly took a toll on the fate of the dog food line.
The Rumors Were Debunked
Marcela Valladolid And Paul Hollywood
Here is another scandal that involved not one but two stars from the Food Network. Marcella Valladolid of Mexican Made Easy fame had been married when she was joined the panel of The American Baking Competition in 2013. This meant that she got to work with Paul Hollywood, who eventually starred in his own Food Network show called Paul Goes to Hollywood. At the time, he was also linked to someone else.
Marcela Valladolid And Paul Hollywood
The Aftermath Of All That
The grapevine claimed that it did not take long before their relationship turned from professional to romantic. Their partners eventually filed for divorce as soon as the word got out. At any rate, Valladolid eventually found love with someone else. Meanwhile, Paul Hollywood eventually got back together with his wife. Sadly, he messed it up once more when he was caught kissing a contestant on a TV show.
The Aftermath Of All That
The Neelys Had Been Faking It
For eleven seasons, Down Home with the Neelys depicted Pat and Gina as if they were in a happy marriage. This explains why everyone had been shocked to hear them announce that they were leading separate lives in 2014. They meant this in both a professional and personal capacity. Who would have thought that their happiness had been nothing more than a lie?
The Neelys Had Been Faking It
The Truth About Their Relationship
In 2018, Gina got the opportunity to talk to People about how she had been thinking of divorce before they got the job. This former bank manager revealed that she found the TV experience to be very successful. Despite everything, it had not been her last stint on the small screen. You see, she appeared on a dating show called To Rome for Love after she and Pat officially split up.
The Truth About Their Relationship
People Accused Jamie Oliver Of Cultural Appropriation
Jamie Oliver got into trouble after he made a Jamaican-inspired dish in 2018. People accused him of cultural appropriation for trying to show off his love of the cuisine by launching something called Punchy Jerk Rice. People were shocked by this move. The ingredients used in it made it clear that he was clueless about Caribbean food. They also doubted its authenticity since he was not Jamaican himself.
People Accused Jamie Oliver Of Cultural Appropriation
They Were Not Happy With His Decision
A British MP decided to give her two thoughts on the matter. Dawn Butler, who was raised in a Jamaican household, called the chef out for cultural theft. Even the chef who allegedly taught him the recipe expressed displeasure. Jamie Oliver tried to defend himself by saying that he just wanted to pay tribute to a cuisine that he loved.
They Were Not Happy With His Decision
Nigella Lawson And Her Drug Use
When it comes to TV chefs, it is hard to think of someone more prim and proper than Nigella Lawson. This was the reason it came as a shock to hear her admit to taking cocaine in the past. The domestic goddess explained, “I have never been a drug addict. I’ve never been a habitual user. There are two times in my life when I have used cocaine.”
Nigella Lawson And Her Drug Use
In Exchange For Their Silence
It is interesting to note that she confessed in court during a case that involved two of her former assistants. The chef accused Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo of stealing an amount in the six figures from her. However, they said that Nigella Lawson granted them permission to bring it home as long as they stayed quiet about her drug use. In the end, the court declared them not guilty.
In Exchange For Their Silence
It Started With Chicken Wings
Ree Drummond got into trouble for an episode of The Pioneer Woman that came out in 2012. But she only got flak for it five years later. During a rerun, people called her out for her culturally insensitive remarks. Can you believe that this all started with chicken wings? FYI, we are not kidding!
It Started With Chicken Wings
Calls For Better Asian Representation
There was one scene in which she dished out spicy Asian wings to her family. Everyone turns their nose at the food, so she bounces back by saying, “I’m just kidding, guys! I wouldn’t do that to you!” After that line, she serves them American wings instead. As you can imagine, this did not make viewers happy. The public also asked the Food Network to come up with a better way to represent Asian food.
Calls For Better Asian Representation