Food Network Announces Annual Hot List 2025

NEW YORK - MARCH 1, 2025 – This morning on the Emmy-nominated daytime series The Kitchen, Food Network announced their 2025 Hot List, an annual look at exciting food personalities and up-and-coming culinary rock stars making their mark in the food content space. Hot Listers Byron Gomez and Nini Nguyen joined the hosts to chat all things Hot List and share some of their best culinary tips and recipes. This year’s list of breakthrough talent includes a connoisseur of “modern cowboy” cuisine, a barbecue expert with a passion for live-fire cooking, and a fine dining chef turned viral content creator. Each Hot Lister brings their own unique creativity and point of view to all of their culinary endeavors from restaurants to cookbooks to social platforms everywhere. 

“Each year the Hot List gives us a chance to celebrate and shine a spotlight on up-and-coming culinary talent making their impact known in the food media world. As the premier destination for food-focused content, it also allows Food Network to introduce these burgeoning stars to our audience and beyond, setting the table for more to come from each of these dynamic personalities,” said Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery. 

This year’s Hot List members include: chef, content creator and Tournament of Champions VI competitor Carlos Anthony, entrepreneur, master of ‘cue and winner of BBQ Brawl Season 5, Erica Barrett, chef at a Michelin-star restaurant and upcoming judge on Chopped Byron Gomez, chef, restaurateur and 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing season one semi-finalist Mika Leon, Top Chef winner Buddha Lo, chef, cookbook author and Tournament of Champions VI competitor Nini Nguyen, food content creator, cookbook author and restaurateur Tue Nguyen, James Beard Award nominee, acclaimed restaurateur and new Bobby’s Triple Threat Titan Ayesha Nurdjaja, private chef and food content creator Olivia Tiedemann and viral culinary social media personality Joshua Weissman.  

Beginning Monday, March 3^rd, one new Hot List star a day will be introduced on Food Network’s social platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Each member of the Hot List will be featured in various social videos, including their very own culinary “Hot Tips”, favorite recipes and exclusive Q&A’s. Fans can follow #FNHotList to meet this year’s group of rising culinary stars.

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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 more than 74 million U.S. households and draws an average of 50 million unique web users monthly with a social footprint of 71 million, while Food Network Magazine reaches 11 million readers. Food Network is part of Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD), a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world’s most differentiated and complete portfolio of content and brands across television, film and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products which also include: Discovery Channel, Max, discovery+, CNN, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HBO Max, HGTV, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Film Group, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Español, Hogar de HGTV and others. For more information, please visit www.wbd.com.