 |
Melissa d'Arabian | |
|---|---|
 d'Arabian in 2015 | |
| Born | Melissa Donovan Tucson, Arizona, U.S. [1] |
| Spouse | Philippe d'Arabian |
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | American French Low calorie |
Television show(s)
| |
Melissa Donovan d'Arabian is an American cookbook author and television show host. She won the fifth season of Food Network Star in 2009. Following her victory, she went on to host Ten Dollar Dinners on Food Network. [3]
Born in Anaheim, California, d'Arabian moved throughout her childhood to Tucson, Arizona; San Diego, California; and Bethesda, Maryland. [4] During this time, d'Arabian attended several private Christian schools. [5] d'Arabian's parents divorced when she was a few months old, and she and her sister were raised solely by her mother. [6] Because her single mother was paying her way through medical school, Melissa discovered her passion for cooking and developed her budget strategies very young. In an interview with Food Network, she said, "That's where I learned about cooking as a way of showing people that you care about them." [7] After high school at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Maryland, d'Arabian attended the University of Vermont, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Political Science. d'Arabian joined Alpha Chi Omega. After a period working on cruise ships as part of the entertainment staff, d'Arabian studied at Georgetown University, earning her MBA. [8]
After winning Food Network Star, d'Arabian launched her show, Ten Dollar Dinners in 2010. The show focused on affordable meals that cost ten dollars or less to make. The show ran for three seasons. [3] In 2012, she published her first cookbook, Ten Dollar Dinners: 140 Recipes and Tips to Elevate Simple, Fresh Meals Any Night of the Week, which became a New York Times best seller. [3] Also in 2012, d'Arabian began hosting a show on the Cooking Channel, Drop 5 Lbs. with Good Housekeeping, which featured low-calorie recipes and weight loss tips. [9]
d'Arabian is a frequent judge on Guy's Grocery Games , where she has demonstrated her ability to speak fluent French. [10] She has also appeared on several other Food Network series, such as The Best Thing I Ever Ate , Chopped, Food Network Challenge , and The Best Thing I Ever Made . Her recipes and budgeting tips have also been featured on the Today Show, CNN, People, Food Network Magazine and iVillage.com. [7]
Ten Dollar Dinners is an American cooking television program hosted by d'Arabian. It debuted August 9, 2009 at 12:30 PM EST. [11] Melissa d'Arabian is the winner of the fifth season of The Next Food Network Star . [12]
The second season of her program premiered in January 2010 on the Food Network. During this season, she received a new kitchen set, which has the set up similar to a home kitchen. The third season of her program premiered in July 2010.
In each episode, d'Arabian shows the viewers how to cook up a dinner for four people based on a budget of $10 USD. [13]
While working in merchandise finance in Euro Disney, d'Arabian met her husband, Philippe. They live near San Diego, California, with their four daughters. [8] d'Arabian identifies as a Christian and attends the First United Methodist Church of San Diego. [5]
On April 12, 1989, d'Arabian lost her mother to suicide. [14] d'Arabian described the loss of her mother as taking a toll on her financially, logistically, and emotionally. [5] [14] Following the death of her mother, d'Arabian states that she entered into a "decade-long tail spin". She attributes this period of time to the isolation she felt due to the stigma of suicide. [6] This experience led d'Arabian to become involved in mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Specifically, d'Arabian advocates for reductions of stigma against suicide, mental health, and substance abuse as well as encouraging people to reach out when they feel suicidal. [15]
Since 2009, d'Arabian has worked with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Initially, the AFSP approached her after she dedicated a recipe to her mother on an episode of The Next Food Network Star. They published one of her recipes at a National Survivors of Suicide Day event. d'Arabian has participated in the San Diego Out of the Darkness Community Walk, been a part of the AFSP panel at the Congressional Spouses for Suicide Prevention and Education congressional briefing, and donated cookbook proceeds to the organization. In May 2013, d'Arabian was awarded the Survivor of Suicide Loss Award by the AFSP. [16] She has also competed on Guy's Grocery Games, Chopped, and Cutthroat Kitchen for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. [17] [18] [19]
d'Arabian has volunteered with a number of other charitable organization including teaching family cooking courses for Coronado Substance Abuse Free Environment and live-tweeting her mammogram for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. [20] [21]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Food Network Star | Season five winner |
| 2009–2011 | The Best Thing I Ever Ate | Appeared on 8 episodes |
| 2009–2013 | Ten Dollar Dinners | Host |
| 2010 | Best Places I've Ever Been | Disney Memories episode |
| 2010 | Food Network Challenge: All-Star Grill-Off | |
| 2011–2013 | The Best Thing I Ever Made | Appeared on 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Chopped All Stars | |
| 2012–present | Drop 5 Lbs with Good Housekeeping | Host |
| 2013–2014 | The Picky Eaters Project | Web series |
| 2013–present | Guy's Grocery Games | Judge and contestant |
| 2014 | Cutthroat Kitchen: Superstar Sabotage Tournament | |
| 2015–present | Smart Carts: Winning the Supermarket | Web series |
| Year | Title | Publisher | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Ten Dollar Dinners: 140 Recipes and Tips to Elevate Simple, Fresh Meals Any Night of the Week | Clarkson Potter Publishers | 978-0-307-98517-0 |
| 2014 | Supermarket Healthy: Recipes and Know-How for Eating Well Without Spending a Lot | Clarkson Potter Publishers | 978-0307985149 |
Ina Rosenberg Garten is an American television cook and author. She is host of the Food Network program Barefoot Contessa and was a former staff member of the Office of Management and Budget. Among her dishes are Perfect Roast Chicken, Weeknight Bolognese, French Apple Tart, and a simplified version of beef bourguignon. Her culinary career began with her gourmet food store, Barefoot Contessa; Garten then expanded her activities to many best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, and a popular Food Network television show.
Food Network Star is a reality television series that aired from June 5, 2005 to August 5, 2018. It was produced by CBS EYEtoo Productions for seasons 1–8 and by Triage Entertainment for seasons 9-14. It aired on the Food Network in the United States. Prior to season seven, the series was known as The Next Food Network Star.
Mary Ann Esposito is an American chef, cookbook writer, and the television host of Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito, which started in 1989 and is the longest-running television cooking program in America.
Salade niçoise is a salad that originated in the French city of Nice. It is traditionally made of tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, Niçoise olives and anchovies or tuna, dressed with olive oil, or in some historical versions, a vinaigrette. It has been popular worldwide since the early 20th century, and has been prepared and discussed by many chefs. Delia Smith called it "one of the best combinations of salad ingredients ever invented" and Gordon Ramsay said that "it must be the finest summer salad of all".
Catherine McCord is an American former model, actress, and television program hostess. She is the founder of Weelicious, a website dedicated to helping parents expose their children to wholesome, delicious homemade food. She is also the co-founder of One Potato, an organic home meal delivery kit service, focused specifically on the mealtime needs of families, and the author of the cookbooks, Weelicious: One Family. One Meal. and Weelicious Lunches: Think Outside the Lunchbox.
Amy Finley is an American cook and writer, who was the winner of the third season of The Next Food Network Star awarded a commitment to host a cooking show on the Food Network. Her program The Gourmet Next Door premiered on October 14, 2007, and aired for six episodes before Finley, citing a family crisis, cancelled further episodes and moved with her husband and children to a rural farm in Burgundy, France, an episode she chronicled in How to Eat a Small Country.
Silvena Rowe is a Bulgarian chef, food writer, television personality and restaurateur.
Richard Blais is an American chef, television personality, restaurateur, and author. He appeared on the reality show cooking show Top Chef, and is known for his take on classic American cuisine. Blais was the runner-up for the fourth season of Top Chef and returned several seasons later to win Top Chef: All-Stars.
Joan Nathan is an American cookbook author and newspaper journalist. She has produced TV documentaries on the subject of Jewish cuisine. She was a co-founder of New York's Ninth Avenue Food Festival under then-Mayor Abraham Beame. The Jerusalem Post has called her the "matriarch of Jewish cooking".
Alexandra Maria Guarnaschelli is an American chef, cookbook author, and television personality. She currently serves as an executive chef at New York City's Butter restaurant and was executive chef at The Darby restaurant before its closing. Guarnaschelli studied cooking extensively in France.
The fifth season of the American reality television series The Next Food Network Star premiered on Sunday, June 7, 2009. Food Network executives, Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson, were joined by Bobby Flay as the Selection Committee for this season, which was filmed early 2009 in New York, New York and Miami, Florida.
The Best Thing I Ever Ate is a television series that originally aired on Food Network, debuting on June 22, 2009.
Aarti Lucica Sequeira is an Indian American cook and television personality, best known as the winner of the sixth season of Food Network's reality television show, The Next Food Network Star. In 2010, after her victory, her show Aarti Party premiered on the network. Following Aarti Party, she went on to host Taste in Translation on Cooking Channel, in which she seeks out the most popular dishes from around the world. She had previously worked as a CNN news producer and in 2008 started the online cooking variety show Aarti Paarti.
Jeffrey Saad is an American chef, author, restaurant owner, television personality, and real estate broker from Chicago, Illinois. He is currently the host of United Tastes of America on the Cooking Channel and Estate Director with Compass in Beverly Hills.
Marcela Luz Valladolid is an American chef and author. She was the host of the Food Network television series Mexican Made Easy, and a judge on the Food Network series Best Baker in America.
Louisa Shafia is an American chef and cookbook author. Her 2009 cookbook Lucid Food focuses on local and sustainable eating. The New Persian Kitchen (2013) features traditional Persian dishes as well as reinterpretations.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
