What's for Dinner? was a Canadian cooking show that initially aired on Life Network and was later syndicated around the world. The series started in 1994 and aired for several seasons.
The series was hosted by Ken Kostick, a chef and cookbook author from Winnipeg, along with Mary Jo Eustace. Kostick, inspired by U.S. sitcom Home Improvement that he was a big fan of, and similar "behind the scenes" comedy programs, had come up with the idea of a sitcom built around a genuine cooking program, much like Home Improvement occasionally featured genuine products and tips mixed in with its comedy.
The idea of producing a sitcom was eventually dropped; instead, What's for Dinner? developed into a humour-based cooking show. Mary Jo Eustace, a Canadian actress, fashion model, singer-songwriter, comedian, and trained sous-chef who stood a bit taller than the diminutive Kostick, was initially hired to solo host the series, but when it was discovered Eustace and Kostick had good on-camera chemistry, it was decided to make the show a duo act.
The appeal of the series was not so much in the dishes prepared, but in the comedic banter—and, quite frequently, barbs—thrown back and forth between the two hosts. Kostick in particular found himself acting as "straight man" to Eustace, as well as the target of a number of running jokes ranging from his height (or lack thereof) to whether or not Ken and Mary Jo were actually a couple to whether or not Ken was gay.
Originally filmed in a closed studio with no audience, later seasons added a live studio audience. During the show's final year, episodes were videotaped in cities across Canada. The series was also syndicated around the world and was, for a time, the highest-rated series on the Life Network. It is currently broadcast on the Q Television Network.
A cooking show, cookery show, or cooking program is a television genre that presents food preparation, often in a restaurant kitchen or on a studio set, or at the host's personal home. Typically the show's host, often a celebrity chef, prepares one or more dishes over the course of an episode, taking the viewing audience through the food's inspiration, preparation, and stages of cooking. Due to time and production constraints, most, if not all, cooking shows employ filming shortcuts such as video editing, food modeling and photography, and prepared ingredients to speed up the cooking process and ensure a smooth and seamless production.
Broadcast syndication is the practice of leasing the right to broadcasting television shows and radio programs to multiple television stations and radio stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in the United States where broadcast programming is scheduled by television networks with local independent affiliates. Syndication is less widespread in the rest of the world, as most countries have centralized networks or television stations without local affiliates. Shows can be syndicated internationally, although this is less common.
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Ken Kostick was a Canadian chef and television and radio personality, best known for co-hosting the television series What's for Dinner? with Mary Jo Eustace.
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Mary Josephine "Mary Jo" Eustace is a Canadian actress, singer-songwriter, comedian, model, author, and sous-chef best known as co-host of the Canadian cooking TV series What's for Dinner?.
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