The Food Network isn’t the first place most people would go to if they want to fill their reality show cravings. However, it airs one of the most exciting and interesting reality competition shows on television.
“The Next Food Network Star,” in its seventh season, just wrapped up last week with a king — a sandwich king, to be exact — being crowned as the winner. Jeff Mauro, an Illinois native and former stand-up comedian, impressed the judges for weeks on end by sticking to his title as “Sandwich King.”
With Mauro as the newest addition to the Food Network family, the gang isn’t just about different types of cooking anymore. Giada De Laurentiis, one of the judges of “Next Food Network Star,” has the Italian realm covered.
There are also culinary shows specifically for Greek, Mexican and Indian food. All parts of the globe are included on Food Network and its sister network, Cooking Channel.
Mauro’s love for sandwiches, though, is a unique and intriguing twist for a cooking show. His promise to “make any sandwich a meal and any meal into a sandwich” along with his charm and comedic elements are all ingredients for a successful 30-minute show.
Equipped with his signature red headband and cooking utensils, Mauro transforms a worldwide favorite entrée to an exotic and sometimes surprisingly fantastic meal. He’s the only culinary star to dedicate an entire program to showcase one type of food in countless different ways.
His love for everything between two slices of anything was the key to Mauro's success and always makes for great personal stories. Mauro proudly includes his son’s antics, his father’s past possession of the “Sandwich King” title and stories of his own childhood into his show to broadcast himself as who he really is: a family man who loves nothing more than to cook for others.
Reach the reporter at kmstark1@asu.edu
