Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer (“The Help,” 2011) embraces her Southern roots by hosting the down-home cooking competition “Family Recipe Showdown,” premiering Thursday, July 17, on Food Network.
Set in New Orleans — a city that Spencer adores, celebrated by the actress in the CNN travel series “My Happy Place” — this latest endeavor joins Spencer and Southern cooking expert Edgar “Dook”
Chase as they welcome families to prepare their most cherished family recipes, offering the best-of-thebest a life-changing $10,000 prize.
Each week, the duo ask their competitors to take part in two rounds of competition, with the second and most important round following the cooks as they are asked to put their own spin on a favorite family recipe shared by one of the series’ visiting guest judges — all hailing from a list that includes some of Octavia’s celebrity friends, such as Reese Witherspoon (“Wild,” 2014), Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty,” 2012), Danielle Brooks (“Orange Is the New Black”), Tina Knowles (“Talks with Mama Tina”), Kandi Burruss (“The Chi”), Tim Gunn (“Project Runway”), Al Roker (“Today”) and more. Alongside their superstar guests, Spencer and Chase then dig into their dishes, determining who gets to take home the grand prize.
While every episode presents its own theme — from a Southern brunch with all the fixings to biscuit bake offs and more — “Family Recipe Showdown” begins with an episode focused on cocktails and comfort meals, and with the always-funny Eric Stonestreet (“Modern Family”) acting as the series’ inaugural guest.
“Southern food means family to me, and I am thrilled to introduce these outstanding home cooks to viewers,” Spencer told Food Network.
“The competing families bring their own traditions to every dish — from buttery biscuits to cast-iron skillet specialties, the food took me and my friends back to our childhoods with every bite … and getting to taste it all with Dook Chase made the experience even sweeter. This show is about family, friends and food — there’s nothing better than that.”
Sure to make your mouth water, “Family Recipe Showdown” premieres on Food Network Thursday, July 17.