Food Network Stars We've Sadly Lost

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00:00Many celebrity chefs have been a large part of the success of The Food Network and its

00:05laundry list of hits. Sadly, the lights went out too soon on some beloved chefs,

00:11breaking the hearts of foodies all around the world. Here are the Food Network stars we've sadly lost.

00:18According to IMDb, chef Fatima Ali first came onto the scene in 2012,

00:24when she appeared on Food Network's Chopped. If you don't know, it's a competition show that

00:28challenges chefs to create delicious meals out of unexpected ingredients and then eliminates them

00:34one course at a time. Ali went on to appear on the show two more times as part of the Chopped

00:41Champions and Chopped Champions Pros series. Ali really became a household name when she competed

00:48on the culinary classic Top Chef in 2018. Unfortunately, shortly after Top Chef wrapped

00:54filming, the chef announced that she'd been diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form

01:01of bone cancer, and only had a year to live. Ali wrote of her diagnosis in an essay published

01:07in Healthyish. She shared,

01:10When we think we have all the time in the world to live, we forget to indulge in the experiences

01:15of living. When that choice is yanked away from us, that's when we scramble to feel.

01:21Sadly, Ali died from Ewing's sarcoma at age 29 in 2019.

01:28Ken Costick was one of the first Canadian celebrity chefs. According to CBC, his cooking

01:33and lifestyle show Ken Costick & Company was one of the first programs to ever air on Food Network

01:39Canada. The TV personality got his start — and his fame — from co-hosting What's for Dinner

01:44with Mary Jo Eustace. CBC also reported that What's for Dinner began on Life Network in 1995,

01:52but because of its incredible popularity, it moved over to CBC TV and broadcast over 600 episodes all

02:00over the world. Costick and Eustace went on to host other Canadian hits like He Said,

02:05She Said with Ken and Mary Jo, and a Toronto-based morning radio show. Sadly, Costick's career came to

02:11an early end when he died in 2011 at the age of 57. As per the National Post, he had almost recovered

02:19from acute pancreatitis before his death. His business team released a statement, writing,

02:25"'Ken lived a full and wonderful life with many passions, including food, pets, and people.'"

02:33Christy Codd competed on Season 8 of the Food Network competition show, Food Network Star. According

02:38to an interview with Wannabe Chef, her goal was to make the world a better place through healthy food.

02:44She revealed in the chat,

02:46"'I'm an advocate of trying to motivate and educate and inspire people.

02:50Healthy does not mean boring and bland.'"

02:53Unfortunately, Codd was the first one eliminated that season, but she wasn't deterred. She shared,

02:59"'It's not over for me yet. I have actually two shows that I'm going to start pitching — two

03:04really awesome shows, including one called Catch, Clean, and Cook.'"

03:08But just a few short years later, Codd's dreams were cut short when she,

03:13her husband, and their unborn child were killed. A local handyman named Robert Jason Owens dismembered

03:20and burned the family, and then tried to cover up his crimes by staging their home to look like there

03:25had been a robbery. The publication also reported that Owens eventually confessed and was sentenced to

03:3259 and a half years in prison.

03:35Floyd Cardoze's friendly face regularly graced some of the Food Network's shows,

03:40but was known early on for being seen on Top Chef Masters and Iron Chef America, the series.

03:47Born and raised in India, the celebrity chef was also known for breaking down barriers,

03:52as the New York Times lauded him as the first Indian chef to helm a big-time New York City restaurant.

03:59He opened his restaurant, Tabla, with Danny Meyer in 1998. According to Forbes India,

04:05Cardoze expanded his empire back into India in recent years, creating the company Hunger Incorporated,

04:11and opening several successful restaurants like the Bombay Canteen and the Bombay Sweet Shop.

04:17Cardoze told Forbes India,

04:19"'I still want to set the bar in terms of the food we do, the service we have,

04:24the kind of hospitality we offer, and importantly, how we treat people.'"

04:28Sadly, Cardoze died from COVID-19 early in 2020.

04:33Chef Alex Guanachelli tweeted about Cardoze's death, writing,

04:38"'A true gentleman in every sense, and a great credit to the chef community. He will be sorely missed.'"

04:45No one would have ever thought that a show about two middle-aged women touring England in a motorcycle and

04:51sidecar-tasting food and cracking jokes would have been a success. Nevertheless,

04:57Two Fat Ladies on the Food Network definitely was. Fans loved the quirky Jennifer Patterson,

05:03but they adored the oftentimes grumpy but always engaging Clarissa Dixon Wright.

05:09Wright, a celebrated chef and food historian, according to The Guardian, became famous for her cheek.

05:15In fact, Express reported that whenever someone asked her if the title Two Fat Ladies upset her,

05:20she would shoot back, "'I had problems with ladies because it sounds like a public convenience,

05:25but which bit do you object to? Are you saying I'm thin?'

05:29Sadly, as reported by The Guardian, Wright died in 2014 at the age of 66.

05:35A producer on Two Fat Ladies said of Wright to the publication,

05:39"'Clarissa was a marvelous cook and hugely knowledgeable about food and food history.

05:44She was possessed of a formidable intelligence and held strong opinions,

05:49a powerful combination that made her a commanding presence on television.'"

05:54Jennifer Patterson was the other half of the hit food show Two Fat Ladies. The travel,

05:59cooking, and lifestyle show began on the BBC, but was picked up by the Food Network in 1997.

06:06This was so Americans could enjoy all the delightful recipes that BBC viewers got to enjoy from the

06:12smiling mouths of Patterson and her co-star, Clarissa Dixon-Wright, themselves.

06:17Sadly, Patterson was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1999, even though the year prior she'd told a

06:24reporter that she felt great. She even joked that the secret to her health was lots of meat,

06:29drink, and cigarettes, and not giving in to things.

06:32The jovial TV personality did receive plenty of love during her illness. According to The New York Times,

06:38even Prince Charles himself sent Patterson tomato soup and ice cream to help her feel better.

06:44Her co-star was planning on sending her caviar, too. Dixon-Wright explained,

06:49"'She didn't see the point of flowers. She'd rather have caviar.'"

06:52Sadly, Patterson died before she had the chance to eat it.

06:56Judson Todd Allen liked to call himself the architect of flavor. The Chicago chef entered the

07:02public eye when he made it to the finals in Season 8 of Food Network Star on Food Network.

07:08However, Allen solidified his spot at the top by cooking for celebrities like Jamie Foxx and

07:14Steve Harvey, as well as creating most of the menu at Taste 222 in Chicago.

07:19He was also dedicated to helping others in their journeys with food because,

07:23as he revealed in an interview with Illinois alumni, he always struggled with his weight as a kid.

07:29He also released a book called Spice Diet on losing weight and healthy recipes.

07:34"'I've always been over the top with everything I've done.'"

07:36Sadly, as the Chicago Tribune reported, Allen died in May of 2018 of a heart attack

07:42at just 39 years old. Allen's friend and co-worker Liz Thompson said of him to the Tribune,

07:49"'He was an absolute joy to be around every single day. No matter what the situation,

07:54he brought the weather with him. If it was cloudy outside,

07:57he brought the sunshine. I can't tell you how much we are going to miss that.'"

08:01Carl Ruiz first entered the celebrity chef food scene when his New Jersey restaurant,

08:07Marie's Italian Specialities, appeared on Food Networks, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

08:14The chef went on to guest star in and judge on other Food Network competition shows like

08:19Guy's Grocery Games and Guy's Ranch Kitchen. But according to the New York Times, Ruiz's first love

08:27was Cuban food. His brother, George Ruiz, told the publication that Carl's inspiration

08:32always came from his mother and grandmother's traditional Cuban cooking. Sadly, it was also

08:37reported that Ruiz died in 2019 at the age of 44. It was later revealed that, according to the Maryland

08:44Department of Health, his cause of death was atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Ruiz's friend,

08:52Troy Johnson, wrote in remembrance of the chef on Twitter, saying,

08:56"'He made people laugh who'd forgotten how to laugh. He set rooms on fire. He was the match and the kerosene.'"

09:03Arguably, one of the best-known celebrity chefs and Food Network stars Anthony Bourdain was synonymous

09:10with exploration, adventure, and, of course, delicious food. His first food and travel show,

09:16a cook's tour, ran on the Food Network for 35 episodes between 2002 and 2003, according to IMDb.

09:24However, the chef, food writer, and host went on to produce and star in an array of other hits

09:30like The Layover and The Taste. Bourdain bewitched the world with his fascinating travels and the

09:36heartwarming connections he made with the people he met. Not to mention his wizard-like way of making

09:41viewers feel as if they're with him in whatever exotic locale tasting the next flavorful dish.

09:50I think I promised you stunned silence. So far, so good.

09:54Sadly, Bourdain took his own life in 2018. One of his close friends, Eric Repair, tweeted,

10:00"'Anthony was an exceptional human being, so inspiring and generous,

10:05one of the great storytellers who connected with so many.' If you or anyone you know is having suicidal

10:13thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK. That's 1-800-273-8255.

Food Network Stars We've Sadly Lost

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