Season 8 Food Network Star Justin Warner (left) with competition mentor and judge Alton Brown at the show’s finale.
After an audience vote tallying 4.5 million, TV fans crowned Justin Warner winner of Food Network Star Sunday night on the program’s Season 8 finale. The self-proclaimed “Rebel With a Culinary Cause” beat out 14 competitors to snag the title and the contest’s grand prize: his own Food Network Show, to be produced by mentor and Star judge Alton Brown.
Warner, a 27-year-old Brooklyn chef and restaurant owner, quickly developed a following with his unorthodox cooking style, food-themed rapping and Elvis-like pompadour. As part of Team Alton, each week Warner squared off against other culinary hopefuls mentored by Food Network hosts/chefs Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis in challenges designed to test cooking skills and on-air personality.
A longtime Brown fan, Warner credits the brainy chef’s hands-off mentorship as a key element in his victory.
“He could have come in and micromanaged, but really, I think he knew that it was very important for me to make him proud,” Warner said in a press conference. “So, by kind of endorsing me and letting me go how I wanted to do it, then I think he knew that he would get the best results from me.”
While Warner claims he is “not the best chef ever,” he also says his own failures have led him to success.
“I think that mentality helped me on the show,” he told USA WEEKEND. “What I learned about myself is that, yes, I’m good at failing, but also, I like teaching. I like getting people amped about food. I didn’t really know that I had that in me.”
Warner plans to use his newly-harnessed teaching abilities on his program, which is scheduled to run in the fall and will feature his signature “wacky food.” Not much else is set in stone, he says.
So, what exactly can fans expect to see on the new show? More rapping, perhaps?
“Expect the unexpected. I don’t know exactly if they would like to use my rhyme enthusiasm,” he jokes. “They’re welcome to, but I think we just need to have a big meeting and see what everyone has to say. We’ll see if those potent lyrics have any place in the food world. We’ll see.”
Read on for kitchen tips from Brown and fellow Star judges Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis.
Kuddos for your pastoral work with the Spanish spkneiag population. Angie and Chris, you recently allowed two Peruvian couples to stay for a few days at Jesus House and for that we are really grateful! They loved the Chapel! We all are ONE Body!
I’ve never watched HP (Mom alyaws told me that it was demonic witchcraft that should be avoided).This trailer looks good. Somehow, they managed to make these twenty-something actors look teenaged. I’m glad they finished the movies before the actors had children.
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While Warner claims he is “not the best chef ever,” he also says his own failures have led him to success.
It’s always like that, we learn from failures. In fact, many of billionaires are former college dropouts.
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This season’s revamp pitted some of the network’s biggest stars against each other as team mentors who, if victorious, would move onto Act 2 of their Food Network careers, as producers.
Well the choice is now up to you and it’s called change the channel. I cannot stand that sandwich guy from last year, and have just changed the channel not watching him at all. This will be another show I will just click off. I do love Melissa’s 10.00 meals wish she was on more.
I agree with Kathy. mmmmm
Great. Another pointless show with no direction and an unattractive, unlikable host. I’m so thrilled to be talked down to while shown how to make “wacky food” that is unrealistic and unmanagable for the home chef. You screwed up, America. BIG TIME.
Thrilled Justin won! I was rooting for him from the first show. He is kind of a young Alton in a way, very quirky sense of humor and adorable to boot!
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