When a former Food Network producer opened the floor to questions in a Reddit AMA, fans expected fun behind-the-scenes anecdotes from shows like Beat Bobby Flay, Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown, Bobby’s Triple Threat, BBQ Brawl, Ciao House, and Worst Cooks in America. What they didn’t expect was a rare peek into which chefs are a dream to work with—and the revelation that only two are not.
And while the producer refused to name the difficult pair (“There really are only two I would say were not pleasant”), he did offer an extensive list of chefs he loved working with, giving fans a clearer picture of the most admired personalities behind the scenes.
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The producer emphasized repeatedly that the overwhelming majority of food personalities are delightful, writing, “In no particular order (and just because a name isn’t here doesn’t mean they’re terrible to work with!)”—before listing:
Carla HallKaren AkunowiczDamaris PhillipsMichael SymonKardea BrownBobby FlayAyesha NurdjajaEric AdjepongTiffany DerrySunny AndersonLeah CohenJet TilaGabe BertacciniHe also gave a special shoutout to “my favorite regular judge on Beat Bobby Flay, Mama Tanya.”
Fans immediately honed in on several big names, sparking follow-up discussion that revealed even more.
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Sunny Anderson: The Producer’s Most Passionate Defense
Anderson often inspires debate among viewers; The Kitchen co-host is a polarizing figure. But according to someone who worked with her daily, the criticism couldn’t be further from the truth.
The producer was blunt, writing, “The Sunny hate on this subreddit irks me to no end. I literally have nothing negative to say about her, at all.”
He went even further when asked why she appears on Beat Bobby Flay so often:
“Sunny is one of the most talented people on the entire network… She sets the tone for the day. She jokes and ribs with Bobby, and he LOVES it… She knows everyone on set by name. She goes above and beyond, every time. Sunny is literally one of a kind, and she makes every show she’s on better.”
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It’s one of the most glowing descriptions in the entire AMA. Here are a few more chef-specific tidbits:
Michael Symon: "It is impossible to be in a room with Michael Symon and to not be happy. He is the absolute best."
When a commenter said, "I bet [Geoffrey Zakarian] is a nightmare to work with," the producer immediately pushed back: “I had an excellent time with him when he judged on Triple Threat!”
When asked if Damaris is as fun and funny in real life as she comes across on TV, the producer said absolutely, writing, "Damaris is a RIOT. She comes to set with her own bits ready to go and rarely needs us to come up with anything for her."
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While this post focuses on the broader roster of chefs, Bobby Flay—who appears a lot in the AMA—earned consistently strong marks from the producer, who wrote, “Bobby is very chill and loves to joke around off set. He’s always kind.”
But What About the Two Difficult Chefs?
Fans really wanted to see if they could figure out the difficult chefs' identities, with one writing, "Without saying names, do those two still have shows currently, or have they sort of fizzled out on their own?"
The producer refused to give hints, writing, "Pleading the 5th on this one. ?”
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He did, however, clarify two important things: They were the exception, not the rule, and any omissions from the nice list don’t mean anything. He simply worked with too many chefs to list them all.
"FYI I could list a lot more names (there really are only two I would say were not pleasant), so don’t take an omission as me saying they were terrible to work with! I also haven’t worked with everybody!" wrote the producer.
In other words, nearly everyone was lovely—the difficult duo is not representative of the network.
If there’s a single theme running through the AMA, it’s this: Food Network’s on-camera friendliness is overwhelmingly real.
From Symon’s infectious joy to Sunny’s set-saving energy to Damaris’ humor to Zakarian's surprising skeptics, the behind-the-scenes culture described here is far warmer—and more fun—than viewers might expect.
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