Where 10 Previous Food Network Star Champions Are Today

From 2005 to 2018, dozens of contestants cycled through the 14 seasons of "Food Network Star" in hopes of becoming the next celebrity chef. And for a while, the network was churning out some major star power. Of those 16 champions (the first and last seasons had two winners), many continued to be a familiar face on the Food Network, either by hosting their own cooking show or being featured on others. But despite the premise of the cooking competition, winning "Food Network Star" didn't always guarantee a lengthy or successful television career. Because of this, there were some winners who ended up veering in different directions.

Below are the latest activities from 10 previous "Food Network Star" champions. Some of these names you might instantly recognize. Others might make you think, "Oh, yeah! I totally forgot about them!" So, read on to find out just what your "FNS" favorites are up to now.

Nowadays, Guy Fieri is a household name, but it was in 2006 that he skyrocketed to stardom when he won the second season of "Food Network Star." Since then, he's basically become the face of the network, having hosted several TV shows like "Guy's Big Bite," "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," and "Guy's Grocery Games." He's also frequently a guest judge on other food competition shows. And all that time spent on the Food Network earned him several Emmy nominations, one Daytime Emmy win in 2013 for his special "Guy's Family Reunion," and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019, making him only one of three chefs to receive the honor (Michelin star restaurateur Wolfgang Puck and Bobby Flay, who also once owned a Michelin star restaurant, snagged the other two).

Beyond his television career, Fieri has 17 different restaurant concepts (many of which have multiple locations across the country and the globe) with cuisines ranging from barbecue to tacos to pizza. Throughout his nearly two decades of television fame, the Mayor of Flavortown has also become a New York Times Bestselling author, created his own products, and collaborated with well-established brands, like his recent partnership with Waterloo Sparkling Water.

A decade after he was crowned the winner of the 11th season of "Food Network Star," Eddie Jackson continues to be an active figure on Food Network. After "Food Network Star," he hosted a couple of digital series for the network: "Eddie Jackson's Game-Day Playbook" and "Eddie Jackson's Fitness Playbook," both hearkening back to his careers as an NFL player, personal trainer, and health food chef.

Beyond his online presence, Jackson currently hosts the Food Network competition shows "Outchef'd" and "Christmas Cookie Challenge." He has been featured on the network numerous other times, such as being a judge on "Chopped" and competing against Bobby Flay in "BBQ Brawl" in 2021.

Outside the realm of TV, Jackson owned the Rosehill Beer Garden in Cypress, Texas. It opened in 2017, but in September 2024, the beer garden's Facebook page noted that it would be temporarily closing. No information about a reopening date has been shared.

Justin Warner was the winner of the eighth season of "Food Network Star," but despite the fact that he never got his own cooking series on the network, he's continued to find food industry success since taking home the title in 2012.

Though Warner was slated to host his own daytime series produced by his "Food Network Star" mentor Alton Brown, who is known for his own culinary experience and helpful cooking tips, it never came to fruition. Instead, in March 2013, he hosted a one-hour primetime special called "Rebel Eats," where he roamed the American South in search of rebellious cuisine. In 2015, Warner went on to host a food trend-focused digital series with the Food Network called "Foodie Call." From 2018 to 2019, he hosted another digital cooking series called "Eat the Universe" with Marvel Entertainment, in which Warner created dishes inspired by the comic books and movies.

Nowadays, Warner owns the restaurant Bokujō Ramen, as well as BB's Natural Wine Bar in Rapid City, South Dakota. He's also a sideline reporter for Food Network's "Tournament of Champions," hosted by Guy Fieri.

The oh-so-humorous and intensely likable Jeff Mauro was top dog in the seventh season of "Food Network Star." After winning the competition in 2011, he brought that big personality to his own series. Just as he did in the competition, Mauro continued to put sandwiches front and center as host of "Sandwich King." The series ran for five seasons before wrapping in 2014, and it even snagged a Daytime Emmy nomination along the way.

Also in 2014, Mauro joined Food Network's show, "The Kitchen," as one of the five original hosts. Over a decade later, Mauro is still one of the faces of the show, which has been running for nearly 500 episodes.

Almost 15 years after his Food Network debut, Mauro continues to be a fan favorite. He frequently appears as a guest on shows across the network like "Beat Bobby Flay" and "Worst Cooks in America." But despite his own stardom as a chef, the Windy City native isn't always manning the kitchen. In fact, he's often exploring the Chicago food scene, and there was one tavern that earned the title of Jeff Mauro's Best Restaurant Meal of 2024.

After taking home the crown in the 12th season of "Food Network Star," Tregaye Fraser didn't go on to have her own Food Network show. Nonetheless, after her 2016 victory, she was still a friendly face on the network. Her Food Network credits include hosting "Cakealikes" and co-hosting the second season of "The Kitchen Sink," as well as being featured on "Cutthroat Kitchen," "Guy's Grocery Games," "Grill of Victory," "Food Network Star Kids," and "The Best Thing I Ever Ate."

But with her culinary expertise and sparkling personality, Fraser was bound to have her own show. The Oprah Winfrey Network offered Fraser her own cooking series, "Tregaye's Way," which was one of four shows to usher in food programming on OWN. "Tregaye's Way" ran for a single season in 2020.

Nowadays, Fraser can be found running her own cooking classes for kids with her "Jr. Chef Summer Camp." She is also currently hosting culinary events through Virtual Xperiences.

Though Kentucky native Damaris Phillips reeled in viewers with her sunny, goofy, and down-to-earth personality, it was her cooking that took center stage during the ninth season of "Food Network Star." She emerged the winner in 2013 and went on to host her own show, "Southern at Heart," which ran for five seasons before wrapping in 2016. From there, she went on to host "The Bobby and Damaris Show" for a single season in 2017 with Bobby Flay, whom she had formed a friendship with thanks to her run on "Food Network Star." Since debuting on the Food Network, Phillips has appeared on other shows like "Guy's Grocery Games," "Cooks vs. Cons," "Bakers vs. Fakers," "Summer Baking Championship," and "Celebrity Food Fight."

In 2019, Phillips launched Bluegrass Supper Club in Louisville with longtime friend Chef Coby Ming. The business curates picnics and other food-centric events, and more than five years later, it's still going strong. This year, Phillips found herself competing on yet another Food Network show, "24 in 24: Last Chef Standing." She put up a good fight, finishing in the middle of the pack as she was eliminated at the 12-hour mark.

Aarti Sequeira won the sixth season of "Food Network Star," securing her own daytime cooking show "Aarti Party." Sequeira's show focused on blending Indian and American cuisines, and it ran for three seasons between 2010 and 2011.

Once "Aarti Party" wrapped, she continued to be a presence on the Food Network, having been featured on shows like "Guy's Grocery Games," "Christmas Cookie Challenge," "Guy's Ranch Kitchen," "Winner Cake All," and "Halloween Wars." In June 2025, she was highlighted in "Cutthroat Kitchen." Beyond the Food Network, in 2020 Sequeira snagged a spot on the Thanksgiving special for HBO Max's "Selena + Chef." That same year she also had a guest appearance voicing Chef Shobha in the Disney Jr. animated series "Mira, Royal Detective."

More recently, she released another cookbook. Published in 2023, "Unwind: A Devotional Cookbook for the Harried and Hungry" puts a spiritual bend on the traditional cookbook. Sequeira also has her own clothing line of colorful button-up shirts called "Be Brave."

Christian Petroni was crowned one of the winners of the 14th and final season of "Food Network Star" in 2018. Though he never hosted his own cooking show on the network, Petroni did secure recurring judging slots on shows like "Beat Bobby Flay" and "Chopped." He also competed on "Guy Fieri's Tournament of Champions" in the first four seasons of the series, spanning from 2020 to 2023.

Following his "Food Network Star" win, Petroni continued operations of Fortina, a New York City-area Italian restaurant chain he helped found in 2012. But in 2020, he stepped away from his role with Fortina in order to start a new venture with Gabagool Media, which helps chefs and small businesses promote themselves with content and merchandise.

The chef has fingers in many pies, also serving as the culinary partner for the Nashville, Tennessee Italian restaurant Ella's by Christian Petroni. He's closing in on the release of his first cookbook, too, which is titled "Parm to Table" and is set to hit bookstore shelves in September 2025.

After winning the fourth season of "Food Network Star," Aaron McCargo Jr. hosted his own cooking show, "Big Daddy's House," for six seasons between 2008 and 2011. McCargo Jr. highlighted bold, flavorful family cooking, with popular recipes ranging from deep-fried catfish to sweet potato pie.

Aside from "Big Daddy's House," McCargo Jr. was also featured on Food Network shows like "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" and "Guy's Grocery Games." The chef went on to launch his own lines of sauces and spices, called "The Sauce" and "The Spice," respectively. Sadly, McCargo Jr. took to Facebook in March 2025 to announce that The Sauce would be temporarily shut down due to some manufacturing issues.

One of the chef's more recent media appearances was in the summer of 2024, when McCargo Jr., a New Jersey native, was featured in a promotional video with local tourism bureau Explore Hunterdon NJ called "The Other Side of Jersey With Chef Aaron McCargo Jr." The video followed McCargo Jr. as he highlighted local businesses, breweries, restaurants, and farms.

After clinching the title of "Food Network Star" during the show's fifth season in 2009, Melissa d'Arabian became host of "Ten Dollar Dinners," which aimed to help viewers make tasty meals for the family even if they were on the tighter end of the average grocery budget. The show ran for seven seasons, and the concept spurred her debut cookbook of the same name, which became a New York Times Bestseller when it hit bookstore shelves in 2012 — the same year her daytime cooking series wrapped.

After "Food Network Star" and "Ten Dollar Dinners," d'Arabian became a frequent face on the Food Network, appearing in shows like "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," "Chopped," "Food Network Challenge," "The Best Thing I Ever Made," and "Guy's Grocery Games."

Her most recent book, "Tasting Grace," was released in 2019, but it focuses more on spirituality than on sharing recipes. Since then, d'Arabian appears to be pursuing other non-cooking avenues. According to her personal Facebook page, she went back to school and is working toward a Master of Fine Arts in theatre management and producing from Columbia University. She's set to graduate in 2026.