Each year, Food Network announces their ‘Hot List’, an annual look at up-and-coming culinary rock stars making their mark in the food content space. Through the Hot List, the network gets the chance to celebrate and shine a spotlight on exciting culinary talent. As the premier destination for food-focused content, it also allows Food Network to introduce these burgeoning stars to its expansive audience and beyond, setting the table for more to come from each dynamic personality.
The 2025 ‘Hot List’ was announced on the Emmy-nominated daytime series The Kitchen, where Hot Listers Byron Gomez and Nini Nguyen joined the hosts to chat all things Hot List and share some of their best culinary tips and recipes. The year’s Hot List members consisted of: chef, content creator and Tournament of Champions VI competitor Carlos Anthony, entrepreneur, master of ‘cue and winner of BBQ Brawl Season 5, Erica Barrett, chef at a Michelin-star restaurant and judge on Chopped, Byron Gomez, chef, restaurateur and 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing season one semi-finalist Mika Leon, Top Chef winner Buddha Lo, chef, cookbook author and Tournament of Champions VI competitor Nini Nguyen, food content creator, cookbook author and restaurateur Tue Nguyen, James Beard Award nominee, acclaimed restaurateur and Bobby’s Triple Threat Titan Ayesha Nurdjaja, private chef and food content creator Olivia Tiedemann and viral culinary social media personality Joshua Weissman. The Hot List stars were introduced one day at a time on Food Network’s social platforms, and featured in various social videos, including their very own culinary “Hot Tips”, favorite recipes and exclusive Q&A’s.
For 10 days, Food Network’s social pages spotlighted a different hot lister each day. The Hot List was also featured across FoodNetwork.com, newsletters and the podcast, Food Network Obsessed. Across the activation, the Hot List gathered 33.6 million video views and 34 million impressions.
