Food Network Strikes Multi-Series Deal With Valerie Bertinelli (EXCLUSIVE)

By Brian Steinberg

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Food Network has struck a multi-series deal with actress and host Valerie Bertinelli that will have her tackling “multiple projects in daytime and primetime,” the Discovery-owned cable network said Monday.

has ordered to series “Family Food Showdown.” a family-focused competition program that Bertinelli will host. In the series, two families will vie for a $10,000 prize over three rounds of cooking challenges. Production on the 13 hour-long episodes will begin in December with the series set to launch in 2019.

The network also announced that Bertinelli will take part in new episodes of “Kids Baking Championship,” in which she cooks and shares tips with the contestants.

“With ‘Family Food Showdown,’ we are excited to showcase talented families cooking and coming together in a creative, competitive series that will also spotlight the role of family dynamics in how these teams work together, for better or worse, in their bid for the prize and family pride,” said Courtney White, general manager and executive vice president of programming of Food Network and HGTV, in a prepared statement. “Our viewers have come to enjoy Valerie’s warmth in the kitchen and her unique charm and mentorship with the next generation of bakers on ‘Kids Baking Championship,’ and with this expanded presence on Food Network, fans can look forward to more to come.”

Bertinelli, famous for her role on the long-running CBS series “One Day at a Time,” has enjoyed a long stint on Food Network as well. She has been a steady presence on the cable outlet since 2014, when she appeared on the kids’ baking competition, and then broadened her role there with the launch of “Valerie’s Home Cooking” in 2015. “A lot of people don’t know how much I love to cook. I’ve talked about it here and there. I really have a passion for it,” she told Variety in 2015.

She is the author of “One Dish at a Time,” and also known for her role in the TV Land sitcom “Hot in Cleveland.”