Jeff Mauro (born July 24, 1978) is the co-host of the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

series ''The Kitchen'' and host of ''Sandwich King'' and '' $24 in 24''. Prior to this, he was the winner of the seventh season of the ''

Food Network Star ''Food Network Star'' is a reality television series that aired from June 5, 2005, to August 5, 2018. It was produced by CBS EYEtoo Productions for seasons 1–8 and by Triage Entertainment for seasons 9-14. It aired on the Food Network in the ...

'' competition. Mauro, who is originally from

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, adjacent to Chicago. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, 26th-most populous municipality in Illinois, with a population of 54,318 as of the 2020 census. Oak Park was first se ...

, incorporates local

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

restaurants into the context of his show. During ''Food Network Star'', where fifteen contestants competed for an opportunity to have their own cooking show, Mauro concentrated on sandwiches throughout the competition. The judges on the show noted Mauro's humor and likable persona, which are focal points of his personality on ''Sandwich King''. Mauro rejected criticisms that there wasn't enough to say about sandwiches to fill out a season, noting that any hand-held "meal" could be classified as a sandwich. In 2012, Mauro was nominated for a Daytime Emmy award for his show ''Sandwich King'' on the Food Network Channel. The award eventually went to Bobby Flay for his show '' Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction''. In January 2014, Mauro became a co-host on the Food Network series '' The Kitchen'' along with Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee, Marcela Valladolid and Geoffrey Zakarian. Mauro graduated from Bradley University in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Illinois River, the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Ill ...

, in 2000, where he studied radio and television. In January 2021 he began hosting Kitchen Crash on Food Network, an update of Gordon Elliott's Door Knock Dinners. In 2022, Mauro co-hosted Season 24 of Worst Cooks in America, coaching a team of 1990s celebrities against a team led by fellow co-host Anne Burrell, who won the contest with her "recruit" Tracey Gold.

References

External links

* 1978 births Living people American television chefs American male chefs Bradley University alumni Food Network chefs Food Network Star winners Chefs from Chicago People from Elmwood Park, Illinois {{chef-bio-stub