Melissa D Arabian/Melissa D Arabian Sorority
August 3, 2009
Melissa D Arabian/Melissa D Arabian Sorority:Melissa d’Arabian was named the winner on the season finale of “The Next Food Network Star.” Melissa was the only contestant without professional cooking experience this season. After her win, Melissa said, ” “I was definitely the dark horse in this competition, even sometimes myself, I didn’t see myself winning.”
A married mom of four little girls, Melissa edged fellow finalist Jeffrey Saad of Los Angeles for the win. Why Melissa over Jeffrey? Judge Bob Tuschman said in his blog “, Melissa’s bottomless trove of tips and tricks kept teaching me things, and I thought viewers would appreciate them too. But mostly, her food kept winning me over. It is exactly the kind of smart, sophisticated but accessible home cooking that viewers constantly tell me they want to learn from us. And her deep knowledge of budget and time-conscious recipes seemed perfect for these times.
In the end, Melissa’s personality “popped” more for me than Jeffrey’s did. When I referred to him as the “zen meister”, I worried that at times his “steady as she goes” demeanor could feel slightly flat and predictable in comparison to Melissa.”
Melissa’s new cooking show will air next week on the Food Network—Tune in next Sunday at 12:30pm/11:30c for Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d’Arabian.
