Food Network has set a release date for Season 2 of “Ciao House,” TheWrap has exclusively learned. The cooking competition show will return on May 19 at 8 p.m. ET/PT with a two-hour premiere. New episodes will premiere weekly until its conclusion on Sunday, June 23.
“Our audience fell in love with ‘Ciao House’ in the show’s first season set in Tuscany and we knew we had to find another incredible food region in Italy for Season 2 – and Puglia really delivers,” Betsy Ayala, head of food content for Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a press release. “The coastal city and its unique food culture is unparalleled and makes it the perfect locale for this high-stakes competition.”
The first episode of Season 2, hosted by chefs and series judges Alex Guarnaschelli and Gabe Bertaccini, will welcome 12 chefs to an ancient grand villa in Puglia. There they will live, cook and compete against each other for the ultimate grand prize: an immersive culinary education across Italy as well as training with renowned Italian master chefs. The first challenge will ask the contestants to make a dish that exemplifies who they are as a chef and their unique twists on Italian cuisine. The winner and the runner-up of this first challenge will be named the team captains for the next.
This season will include “a trip to Lecce to meet real-life nonnas who specialize in pasta rolling, a challenge inspired by the city’s annual pizza festival judged by a festival pizzaiolo and a lesson in bread baking at a local Lecce bakery,” according to a press release for the series. It will all come to a head in the two-hour finale of “Ciao House,” which will require the chefs to make a three-course fine dining experience.
“The competition on ‘Ciao House’ is on another level and I’ve seen my fair share of competitions,” all-star chef Guarnaschelli said in a press release. “These chefs are not only testing their culinary skills — they are living together as a family, so personal relationships, rivalries and loyalties affect each challenge. Winning could change the course of their career, so the stakes are high for everyone.”
“In Italy, eating and cooking is one of the highest forms of cultural activity. Growing up there surrounded by my family’s love for food and training in some of the best Italian kitchens made me the chef I am today,” said Italian chef Bertaccini. “Seeing these competitors immerse themselves in the beauty of the land, the fresh ingredients and food traditions is not only exciting to watch, but especially it gives me great pride.”
This season’s competitors include Ivan Barros from Los Angeles, Calif.; Zev Bennett from Miami, Fla.; Maria Bregatta from Burlington, Vt.; Austin Cobb from Playa Grande, Costa Rica; Devan Cunningham from Phoenix, Ariz.; Tiana Gee from Los Angeles, Calif.; Hanna Haar from Montauk, N.Y.; Drew Keane from Chicago, Ill.; Shannon Odom from Haico, Texas; Jan Parker from Tacoma, Wash.; Phuoc Vo from Tampa, Fla.; and Stikxz Williams from Queens, N.Y.
