Academy Award-Winner Octavia Spencer Celebrates Her Southern Roots and Showcases Outstanding Home Cooks in New Series “Family Recipe Showdown”

Eight-Episode Series Premieres Thursday, July 17th @ 9PM ET/PT on Food Network and Streaming Next Day on HBO Max

Academy Award®-winning actress Octavia Spencer returns to her Southern roots this summer in the new home cooking competition Family Recipe Showdown. Set in New Orleans, Octavia serves as the host of the series which also features Southern cooking royalty Edgar “Dook” Chase as the resident expert. Each episode welcomes family duos to the kitchen as they prepare their most cherished recipes for a $10,000 prize. Together, Octavia and Dook sample the dishes before being joined in the final round by a rotating panel of guest judges and Octavia’s celebrity friends – including Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Chastain, Danielle Brooks, Eric Stonestreet, Tina Knowles, Kandi Burruss, Tim Gunn, and Al Roker with his daughter Leila. Family Recipe Showdown premieres Thursday, July 17th @ 9PM ET/PT on Food Network and streams the next day on HBO Max.

“Southern food means family to me, and I am thrilled to introduce these outstanding home cooks to viewers,” said Spencer. “The competing families bring their own traditions to every dish – from buttery biscuits to cast-iron skillet specialties, the food took me and my friends back to our childhoods with every bite… and getting to taste it all with Dook Chase made the experience even sweeter. This show is about family, friends, and food – there’s nothing better than that.”

Each episode features two rounds of culinary throwdowns with themes from a Southern brunch with all the fixings to a top-notch biscuit bakeoff, and three teams of home cooks must impress Octavia and Dook to advance to the final round. The two duos that move on to the second showdown are tasked with putting their own delicious spin on a family favorite recipe of the episode’s guest judge. Each week, only one family takes home the win and $10,000 prize. In the series premiere, Octavia and Dook open the kitchen to three teams of Southern families for a down-home showdown. In the first round, an aunt and niece, mother-in-law and son-in-law and wife duo serve up their best Southern brunch. In the second round, the final two teams put their own spin on one of guest judge Reese Witherspoon’s childhood favorites. Ultimately, only one team has what it takes to impress the judges and take home the $10,000 prize.

“Octavia is truly passionate about Southern food and the home cooks that tell family stories through their recipes,” said Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery. “She is the perfect host to welcome these families and their incredible dishes to the table and spotlight the love and care that goes into their cooking. Our viewers can also look forward to visits from Octavia’s fantastic friends, who delight in the food just as much as she does.”

“Octavia and Dook are a match made in culinary television heaven,” said Sara Rea, Head of Unscripted at Hello Sunshine. “Dook is a world-renowned chef, and Octavia is a self-proclaimed ‘excellent taster.’ These two together, along with the celebrity guests and families competing with their most prized traditional recipes, are the perfect combination for a funny, family-friendly show with great southern cooking!”

Fans can get more exclusive content on Food Network’s social channels using #FamilyRecipeShowdown. Viewers can also visit FoodNetwork.com for Family Recipe Showdown news, plus more information about the hosts and celebrity guest stars.

Family Recipe Showdown is produced by Hello Sunshine and Orit Entertainment for Food Network. Executive producers include Reese Witherspoon, Sara Rea, and Lauren Neustadter on behalf of Hello Sunshine. Octavia Spencer, Brian Clisham, and Stephanie Kluft on behalf of Orit. Brielle Lebsack Cohen serves as showrunner, and Joe Guidry directed the series.