PBS Announces Season 2 of The Great American Recipe

16 August 2022

PBS Announces Season 2 of The Great American Recipe

Silvia Martinez, a California home cook who grew up making Mexican dishes she learned from her grandmother, aunts and mother, was revealed as the winner of THE GREAT AMERICAN RECIPE in the season finale, which premiered on Friday, August 12. Originally from Guanajuato in central Mexico, Silvia formerly had a successful career as a human resources executive and university instructor before transitioning to life in the U.S. after meeting and marrying her husband. Silvia’s heartwarming personal stories and delicious recipes, which combine the flavors of her home country with the bounty of California produce, repeatedly charmed host Alejandra Ramos and judges Leah Cohen, Tiffany Derry and Graham Elliot. All episodes of THE GREAT AMERICAN RECIPE are currently streaming on PBS.org and the PBS Video app.

Today PBS also announced Season 2 of the uplifting cooking competition series that celebrates the multiculturalism that makes American food unique and iconic. The second season, which will give home cooks from around the country another opportunity to showcase their beloved signature dishes, is set to premiere in Summer 2023. Ramos will once again host, and chefs Cohen, Derry and Elliot will return as judges. Production for Season 2 of the show, which is co-produced by VPM and Objective Media Group America (an All3Media America company), is scheduled to begin in Fall 2022.

“Congratulations to Silvia Martinez for being named the winner of the first season of THE GREAT AMERICAN RECIPE,” said Zara Frankel, Director of Programming and Development, General Audience Programming. “The first season was a multiplatform success, attracting younger and more diverse audiences for PBS as part of our ongoing commitment to showcasing a range of voices and perspectives. We are delighted that the show resonated with viewers and are thrilled to be bringing new episodes of this fan-favorite back to audiences across the country.”

“The recipe for success for this series was bringing 10 home cooks together to share cherished family recipes and personal stories of what those dishes mean to them,” said Steve Humble, Chief Content Officer at VPM. “As the series progressed, each episode drew viewers into deeper connections with the contestants. At a time when America is divided, this series about food and family brought people together around the table.”

“We’re excited to be bringing back this wonderfully warm show to PBS,” said Jilly Pearce, President, Objective Media Group America. “It’s a unique kind of cooking competition, a celebratory series where the judges offer professional advice and the contestants root for each other and bond through the shared stories of food and family.”

PBS seeks to provide a platform where audiences can see themselves and their stories reflected and to elevate diverse stories and perspectives both in front of and behind the camera. Season 1 of THE GREAT AMERICAN RECIPE ranked highly among Black and Hispanic adults 18+ and scored well overall among multicultural viewers 18+. In addition, two-thirds of young adults 18-34 were new viewers to PBS, as were nearly a third of persons aged 35-49. To date, THE GREAT AMERICAN RECIPE has accumulated over 1 million streams, with relatively consistent streaming performance week-over-week. In addition, the show was praised for the camaraderie between contestants, proving that “competition doesn’t have to be combative to be great.”*

THE GREAT AMERICAN RECIPE COOKBOOK, an official series companion book, features winner Silvia Martinez’s recipe for Chiles en Nogada (Stuffed Poblano Peppers in Walnut Sauce) on the cover. The cookbook includes more than 100 recipes from the cast, host and judges, along with personal stories, stills from the series and color photographs throughout. The cookbook is now available at Shop PBS, The VPM store and wherever books are sold.

THE GREAT AMERICAN RECIPE Season 1 will be available for catch-up streaming through the end of 2022 on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. Beginning in January 2023, all episodes will be available via PBS Passport. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.

THE GREAT AMERICAN RECIPE is co-produced for PBS by VPM and Objective Media Group America. Steve Humble is the Executive in Charge for VPM. Zara Frankel is the Executive in Charge for PBS. At Objective Media Group America, Megan Bidner is Showrunner, Layla Smith and Jilly Pearce are Executive Producers and Alyssa Hastrich is Vice President of Current Series.

Funding for THE GREAT AMERICAN RECIPE is provided by VPM and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).