Meet Aarti Sequeira: The Next Next Food Network Star (VIDEOS & RECIPES)

Aarti Sequeira was named the winner of The Next Food Network Star's season six last night, beating her co-finalists Herb Mesa and Tom Pizzica. Watch the first video below for Bobby Flay's announcement of her win and Aarti's reaction.

Aarti is a former CNN producer who later trained at The New School of Cooking in LA and more recently was food blogging at aartipaarti.com and published home cooking videos on her YouTube channel, Aarti Paarti. Read more about Aarti on her bio page at the Food Network here. Aarti's recipes for her well-received dishes from the show can be found here.

Here's a complete recap of The Next Food Network Star finale from Leah Douglas at Serious Eats, and here's Rene Lynch's reaction to Aarti's win from the LA Times blog "Show Tracker":

Frankly, the judges could have picked any of the three. But Herb and Tom just couldn't outshine Aarti's sparkle. From the beginning, she had a relaxed, humorous style, and it certainly doesn't hurt that she still manages to be sexy in a way that won't turn off viewers. (Brianna, take note.)

She stood out from Day One for good reason. Her blog, her food videos and her background as a journalist made her a natural in front of the Food Network camera. Her biggest problems came from within: she was rattled by self doubt. She kept wondering whether she was good enough, smart enough, talented enough, blah blah blah. It got so bad that the judges wondered whether she would be too needy if chosen. That was Aarti's wake-up call.

Here's a video the Food Network put together to introduce you to Aarti Sequeira, some of the dishes she cooked that helped her win, and Bobby Flay announcing her as the winner last night:

And here's Aari's Pilot for now-forthcoming Aarti Party, which will debut on the Food Network soon:

Lastly, check out some episodes and recipes from "Aarti Paarti," Aarti Sequeira's YouTube cooking channel:

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Aarti Paarti Ep. 1: Babaganoush!

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Aarti loves to cook. Aarti loves to cook for you. Aarti loves all food, but especially the food that reminds her of her various homes: India, Dubai, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Aarti is happy to share her debut editing and cooking show project: Aarti Paarti: Quick Bites. She edited this all by herself! For the first time! Yipppeeee for me! Check out aarti's blog if you want more silliness and cooking-ness: www.aartilla.blogspot.com You'll need: 1 big eggplant (not the japanese kind) Juice of 1/2 a lemon 1/6 - 1/3 cup tahini Handful chopped parsley Salt and pepper -x- aarti

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Aarti loves to cook. Aarti loves to cook for you. Aarti loves all food, but especially the food that reminds her of her various homes: India, Dubai, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Aarti is happy to share her debut editing and cooking show project: Aarti Paarti: Quick Bites. She edited this all by herself! For the first time! Yipppeeee for me! Check out aarti's blog if you want more silliness and cooking-ness: www.aartilla.blogspot.com You'll need: 1 big eggplant (not the japanese kind) Juice of 1/2 a lemon 1/6 - 1/3 cup tahini Handful chopped parsley Salt and pepper -x- aarti

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Comments

[enigmaticblue]

03:52 PM on 08/27/2010

followed the next food network star... she had some really good recipes.. im glad she won!!!

will surely be watching her show.

[Oonagh]

04:54 PM on 08/29/2010

x2

[jonjon358]

09:49 AM on 08/27/2010

I'm glad she won just because Food Network needed an Indian chef. I'm a big fan of Indian food but it really can be quite complicated; hopefully Aarti will be the usual type of FN star who makes it simple - which sometimes kind of annoys me actually, that they always dumb everything down and talk to you like you've never cooked anything before; but in the case of Indian food, I'll take it.

[skylover]

01:55 PM on 08/23/2010

I watch Food Network quite a bit, and it occurs to me that I have never noticed "The Next FN Star" actually having a show....

[LesterH]

03:15 PM on 08/24/2010

Does the name "Guy Fierri" ring a bell? He is a former winner of TNFNS. How about "Adam Gertler"? While not a winner, he was the runner up recently.

[bulbul2]

05:39 PM on 08/20/2010

I only watch Barefoot Contessa on food network, so anyone knows if Aarti would be on food network ane when ?

[captpicard12]

11:53 PM on 08/29/2010

She's on sundays at noon.

[anniebuddy]

09:23 AM on 08/19/2010

I am excited to learn about Indian spices and flavors and foods. Congrats to Aarti!

[LoveVigilante]

08:41 PM on 08/18/2010

I am so excited to watch "Aarti Party!" I think Tom will be a great host on his show, too, but there's little about it that will be original. Aarti fills a niche that has long been missing from the Food Network, and I can't wait to try some of her recipes. http://www.sapac.org/blog/2010/08/17/i-cant-wait-to-watch-aarti-party/

[suemj]

05:38 PM on 08/17/2010

I'm looking forward to Aarti's show, I'd like to try and tackle Indian cuisine.

[waldopepper]

02:36 AM on 08/26/2010

British Army Chicken Vindaloo (It reads like a Joke! But it is excellent! My Wife and I have made it at many times.)

http://rubymurray.com/curry/displayrecipe.php?Name=British+Army+Chicken+Vindaloo

[suemj]

07:57 AM on 08/26/2010

Thanks Waldo, it was funny; And yes, it looks delicious and I'm going to try it.

[Sourabh Gupta]

04:40 PM on 08/17/2010

r there enough crosses in the house along with the garlic to ward of vampires.

[moridin909]

04:29 PM on 08/17/2010

I don't really care that Aarti won but am glad that Herb did not win. He was extremely obnoxious and a mediocre cook. Hope he never comes near a TV show again.

[hrc04]

01:05 PM on 08/17/2010

Cute. Might tune in a time or two...

[PLDgyrl]

08:40 AM on 08/17/2010

Yay for Aarti!!! I love Indian food and thank goodness the food network decided not to go with more of the same. I rarely watch any of the shows on there now but I will be tuning in to watch Aarti!!!!

[Ohsherri]

03:04 AM on 08/17/2010

I miss Nigella.
What happened to her?
She turned me on to the FN in the first place.

[GraceNotes]

05:33 PM on 08/17/2010

Check the tv schedule on the website, but I think she comes on at 7 a.m. on Saturday mornings. ( I live in the Eastern time zone.)

[LiberTLover]

10:33 AM on 08/19/2010

She is on the new Cooking Channel.

[Musiker]

11:36 PM on 08/16/2010

Yes, I've read the Blog...yes, I watched each episode of NFNS. But... hers is one show I won't be tuning in to watch. I also haven't watched a single show from last year's winner.

Food Network: I ain't interested in either of these cooks.

[StopCensoringMe]

01:14 PM on 08/20/2010

Frankly, I concur. Is the last winner even still on the FN at all? I enjoy watching the competitions (food as sport) but this particular franchise is implausible at best. Why would the network want to make "stars" out of nobodies? Are there simply no real chefs willing to have their own shows? The group on this season were all an embarrassment to food (that Aria made it to the final is cringe-worthy). I will say that the final three did FINALLY manage to find a point of view that could support a show but not a great show. None of them exhibited the level of cooking skill that I want to emulate. I 'might' find a recipe or two from Aarti I'll try to recreate. I enjoy Indian food. But, there have to be plenty of great Indian food chefs who could demonstrate this for me at a much higher level than a former CNN producer. A cooking competition for non-pros? No problem with that. I auditioned for MasterChef. But to make them a 'star"? Not likely. (And MasterChef is guilty of something similar...a cookbook deal from a nobody home cook...please).

[journeygirl]

10:47 PM on 08/16/2010

Artie has a lot more range than Indian food. Why don't you check out her food blog before criticizing.
Here's one recipe with the current economic times in mind: She calls it....

Unemployment Dinner!

aka Swiss chard, tomato and Great Northern Bean sautee
(adapted from Joe Bastianich recipe)

Olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 15oz can whole tomatoes, chopped, juices retained
1 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
1 big bunch swiss chard, washed, stems diced, and leaves sliced about 1/2″ thick
1 15oz can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
Salt & pepper

1) Warm a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once shimmering, add onions, and a little salt. Saute until softened. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute 30 seconds until garlic is fragrant. Add tomato paste and saute another 30 seconds.
2) Add tomatoes, and a little more salt. Cook until tomatoes turn mushy, about 3 minutes.
3) Add swiss chard, tossing until well combined with tomato mixture. Add 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil, then turn heat down a simmer. Semi-cover and cook about 10 minutes, until chard is cooked through.
4) Add beans. Toss, and warm through. Taste for seasoning and adjust according to your taste. Enjoy, knowing that you’ve beat the system one more time! $4 dinner! Woohoo!

[StopCensoringMe]

01:18 PM on 08/20/2010

White beans and chard is about as basic a recipe as has ever been produced. Google it, you'll be amazed at the number of recipes. And, that Aarti had to adapt a Bastianich recipe speaks directly to her lack of depth (and lookiing at her 'adaptation' I'm hard-pressed to see anything she has contributed to the basics). She should stick with introducing Indian flavor into food. This is a currently unfilled niche that she might find some success within. Beyond that, I'll take a pro's perspective on the basics anytime.

[ckinsobe]

10:21 PM on 08/16/2010

I am looking forward to her show. Indian spices are delicious and many actually have great health benefits, since they are anti inflammatory, anti cancer etc. I cook Indian sometimes but have been wanting to incorporate these spices into other foods so this show will be inspiring! .