You heard it here first: Food Network Star is kicking off an all-new ninth season on Sunday, June 2 at 9pm/8c, and returning judge-mentors Alton Brown, Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis will be there at the helm. This year the mentors are tasking 12 hopefuls with weekly Mentor and Star Challenges in the ultimate multi-month interview for the chance to earn their dream television job: their own show on Food Network. While the contestants bring with them a mix of backgrounds — including culinary school, restaurant management, private chef and food blogging — they have but one dream, which is to become the next Food Network Star. From now until next month's premiere, Star Talk will introduce one finalist a day until you, Star fans, meet them on camera during the show.

Danushka Lysek, 37, is a former Chopped competitor now living and working in New York City as a private chef. A culinary school graduate, she specializes in creating seasonal farm-to-table cuisine, and she's known for her unapologetically honest opinions.

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You heard it here first: Food Network Star is kicking off an all-new ninth season on Sunday, June 2 at 9pm/8c, and returning judge-mentors Alton Brown, Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis will be there at the helm. This year the mentors are tasking 12 hopefuls with weekly Mentor and Star Challenges in the ultimate multi-month interview for the chance to earn their dream television job: their own show on Food Network. While the contestants bring with them a mix of backgrounds — including culinary school, restaurant management, private chef and food blogging — they have but one dream, which is to become the next Food Network Star. From now until next month's premiere, Star Talk will introduce one finalist a day until you, Star fans, meet them on camera during the show.

Now living in Haleiwa, Hawaii, after being born and raised in Peru, Daniela Perez-Reyes, 29, is a graduate of The Art Institute at San Diego. She's currently the chef de cuisine for a catering company and is known for her signature sass in the kitchen, as well as for infusing classic Peruvian and Polynesian flavors into her food.

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You heard it here first: Food Network Star is kicking off an all-new ninth season on Sunday, June 2 at 9pm/8c, and returning judge-mentors Alton Brown, Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis will be there at the helm. This year the mentors are tasking 12 hopefuls with weekly Mentor and Star Challenges in the ultimate multi-month interview for the chance to earn their dream television job: their own show on Food Network. While the contestants bring with them a mix of backgrounds — including culinary school, restaurant management, private chef and food blogging — they have but one dream, which is to become the next Food Network Star. From now until next month's premiere, Star Talk will introduce one finalist a day until you, Star fans, meet them on camera during the show.

After graduating from culinary school, Damaris Phillips, 32, worked front- and back-of-house restaurant jobs before returning to the same college to teach the next generation of chefs. Now living in Louisville, Ky., this self-described Southern spitfire grew up cooking dinners for her large family, and she is known for her unmistakable trademark wit.

Watch Damaris' casting video

Three of Food Network's longest-standing chefs, Alton Brown, Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis, are no strangers to the demands of stardom, now having years of experience multitasking in front of the camera and cooking. But before they were industry professionals, Alton, Bobby and Giada, too, once had to learn the ins and outs of what this job entails, much like Star finalists will in the early weeks on set. As Star Talk gets ready to kick off an all-new ninth season of Food Network Star, we'll be taking a look back at each judge-mentor's earliest days on the network, revisiting their earliest shows and exploring how they turned their passion for food into a full-time job.

Before you saw him as the watchful eye over Iron Chef America and Next Iron Chef competitors or as the motorcycle-riding culinary adventurer on Feasting on Asphalt, you were likely watching Alton in the kitchen as he hosted Good Eats. In this epic 13-year series, Alton set out not just to teach recipes or everyday kitchen skills, but rather to tackle the science of dishes or ingredients and to explain the hows, whys and whats behind them.

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You heard it here first: Food Network Star is kicking off an all-new ninth season on Sunday, June 2 at 9pm/8c, and returning judge-mentors Alton Brown, Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis will be there at the helm. This year the mentors are tasking 12 hopefuls with weekly Mentor and Star Challenges in the ultimate multi-month interview for the chance to earn their dream television job: their own show on Food Network. While the contestants bring with them a mix of backgrounds — including culinary school, restaurant management, private chef and food blogging — they have but one dream, which is to become the next Food Network Star. From now until next month's premiere, Star Talk will introduce one finalist a day until you, Star fans, meet them on camera during the show.

A Season 3 runner-up on The Great Food Truck Race, Chris Hodgson, 27, lives in Cleveland and is largely responsible for the city's fascination with food trucks. He's a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu who opened his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, Hodge's, after founding two food trucks, Dim and Den Sum, and Hodge Podge.

Watch Chris' casting video

You heard it here first: Food Network Star is kicking off an all-new ninth season on Sunday, June 2 at 9pm/8c, and returning judge-mentors Alton Brown, Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis will be there at the helm. This year the mentors are tasking 12 hopefuls with weekly Mentor and Star Challenges in the ultimate multi-month interview for the chance to earn their dream television job: their own show on Food Network. While the contestants bring with them a mix of backgrounds — including culinary school, restaurant management, private chef and food blogging — they have but one dream, which is to become the next Food Network Star. From now until next month's premiere, Star Talk will introduce one finalist a day until you, Star fans, meet them on camera during the show.

A father of two, Chad Rosenthal, 37, lives in Ambler, Pa., and is passionate about all things barbecue and has won several barbecue competitions in the past. Now opening a comfort food eatery near Philadelphia, this self-taught cook grew up hosting a pretend cooking show for his family. He's now eager to turn that childhood hobby into a career.

Watch Chad's casting video

You heard it here first: Food Network Star is kicking off an all-new ninth season on Sunday, June 2 at 9pm/8c, and returning judge-mentors Alton Brown, Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis will be there at the helm. This year the mentors are tasking 12 hopefuls with weekly Mentor and Star Challenges in the ultimate multi-month interview for the chance to earn their dream television job: their own show on Food Network. While the contestants bring with them a mix of backgrounds — including culinary school, restaurant management, private chef and food blogging — they have but one dream, which is to become the next Food Network Star. From now until next month's premiere, Star Talk will introduce one finalist a day until you, Star fans, meet them on camera during the show.

Andres Guillama, 26, was born into a traditional Cuban family and grew up working at his father's restaurant. After struggling with his weight, Andres changed his daily habits and lost 150 pounds. Now living in Waynesville, N.C., he's a childhood obesity prevention coach working with children on the basics of nutrition. He's eager to show viewers that healthy food is indeed deliciously satisfying, and he looks forward to showing them how to prepare it at home.

Watch Andres' casting video

For years on Food Network Star you've seen Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson guide, grow and, ultimately, judge and eliminate dozens of Star hopefuls, but how much do you know about these face of Food Network executives? Just in time for next month's all-new Star premiere, on Sunday, June 2 at 9pm/8c, FN Dish chatted with both Bob and Susie to learn a bit more about their roles at Food Network, their experiences in the kitchen, plus their thoughts on past seasons of competition and what makes an ideal Star candidate. Read on below to get the inside television scoop from Susie, senior vice president, marketing, creative services & brand strategy, then read an exclusive interview with Bob.

Tell us a bit about what you do. What does a typical day look like for you?
Susie: Busy! I have the best team in the business, but it takes a lot of meetings, brainstorming and work sessions to keep this ship sailing. We’re all pretty much nonstop from the minute we get into the office, but we also all manage to have a good work/life balance, which is the most important thing.

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For years on Food Network Star you've seen Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson guide, grow and, ultimately, judge and eliminate dozens of Star hopefuls, but how much do you know about these face of Food Network executives? Just in time for next month's all-new Star premiere, on Sunday, June 2 at 9pm/8c, FN Dish chatted with both Bob and Susie to learn a bit more about their roles at Food Network, their experiences in the kitchen, plus their thoughts on past seasons of competition and what makes an ideal Star candidate. Read on below to get the inside television scoop from Bob, senior vice president/general manager of Food Network, then read an exclusive interview with Susie.

Tell us a bit about what you do. What does a typical day look like for you?
Bob: My limousine picks me up at noon. I try to get a good half-hour of work in before heading off to lunch with one of our stars. Depending on how many martinis, I usually go straight home to prepare for another stressful day!

Oh, for real? My day is usually back-to-back meetings. My (extraordinary) programmers and I review show pitches, brainstorm new ideas, and watch rough cuts of new episodes and series. I also meet with agents, producers and our stars to talk about new projects. It’s fun! And they pay me.

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Not an ordinary competition, Food Network Star gives everyday home cooks and professional restaurant chefs alike the chance to put their culinary chops on the line and their most camera-ready faces forward in a multi-month job interview for the chance to score their own Food Network show. This summer marks the ninth season of contest, and over the years, the challenges have evolved to become more grueling, the expectations more demanding and the eliminations more dramatic. From Guy to Melissa to Justin and all of the finalists and competition in between, have you, Star fans, been keeping up with the best moments and most-shocking turns of events?

As you prepare for an unprecedented new season (premiering Sunday, June 2 at 9pm/8c), test your knowledge of Star history, past finalists and guest-judge appearances, plus top recipes, seasons' highlights and winners' crowning moments. Take the quiz below to find out if you're the ultimate Star superfan, then browse Food Network's Star headquarters for insider interviews, exclusive videos, behind-the-scenes photos and more from the show.