Sunny Anderson

Sunny Anderson (born April 9, 1975) is a Food Network personality. She began hosting How'd That Get On My Plate? in July 2008. She also hosts the Food Network program Cooking for Real (beginning in April 2008), and served as co-host with Marc Istook of the Food Network program Gotta Get It (beginning in April 2007).

Early life Sunny Anderson was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, and grew up as an Army brat, which allowed her to travel the world (living in Germany and other places) and sample many local cuisines with her parents, who were food enthusiasts. She attended Madison High School in San Antonio, Texas, and upon her graduation, she joined the United States Air Force in June 1993, where she earned the rank of Senior Airman and worked as a military radio host in Seoul, South Korea. She then worked for Air Force News Agency radio and television in San Antonio from 1993 to 1997. Anderson was honorably discharged from the Air Force in June 1997. She went to school in New Orleans at Loyola University. At age 19, Anderson was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. in 2014, she teamed up with the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America to raise awareness of this disease.

Career Between 1995 and 2001, Anderson worked as a radio personality at KCJZ and KONO-FM in San Antonio, WYLD-FM and KUMX in Fort Polk, Louisiana, WJWZ in Montgomery, Alabama, and WDTJ in Detroit, Michigan.

Anderson settled in New York City in 2001 at the age of 26, and worked as a radio personality for HOT 97 (WQHT) in New York City from 2001 to 2003. From 2003 to 2005, she was the owner of Sunny's Delicious Dishes, a catering company based in Jersey City, New Jersey.

She first appeared on the Food Network in October 2005 (as a guest on the Emeril Live program) and began hosting How'd That Get On My Plate? in July 2008. She also hosts the Food Network program Cooking for Real (beginning in April 2008), and served as co-host with Marc Istook of the Food Network program Gotta Get It, beginning in April 2007.

In 2006 and 2007, she served as food and lifestyle editor for Hip Hop Weekly magazine.

In January 2014, Anderson became a co-host on the Food Network's series The Kitchen along with Jeff Mauro, Katie Lee, Marcela Valladolid, and Geoffrey Zakarian.

Anderson was a contender for the 44th Daytime Emmy Awards for the Outstanding Talk Show/Informative award with the cast of The Kitchen, but lost.

Anderson has been a guest chef on several talk shows and morning news programs including The Rachael Ray Show, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The View, The Talk, and The Wendy Williams Show.

In 2022, Anderson hosted NFL Tailgate Takedown along with New England Patriots Hall-of-Famer Vince Wilfork.

In October 2022 she hosted season 3 of Outrageous Pumpkins on Food Network.

Filmography + as HostYearTitleNotes 2007 Gotta Get It: Grilling Host 2008-2011 Cooking For Real Host, 113 episodes 2014-2025 The Kitchen Cohost, 345 episodes 2015-2016 Top 5 Restaurants Co-host, 34 episodes 2019 Thanksgiving Pie Fight Host 2021 Chocolate Meltdown: Hershey's After Dark Host, 4 episodes Easter Basket Challenge Host, 5 episodes Outrageous Pumpkins Host, 4 episodes 2022 Spring Baking Championship: Easter Host, 6 episodes 2023 NFL Tailgate Takedown Host, 6 episodes

+ as GuestYearTitleNotes 2008 How'd That Get On My Plate Dear Food Network 3 episodes 2008, 2014 The Wendy Williams Show 2 episodes 2008-2018 Rachael Ray Cohost/guest, 68 episodes 2009-2018 Food Network Star Guest Judge, 5 episodes 2010 Food Network Challenge Competitor, 1 episode 2010-2011 The Best Thing I Ever Ate 14 episodes 2010, 2014 The View 2 episodes 2011 The Nate Berkus Show Paula's Best Dishes Thanksgiving Live! TV Special 2011-2012 The Best Thing I Ever Made 9 episodes The Perfect 3 3 episodes 2011-2022 Good Morning America Guest, 8 episodes 2012 Thanksgiving Live! TV Special Iron Chef America Countdown 6 episodes Iron Chef America: The Series Judge, 2 episodes Katie 1 episode Home Made In America 6 episodes 2012-2025 Today Cohost/guest, 36 episodes 2013 The Chew 1 episode David's Food Court The Queen Latifah Show 2013, 2014 Bethenny 2 episodes Melissa Harris-Perry 2013-2017 The Talk Cohost/guest, 11 episodes 2013-2023 Chopped Judge, 10 episodes 2014 Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off Judge, 1 episode Rewrapped The Doctors Co-host, 1 episode 2014-2025 Beat Bobby Flay Judge & Mentor, 48 episodes 2015 Fox and Friends 1 episode Rachael Ray's Kids Cook-Off Judge, 1 episode Thanksgiving at Bobby's 1 episode Christmas as Bobby's 2015-2018 Weekend Today Guest, 3 episodes Home & Family 6 episodes 2016 Brunch at Bobby's 1 episode 2016-2017 The Kitchen Sink Cohost, 9 episodes Cooks vs. Cons Judge, 4 episodes 2017 Chopped Junior Judge, 1 episode Pickler & Ben 2 episodes Steve 5 episodes 2017, 2018 Bakers vs. Fakers Judge, 2 episodes 2020 GMA3: What You Need To Know 1 episode All-Star Best Thing I Ever Ate 4 episodes Turkey Day Sunny's Way 2021 Live with Kelly and Mark Guest, 1 episode 2023 Sesame Street: Oscar's Handmade Halloween Tamron Hall 1 episode 2024 Name That Tune 1 episode GMA3 Guest, 1 episode 2023-2024 BBQ Brawl: Flay v. Simon Captain, 12 episodes 2024-2025 The Drew Barrymore Show Guest, News Contributor, 40 episodes

Awards and nominations Year Organization Award Nominated workResult 2017 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host The Kitchen (shared with Katie Lee, Jeff Mauro, Marcela Valladolid, and Geoffrey Zakarian