To celebrate Jamie Oliver’s new Food Network cooking show, Oliver will appear for the first time on Iron Chef and take on Mario Batali.

There were reports of Mario Batali being fired from Food Network. He confirms these rumors are not true, and he speaks about their relationship here.

According to the New York Post, popular chef Mario Batali has been cut from the Food Network. It is rumoured Batali will be hosting a new food/travelling show on the PBS with Gwyneth Paltrow of all people (who also happens to be a hard core vegetarian).

In an effort to drive away any real chefs from their ranks, Food Network recently dropped Mario Batali. Said the almighty Food Network, "We do not comment on contractual agreements that Food Network has with talent." Does that mean they would comment on Sandra Lee's contract?

Mario Batali is leaving Iron Chef America after network executives decided to chop his cooking shows.

Food Network is a cable network that airs specials and recurring (episodic) programs about food and cooking. It is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company.The network is seen in more than ninety million households. In addition to New York, it has offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit and Knoxville.Food Network can be seen internationally in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Monaco, Andorra, France, and the French-speaking territories in the Caribbean, Polynesia and Trinidad and Tobago.Food Network was founded on November 23, 1993 as TV Food Network; its legal name is still Television Food Network, G.P. Within a few years, the network had shortened its on-air brand name. Joe Langhan, now an executive producer with the Wine Network, created the concept for Food Network in 1991 while working at the Providence Journal.Food Network is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company. Scripps acquired the Food Network from the A. H. Belo Corp. Corporation (in exchange for broadcast stations KENS-AM/TV in San Antonio, Texas) in 1997, which had acquired the network through a takeover of the Providence Journal Company earlier that year.