For the first time, Food Network has announced our very own “Hot List” for 2022, spotlighting 12 food stars that we think YOU should know about. Whether you drool looking at their social feeds, or watch in awe as they compete on TV, we promise you won’t regret tapping “follow” on any of these superstars.

If you’ve been watching our social feeds for the last 12 days, you’ve seen us announce one new star each day and share why we love them. The creators took over our Instagram page, answered fun Q&As, and shared their best “hot” culinary tips across social. We are so excited to see what they cook up in the new year!

Keep reading to get to know more about the 12 picks on our first-ever Hot List, and find out when you can catch them on Food Network.

Tabitha Brown

Kicking off our first-ever Hot List is none other than New York Times bestselling author, actress and vegan foodie Tabitha Brown! With over 12 million loyal followers across her social platforms, Tab has become the unofficial “mom” of the internet, sharing plant-based recipes, funny stories and inspirational messages with the world. Above all of her accomplishments, she says, she “finds the most JOY in simply spreading love and light to all and helping others see the world and food differently.” Fans across the world tag us in her posts (we see you!), and we’re hoping to collaborate with her even more in 2022 — because that’s our business!

The Try Guys

Whether you are one of their 8 million YouTube subscribers, read the No. 1 New York Times bestseller The Hidden Power of F*cking Up or attended their nationwide tour, you know The Try Guys have taken the food world by STORM. Made up of Keith Habersberger, Ned Fulmer, Zach Kornfeld and Eugene Lee Yang, this dynamic quartet has racked up over 3 billion video views with their content. We couldn’t be more excited to see their upcoming NEW series No Recipe Road Trip With the Try Guys (currently scheduled to premiere in mid-2022) where The Try Guys test their mettle in kitchens across America by attempting to whip up a variety of classic dishes and restaurant specialties — with some surprising and hilarious results.

Ahmad Alzahabi

Ahmad is the cook behind the insanely popular TikTok account (@thegoldenbalance ) with more than 4.7 MILLION followers and 108 MILLION likes! Ahmad, a Syrian-American Muslim raised in Flint, Michigan, started cooking with his family and decided to take a “leap of faith” to share his recipes online. He’s captured the hearts (and stomachs!) of his audience cooking mouthwatering dishes in his creative video style.

Kelsey Barnard Clark

Kelsey first got her start in the food industry as a mere middle-schooler(!!) and did her first catering gig at 16. 😲 She left the Deep South to attend the Culinary Institute of America and fine-tuned her skills working for NYC’s top restaurants, including Cafe Boulud and Dovetail. Kelsey runs her catering company and restaurant, KBC, in historic downtown Dothan, Alabama, while also teaching virtual classes and taking her chef talents on the road.

Darnell Ferguson

After a historic takedown of Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli on the first season of Tournament Of Champions, Darnell proved he’s one to WATCH! He’s grown from a contestant to an authority figure in the culinary industry, from his start as a competitor on Guy’s Grocery Games to his upcoming seat judging Chopped. Darnell’s unique style of “urban eclectic” cooking blends together traditional flavors in untraditional ways.

Matt Broussard

Matt has been cooking in restaurants for 12 years and now brings his experience into creating content for more than 4.8 million followers on TikTok! He has amassed more than 222 million likes on the platform and was named “The Most Fun Chef to Watch on TikTok” by Forbes (we agree!!) 🤩 Every single one of Matt’s dishes – finished with flaky salt, of course – makes us want to reach through the phone to take a bite.

Cliff Crooks

Chef Cliff Crooks has worked in kitchens throughout New York City for more than 20 years. Prior to joining BLT Restaurant Group in 2010 as executive chef of BLT Steak New York, he held positions at Salute!, Blue Water Grill and Gramercy Tavern. He’s been on Chopped and Tournament Of Champions, and he’s helped struggling restaurants with his own series Chef Bootcamp, that launched earlier in 2021. And get ready to see him in a totally new role: co-hosting the new season of Worst Cooks with Anne Burrell, premiering January 5! Did we mention a brand-new season of Chef Bootcamp coming in 2022 as well?

Rhett & Link

Why did we choose Rhett and Link for our first-ever hot list? Let’s Talk About That! Rhett and Link started Good Mythical Morning, a digital comedy variety series on YouTube, back in 2012, and have since turned it into a full-fledged empire. With over 45 million followers combined, Rhett and Link’s Taste Test series is what first caught our attention, where they take on crazy food challenges blindfolded, and Will It? where they test out cooking styles with surprising ingredients. We’re excited to keep watching them grow (and eat!) in 2022!

Joe Sasto

Joe Sasto is a chef and content creator based in the Bay Area who’s worked in Michelin-starred restaurants. Now, Joe’s viral pasta-making videos stop us in our TRACKS! When he’s not in the kitchen, you can find Joe foraging, rolling out pasta “fatto-a-mano” and fine-tuning his mustache. Recently he launched his focaccia pop-up, Luna Focacceria, and he is currently working on his first cookbook.

Kathy Fang

Kathy Fang is the chef and co-owner of Fang, a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco, author of the popular blog MyFangalicious.com, and a mom. She’s the daughter of famed House of Nanking’s Peter Fang, but Kathy has been set on blazing her own trail in San Francisco’s food scene. Whether you visit her restaurant in person or follow along with her recipes on her blog, it’s clear she is one to watch in 2022.

Eric Adjepong

As a first-generation Ghanaian American born and raised in New York City, Chef Eric Adjepong’s cooking draws inspiration from many of the West African dishes he grew up eating. He has three degrees, in Culinary Arts, Culinary Nutrition and International Public Health Nutrition. We are so excited to have him as the host of Food Network’s brand-new show Alex vs America with Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, airing Sunday, Jan. 2 at 10|9c.

Kalen Allen

It’s impossible not to know Kalen Allen. From his hilarious recipe reaction videos on Facebook to his insanely popular YouTube channel, Kalen has been making us (and his 8 million followers) laugh for years. At just 25 years old, he’s already an award-nominated actor, producer and television personality with over 600 million video views across his content. We hear Kalen will soon have some exciting news to share about hosting a reboot of a classic food show he grew up watching!