Food Network’s Kardea Brown Celebrates Dream Moment in Her Career

Kardea Brown just checked one of her dream TV gigs off her bucket list.

The chef has shown off her cooking and baking expertise on several shows over the years, including Delicious Miss Brown, The Great Soul Food Cook-Off, Spring Baking Championship, Kids Baking Championship, Baking Championship: Next Gen, and more. She recently returned for her second season as a judge on Food Network‘s Holiday Baking Championship, which returned on November 2.

In a Monday, November 9, Instagram Story post, Brown shared her excitement about appearing on one of her favorite celebrity talk shows: The Jennifer Hudson Show. “The night I won TWO Emmys, I told @jenniferhudsonshow that one day I would be a guest on her show,” she wrote alongside a snap of herself and Jennifer Hudson at the 2025 Daytime Emmys. (Delicious Miss Brown scored two wins at last year’s ceremony for Outstanding Culinary Instructional Series and Outstanding Culinary Host.)

“Exactly ONE YEAR later, I was sitting on her stage!” Brown continued. “Never underestimate the power of speaking your dreams into existence. From your lips to God’s ears!”

Brown appeared on the Monday, November 9, episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show to promote Holiday Baking Championship and to teach Hudson how to make her grandmother’s sweet potato pie with a New York-style cheesecake bottom and a ginger snap crust.

“I am going to be the teacher, and you should be the student today,” she told Hudson before walking her through the steps of the recipe. “So, I’m going to let you do all of this because you’re gonna go home and make this for Thanksgiving.”

Fans gushed over the delicious recipe on social media. “Was that cheesecake on the bottom? Yes please,” one person commented underneath an Instagram clip of the cooking segment. Another added, “Kardea don’t miss in that kitchen chile!!!” Someone else shared, “I love this Kardea and Jhud combo btw…. And I needs me a slice.”

Brown also got to do her own version of the show’s iconic Spirit Tunnel set entrance. She danced down the hallway while passing out pie slices to the show’s crew. “Yessssssz,” Hudson wrote in the comments of the Instagram video. In a comment of her own, Brown said, “First person to bring snacks down the spirit tunnel! That’s that Southern Hospitality. thank you all for all the love.”

 

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Brown previously shared her excitement for the episode in a Sunday, November 8, Instagram post. “DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE!!! Cousinsssss!!! Guess who’s hanging out with the AMAZING @iamjhud TOMORROW?!?!” she captioned a pic of herself and Hudson on set. “What a moment, what a blessing, and what an experience!”

She added, “I can’t wait for y’all to see this!!! And ya’ll already know I tore up that spirit tunnel.”

The Jennifer Hudson Show, Weekdays, Check Local Listings

Holiday Baking Championship, New Episodes, Mondays, 8/7c, Food Network