Irene is an award-winning producer and Emmy-nominated director
who has put her distinctive stamp on the world of food and lifestyle
programming. Her work is renowned for its lush images and compelling
storylines, and for cleverly combining information and entertainment.
She is versatile, with a track record of award-winning productions
few director/producers can match, from studio series to locations
as far-flung as Vietnam and India.
Irene’s career began when she graduated cum laude from the Film, Television, and Radio program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts (where she double-majored in Journalism), but the story of her passion for food begins long before that, at her grandfather’s side while he cooked at his modest Chinese take-out restaurant in Brooklyn. Irene grew up in that kitchen, spending every day there after school, and learned early on that food is more than a product, it’s an emotional experience. Today, she brings this passion to her production work.
After cutting her teeth at ABC’s Good Morning America, Irene joined the then-fledgling Food Network in 1999. Right from the start she changed the face of food television, traveling the world -- literally -- for My Country My Kitchen. This 26-part primetime documentary series joined famous chefs on nostalgic trips to their homelands, as they rediscovered the foods and people that inspired them. My Country My Kitchen received two James Beard Award nominations, and took home the award for Best TV Journalism in 2001.
In 2003, Irene was nominated for another James Beard Award, this time for the Food Network’s Ciao America with Mario Batali, a 13-part primetime series that profiled Italian-American foods and families in the United States.
That same year, Irene created one of the Food Network’s most popular shows to date, Everyday Italian. She served as Executive Producer and Director for over 100 episodes of this groundbreaking show, which introduced Giada De Laurentiis to the world and was one of the very few cooking shows to be shot in single-camera high-definition. The show’s unique look earned it three Emmy Awards: Outstanding Directing in a Lifestyle Show, Outstanding Lifestyle Program, and Outstanding Lifestyle Host.
As the Food Network’s Director of Programming, Irene was responsible for discovering two popular hosts, Ingrid Hoffman and Ellie Krieger. She supervised all “in the kitchen” daytime cooking programs, working closely with domestic and international production companies to bring Barefoot Contessa with Ina Garten, Paula’s Home Cooking with Paula Deen, Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger, Boy Meets Grill with Bobby Flay, and Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello to air.
Irene has remained in-demand since leaving the Food Network in 2006, producing, directing, and developing programming with a new generation of cooking-television stars, including Aida Mollenkamp, Jeff Corwin, and Missy Chase Lapine. Irene is currently Executive Producer and Director of Everyday Food and Everyday Baking From Everyday Food, two half-hour cooking programs produced by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and airing on PBS.
Irene’s career began when she graduated cum laude from the Film, Television, and Radio program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts (where she double-majored in Journalism), but the story of her passion for food begins long before that, at her grandfather’s side while he cooked at his modest Chinese take-out restaurant in Brooklyn. Irene grew up in that kitchen, spending every day there after school, and learned early on that food is more than a product, it’s an emotional experience. Today, she brings this passion to her production work.
After cutting her teeth at ABC’s Good Morning America, Irene joined the then-fledgling Food Network in 1999. Right from the start she changed the face of food television, traveling the world -- literally -- for My Country My Kitchen. This 26-part primetime documentary series joined famous chefs on nostalgic trips to their homelands, as they rediscovered the foods and people that inspired them. My Country My Kitchen received two James Beard Award nominations, and took home the award for Best TV Journalism in 2001.
In 2003, Irene was nominated for another James Beard Award, this time for the Food Network’s Ciao America with Mario Batali, a 13-part primetime series that profiled Italian-American foods and families in the United States.
That same year, Irene created one of the Food Network’s most popular shows to date, Everyday Italian. She served as Executive Producer and Director for over 100 episodes of this groundbreaking show, which introduced Giada De Laurentiis to the world and was one of the very few cooking shows to be shot in single-camera high-definition. The show’s unique look earned it three Emmy Awards: Outstanding Directing in a Lifestyle Show, Outstanding Lifestyle Program, and Outstanding Lifestyle Host.
As the Food Network’s Director of Programming, Irene was responsible for discovering two popular hosts, Ingrid Hoffman and Ellie Krieger. She supervised all “in the kitchen” daytime cooking programs, working closely with domestic and international production companies to bring Barefoot Contessa with Ina Garten, Paula’s Home Cooking with Paula Deen, Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger, Boy Meets Grill with Bobby Flay, and Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello to air.
Irene has remained in-demand since leaving the Food Network in 2006, producing, directing, and developing programming with a new generation of cooking-television stars, including Aida Mollenkamp, Jeff Corwin, and Missy Chase Lapine. Irene is currently Executive Producer and Director of Everyday Food and Everyday Baking From Everyday Food, two half-hour cooking programs produced by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and airing on PBS.
