The Forgotten Food Network Show Once Hosted By A Beloved Today Show Star

From humble beginnings in the early '90s to a peak of popularity and influence in the 2000s and early 2010s, Food Network has made its mark on the culinary world and the entertainment industry. It's the seed that led to an explosion of food programming, a proliferation of food blogs, and a surge of home-cooks-turned-food-gurus on social media. Many of us have a classic Food Network show that we love from its heyday. Shows like "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," "Chopped," "Iron Chef America," and "Food Network Star" — some of which are still going today — are easily recalled. But not every show from those legendary days remain in the nation's collective memory. One, "Roker on the Road," hosted by beloved NBC "Today" show weather and feature anchor, Al Roker, seems to have been a bit forgotten.

Now 71-years old, Roker recently celebrated his 30th anniversary with NBC. Known for his cheery, positive attitude, the "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" actor says he has no plans to retire, despite recent cancer treatment in 2025. With a lifetime of accomplishments — including holding the The Guinness World Record for longest uninterrupted live TV weather report (at 34 hours) — his mid-2000s Food Network stint in "Roker on the Road" seems to have fallen by the wayside.

The premise of his food show was simple. As Roker succinctly put it at the beginning of episodes, it was "the show that celebrates people and their passion for food." But was it any good and did Food Network cancel it like "The Kitchen"?

First airing in 2003, the show accompanied the Queens-born Roker as he traversed the U.S. in search of notable food destinations, telling the stories of the people behind them. "Roker on the Road" episodes featured anything from a Russian immigrant offering fancy meals at a hockey rink food stand to an all-male epicurean cooking club. But Roker didn't just eat and chat, he got in on the action, making donuts, running a lunch counter, and learning the ropes of a short-order cook.

Information about the show remains scant. It's unclear why the series ended after four seasons. While full episodes cannot be found on streaming services (including Food Network itself), you can watch five-minute clips on YouTube. Twenty years on, these show-clips depict a nostalgic, long forgotten vibe. Comments on the few segments to be found online are sparse, with none more recent than ten years ago, with one fan exclaiming, "I remembered watching this show on television ... I heard this person on Reading Rainbow reading the book Hail to Mail."

Reddit yields a single post in search of an episode featuring a grandfather's famous Jewish Deli, Ashkenaz, in Chicago, which is now closed, lamenting, "We lost the VHS tape ... and my sister and I can't seem to find a trace of it anywhere." Sadly, "Roker on the Road" seems destined to remain just one of those under-the-radar foodie shows that diehard Al Roker fans (aka the "A-Team") love because it's peak Food Network nostalgiacore.