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There are two truths to the universe: the sun will eventually burn out, and cooking shows will always be around. We're far removed from the days of talking heads walking you through recipes, with grandiose challenges, reality show shenanigans, and elaborate productions elevating what was one of the most simple concepts for a television show: cooking things in front of a camera. But, seeing as how just about anyone can do that with a device they carry in their pockets, modern audiences need something with a bit more depth to it.

Roku recently threw its hat into the ring with Morimoto's Sushi Master, and you might initially write this series off as another celebrity-endorsed competition. But this cooking series has a few secret ingredients that make it stand out above the competition. With a focus on Japanese cuisine and its brilliant host, Roku may have struck gold with this six-part sushi showdown.

What is it about cooking competition shows that we love? After all, it's not like we can eat the food, or even smell it. It feels like the ultimate kind of window shopping — watching people cook and bake things that we will never enjoy. And yet, there is something suspenseful, charming, educational, and even deeply human about some TV cooking competitions.

While many of them devolve into shouting, overly dramatic music, and manipulative editing, some of them stand out as genuinely great television, such as The Great British Bake-Off and Iron Chef. That latter series, especially in its original Japanese incarnation but also Iron Chef America, is often considered the greatest cooking competition franchise of all time.

Ironically, one of the great original Iron Chefs, Chef Masaharu Morimoto, is now presenting what's arguably the best cooking show of the past decade — Morimoto's Sushi Master, a new Roku Original.

Who Is Sushi Master?...

Roku is about to make your mouth water. The device-maker is creating two new unscripted culinary shows, “Morimoto’s Sushi Master” and “The Cupcake Guys,” for the Roku Channel. In addition, the streamer’s upcoming Spanish-language cooking show “¡Que Delicioso!” has set a premiere date for November 25.

“Morimoto’s Sushi Master” stars Masaharu Morimoto, a Japanese chef and restaurateur best known for his appearances on the original Japanese cooking competition show “Iron Chef” and its American adaptation on the Food Network. Morimoto will serve as the head judge for the new six-episode series, which sees eight chefs competing in various challenges to master the art of sushi making. Actress Lyrica Okano from Hulu’s “Runaways” hosts the series, which features Santa Fe’s Coyote Café head chef Dakota Weiss and New York Times food columnist Kenji Lopez-Alt as additional judges.

“The Cupcake Guys” stars Michael Griffin and Brian Orakpo, former...

Two new lifestyle series are being added to Roku Originals’ slate of programming, and its upcoming Spanish-language original series “¡Que Delicioso!” has officially announced its premiere date and hosts.

Thursday, Roku announced “Morimoto’s Sushi Master” and “The Cupcake Guys” will be the newest original series joining the Roku Originals family.

On “Morimoto’s Sushi Master,” eight contestants will battle it out against one another to see who comes out on top as the master sushi chef. Hosted by “Marvel’s Runaways” star Lyrica Okano, the six-episode unscripted series will feature “Iron Chef” star and restauranteur Masaharu Morimoto, who will also act as the lead judge. Chef Dakota Weiss, executive chef of Coyote Café and former co-owner of Sweetfin Poke, and Chef Kenji Lopez-Alt, the New York Times food columnist and author of bestselling cookbook “The Food Lab,” will also serve as judges.

“Morimoto’s Sushi Master” will be produced by Ample Entertainement.

Roku is cooking up a pair of new original non-scripted series.

The streamer has ordered sushi competition series Morimoto’s Sushi Master and The Cupcake Guys from Michael Strahan.

Morimoto’s Sushi Master, which is the first-ever cooking competition series focused on the art of sushi-making, is hosted by Lyrica Okano (Marvel’s Runaways). The six-part series will see eight competing sushi chefs work to impress Morimoto, along with judges Chef Dakota Weiss, Executive Chef of Santa Fe’s Coyote Café and former co-owner of Sweetfin Poke, and Chef Kenji Lopez-Alt.

It comes from The Invisible Pilot producer Ample Entertainment with Ari Mark, Phil Lott, Kathryn Vaughn, Liz Cook and Masuhira Morimoto as executive producers.

The Cupcake Guys follows former professional NFL players Michael Griffin and Brian Orakpo and their business partner Bryan Hynson at their cupcake shop. The six-part docu-series follows the entrepreneurs operating a Gigi’s Cupcake franchise in their hometown of Austin,...

Today’s celebrity chefs are treated like rock stars. But mostly male rock stars. Like many other professions, men have somehow garnered more fame and bigger paychecks than their female counterparts in the restaurant world.

The new Logo documentary “Hungry” aims to examine how and why that came to be. Filmmaker Patty Ivins (“Reversal of Fortune”) took a look at gender inequality in restaurant kitchens for the film.

Among the chefs she interviewed: Los Angeles-based Dakota Weiss, who owns Estrella and Sweetfin Poke; Pink Delongpre, owner of Bacon & Brine in Solvang, Calif.; and Sarah Kirnon, owner of Miss Ollie’s in Oakland.

Read More: ‘Chef’s Table’: The Directors’ Secret Recipe For The Best Food Show on TV

“For centuries the professional chef world has traditionally been perceived as a man’s world where men were chefs and women were pastry chefs,” Ivins said. “Food magazines and TV shows...

Baby bump alert! Stacy Keibler was spotted indulging her pregnancy cravings this week when she stopped at a Popchips barbecue at the W Westwood. Flaunting her budding baby belly in a figure-hugging orange dress, the expectant mother was joined by Top Chef‘s Dakota Weiss as she snacked on the popchips and chicken tacos. Um, Yum! Launch the...Read more»...

Practice makes perfect — but not on Top Chef. Dakota Weiss' trial run to cook venison went off without a hitch, but when it came time to cook for the elimination challenge, all four racks wound up undercooked, leading to her and teammate Nyesha Arrington's eliminations. "It was such a shock because our trial run went perfectly," Dakota tells TVGuide.com. "And of course the racks that counted did not come out perfectly. But that's what happens sometimes." So what went wrong? Find out below.

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Top Chef's first double elimination claimed Nyesha Arrington and Dakota Weiss after they undercooked their venison — or more specifically, Dakota undercooked the venison. "It sucks to go home for something I didn't do myself," Nyesha tells TVGuide.com. "When it's something you did, it's a little easier to swallow." Still, the Santa Monica, Calif.-based chef says she's not bitter that she had to go down for Dakota's mistake.

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