ArtSmith

Hmm... it seems like every network is expanding at the waistline. That is, a bunch of them are getting into food in a big way. Like Fine Living becoming the Cooking Channel. TLC is also adding more yum yum to the schedule. And the latest has an Oprah angle. Perhaps it's a coincidence, but just about everyone connected to Oprah Winfrey is getting a TV show these days... Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, Nate Berkus. And now chef Art Smith has landed a show on TLC. Smith is well-known as Oprah's personal chef.

Art Smith was on Bravo's Top Chef Masters last summer -- that was his audition -- and he showed himself as a homey, pleasant, unpretentious cook. For TLC, he's going to host Craving Comfort, with the emphasis on Southern comfort food.

Fresh of his "champions round" run on Bravo's 'Top Chef: Masters,' chef Art Smith is headed to TLC for his own cooking series, under the working title 'Craving Comforts.' So far, eight half-hour episodes have been ordered, with production already underway.

Luckily for Smith, 'Comforts' won't be anywhere near the stress-inducing levels of 'Top Chef: Masters.' Instead, Smith will showcase his teddy bear personality as he travels across the country to uncover stories behind America's favorite comfort foods (think 'Diner's, Drive-Ins and Dives' meets 'Paula's Home Cooking').

Smith seems like a logical choice for his own show, and will likely provide a comforting alternative to the more extreme and abrasive celebrity chefs currently on television (hello, Gordon Ramsay!). His resume also makes him the perfect fit for TLC, given that he's worked for Oprah for years and is a two-time James Beard Award winner.