Not to mention that this season's competition is dominated by southern chefs.

I am a Food Network junkie. It is the number one channel on my television and you can catch me vegging out on the couch on a Saturday morning watching it or simply having it on in the background while doing things around the house. I love it. There are a few shows on Food Network that I DVR every season of. One of those is Food Network Star. It's a reality competition show that searches for the next big chef who will star in their own cooking show.

Season 13 is sure to be a southern sweep.

The network just announced their 12 finalists for this season. One more contestant will be joining the show after they win their way back through a special series of "Comeback Kitchen", but that's a story for another day. The real focus on this season is how many chefs are from Texas and Louisiana, or really the south in general.

Let's meet our local favorites...

Caodan Tran - Dallas, Texas: Owner of her own personal chef service, Caodan chose cooking as a career to learn about other cultures. Her style is fresh and clean, always keeping it simple.

Cory Bahr - Monroe, Louisiana: Named the King of Louisiana Seafood back in 2011, Cory is the owner of a catering company, a restauranteur and private chef. He's already been named Food & Wine's "People's Best New Chef." Let's hope his expertise comes across on camera.

Nancy Manlove - Texas City, Texas: Nancy used to work for NASA but decided on a career change that brought her to food. Her pride and joy is a farm-to-table restaurant and she's out to prove it's never too late to pursue your dreams, even at age 65.

Toya Boudy - New Orleans, Louisiana: It's hard not to have a passion for food when you're from the Big Easy. Toya is a former culinary school instructor and her culinary point of view is to always have fun with your food.

In addition to these Texas and Louisiana natives, there are several other competitors from the south hailing from Alabama, Georgia, and Kentucky. What can we say? Southern fare is so hot right now.

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