The Kitchen co-host Jeff Mauro has admitted he ‘didn’t expect to feel this sad’ following the shock cancellation of the fan favorite Food Network show.

It was announced on Monday that the beloved weekend series is coming to an end in December after 11 years.

Taking to Instagram, the 47-year-old chef recalled some of his most treasured memories while also heaping praise on his co-stars, the crew, and the many fans.

Alongside a photograph of himself and his The Kitchen co-stars Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee Biegel, Alex Guarnaschelli and Geoffrey Zakarian, Jeff also voiced his deep appreciation for having starred on the show at all.

He said: ‘After 11 years, 40 seasons, and over 500 episodes, The Kitchen has come to an end. I always knew what we had was special — rare, a unicorn, an anomaly.

‘Shows don’t last this long… and ours did. I’ve prayed and given thanks every night for that fact.

‘I got to spend a dozen years with my best friends — cooking, laughing, and eating life-changing bites from some of the world’s greatest chefs and cooks.

‘I got to play Twister with Daniel Radcliffe, sing and strum with Trisha Yearwood, and spit bars with Vanilla Ice and Rev Run.

‘Sarah, Lorenzo, and I even shot and performed in 31 at-home episodes during crazy COVID.

‘One time, a squirrel ran out of a marching band’s bass drum. Another time, a grip fell into a sinkhole along the banks of the mighty Montclair River… twice! Blizzards, power outages and many small fires.

‘We laughed so much. We ate so much. I learned so much. I could write a book the size of a schooner — in fact, I just might.’

Turning his attention to his co-stars, crew, and fans, he continued: ‘Geoffrey, Sunny, Katie, and Alex — I love you all and will cherish every moment we created together.

‘To our fans — I love you and thank you for the years of watching, supporting, and growing with us. To the Food Network family, thank you very much for the opportunity to live out my dream.

‘And to the hundreds of dedicated, talented crew members who became part of this special family — Beth, Blake, Maggie, Brett… all of youse. Jet, Kevin, Ron, Mike, Marshall, Jeff Miller, Dahlia, Elias, Jed, Cressida and so many others — thank you.

‘I didn’t expect to feel this sad, but my optimism for what lies ahead outweighs the sadness. than anything, I’m deeply grateful and humbled for this immense opportunity that I will never forget.

‘Now — I’ve written enough chapters, on to the next book in this thrilling yet comedic & warm multi-volume series.’

Jeff’s co-stars were moved by his sentiments.

Alex said: ‘You’re a gem Jeff. And Gus would be proud of how elegant and optimistic you are. A chip off the block.’

Sunny responded: ‘Luv ya, bruh!! We DID that!! Can’t say we didn’t!’

After debuting in January 2014, The Kitchen will officially air its final episode on Saturday, December 13 at 11am ET.

According to reports, the show’s axe comes as the network continues to ‘evaluate resources and its priorities heading into the new year’s lineup of programming.’

Warner Bros Discovery is said to be moving forward with its ‘plans to split up the linear channels portion of the business from the streaming services and studio.’

‘For over a decade Sunny, Katie, Jeff, Geoffrey and more recently Alex have engaged audiences with their individual and distinct food sensibilities and sense of humor that together make The Kitchen a delicious way to spend an hour,’ the network’s head of food content Betsy Ayala said.

‘Everyone knows all good parties end up in The Kitchen, where the conversation, laughs and food flow; the best parties probably end a little bit earlier then some guests would like, but we’ve got 12 years of memories and wanted to celebrate this team’s hard work during one final holiday season.’