Banijay Entertainment Launches Culinary Competition Cooking Grandmas at Mipcom

According to Variety, Banijay Entertainment and Banijay Italia are making waves at the annual Mipcom content showcase in Cannes, France, by introducing an engaging and heartwarming new culinary competition format titled Cooking Grandmas. The upcoming series brings together the warmth of traditional home cooking and the high-stakes environment of a primetime television contest, setting the stage for a unique viewing experience. Set to air in 2026, the show is scheduled to be broadcast on Sky Italia, marking another major collaboration between the prominent production entities and the major Italian broadcaster. At the heart of this new television venture is well-known chef Alessandro Borghese, who will helm the program as host, bringing his trademark charisma and culinary expertise to the kitchen stage. The format places grandmothers at the center of the culinary battle, celebrating generations of family recipes, time-honored cooking techniques, and the rich cultural heritage embedded in traditional domestic dishes. As television markets continue to seek fresh, relatable, and entertaining concepts, Cooking Grandmas taps into the universal appeal of comfort food and intergenerational storytelling. The choice of Mipcom in Cannes as the launchpad for Cooking Grandmas underscores the strategic importance of the international market for Banijay. By unveiling the format to global buyers and industry professionals gathered on the French Riviera, the production companies hope to spark widespread international interest, potentially paving the way for localized adaptations of the format in various other territories around the world. The growing appetite for comfort-driven unscripted content has made cooking competitions a staple of modern television programming, yet formats that center specifically on older, experienced home cooks remain relatively underexplored on a global scale. Through this new project, Banijay Italia and chef Alessandro Borghese aim to fill that gap, offering audiences a refreshing alternative to standard professional chef competitions. As the entertainment industry looks ahead to 2026, the anticipation surrounding Cooking Grandmas reflects broader trends in television programming that favor authenticity, emotional connection, and celebration of everyday culinary experts. With production underway and international distribution strategies taking shape, the series is well-positioned to become a standout title in the global unscripted television landscape. Industry observers and network executives attending Mipcom have already shown keen interest in the format, recognizing its strong potential to resonate with diverse audiences who appreciate the comforting nostalgia of grandmotherly cooking paired with the excitement of a high-energy television contest.