Eddie Jackson, former NFL player, talks path to Food Network stardom, why game day is 'something special'

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Eddie Jackson had a solid collegiate football career at Arkansas that he parlayed into a brief NFL career. But he also loved entertaining and cooking and decided to take off the helmet and pads and wear an apron instead.

The former NFL cornerback who played for the Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots from 2004 to 2007 turned to the culinary arts full time after his days on the gridiron were over. He went from cooking in food trucks to emerging as a top chef on the Food Network.

"With me, I grew up in a household where my grandmothers were chefs. When I started cooking, I was like 5 years old, started making biscuits with my grandmother," Jackson explained to Fox News Digital in a recent interview. 

"For me, once I got done playing sports, I knew I wanted to do something with food. So, I started out catering and doing all these events and things like that. And it kinda led me to getting a food truck, and that led me to trying out for ‘Food Network Star,’ and I won ‘Food Network Star.’ 

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Former NFL player and "Food Network Star" winner Eddie Jackson attends Jets + Chefs: The Ultimate Tailgate. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for NYCWFF)

"And that’s how I got onto Food Network seven years ago, and I’ve been with them for seven years. Lotta shows hosted and judged and all kinds of things. And it’s been a beautiful relationship."

Jackson said he got into the food service business at Arkansas.

"In college, I used to sell plates to my teammates to get pocket change, and I still cooked when I got into the NFL. I love to entertain. For me, entertaining is everything. That’s why I