After more than a decade of spotlighting Texas restaurants, chefs and wine finds on TV, longtime host and executive producer Tanji Patton says the current season of Goodtaste with Tanji will be its last on TV.
Patton announced the decision Tuesday in a Facebook post, calling it “one of the biggest decisions” of her career.
“This will be the final season of Goodtaste with Tanji on television, but this isn’t goodbye,” Patton wrote. “There are so many mixed emotions, but they all come from a very good place and are leading into an exciting new chapter in our Goodtaste world.”
The Emmy Award-winning journalist said the decision began taking shape about two years ago after feeling called “to use my voice for Him.” While the TV series is ending, the broader Goodtaste brand will continue through digital platforms and her podcast, Goodtaste for the Soul.
Patton said the podcast will now become her primary focus, with continued food, wine and lifestyle content alongside “inspiring, uplifting conversations.” She added that her son, Cash, will help produce the show and handle marketing.
The syndicated food and wine series is currently in its 11th season and airs in 17 Texas markets, as well as Oklahoma, Nashville and nationally on RFD-TV. The travel-style program features restaurants and eateries across Texas while also highlighting wine pairings, cocktails and culinary trends.
“Mike and I started Goodtaste as an online show and magazine back in 2008,” Patton wrote, referring to her husband. “One divine domino after another fell into place, and our TV show came to life in 2016.”
Patton, who grew up in Houston, also reflected on several full-circle moments in her career, including the fact that KLBK in Lubbock—the station where she got her start at 19 years old—now airs the show.
Before launching Goodtaste, Patton spent decades in TV news as an anchor, investigative reporter and producer. She was the original host and executive producer of San Antonio Living from 1997 to 2002 and gained national attention in 2000 when she co-hosted Live with Regis during the show’s nationwide search for a permanent co-host.
Her journalism career included reporting from the Pentagon after 9/11 and from the USS Theodore Roosevelt during the war in Afghanistan. One of her investigations into inequalities within Texas’ child adoption system also helped prompt changes in state law.
Patton thanked a lengthy list of sponsors and supporters in her announcement, including H-E-B, Sysco Foods, Goya Foods and Sinclair Broadcasting executive John Seabers.
“To H-E-B—my very first sponsor, even before the TV show existed—I will forever be grateful,” she wrote.
Episodes of Goodtaste with Tanji will continue airing in their regular time slots throughout the summer.