Candice Lombardi, Rye resident and producer of Food Network’s “The Kitchen,” says as delectable as the on-screen dishes are, they’re just one of many things on her mind once the cameras start to roll.

A kitchen choreographer of sorts, it’s her job to make sure the show’s four co-hosts move seamlessly from recipe to recipe, while dishing out culinary tidbits in between chopping, mixing, and pulling mouth-watering meals out of the oven.

“When we’re shooting,” Lombardi explained, “I’m on the floor, on a headset, and I am talking to the control room, I’m telling the host, ‘Okay, this is what you’re going to do. You have a freezer walk, or you’re going here, remember, there’s a game,’ all of that kind of stuff.”

“The Kitchen” is co-hosted by celebrity chefs Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee Biegel, Jeff Mauro, and Geoffrey Zakarian. From banter about food trends and family meal tips to games and Twitter questions from viewers, the one-hour episodes dispense user-friendly recipes and cooking advice.

The food and fun take place within the show’s three sets – an inviting kitchen, a comfy couch area and a plant-filled patio. “It really is a food talk show,” Lombardi said. “You learn about what they’re making for dinner, you learn about their kids, their favorite vacation recipes.”

She’s been corralling “The Kitchen’s” moving parts since 2014 when she was brought in to produce the show’s second season. It’s safe to say the recipe has been successful. The Kitchen is on season 37.

A single mom of two daughters, Lombardi decided to make the move from Manhattan to Rye in 2021. With her oldest was on her way to college, her youngest needed a new school. She was happy to discover that Rye Middle School more than fit the bill. “It was all about finding the school and speaking to the amazing teachers there before I even enrolled her,” said Lombardi. “It’s just been the best experience for her.”

She was pleasantly surprised to find that the move was good for her as well. “I’ve met amaz- ing friends here,” said Lombardi, “Something for me that I never even expected or thought of because it’s really hard to make friends when you are older.”

Lombardi takes great pleasure in adding to the local flavor.

This past Valentine’s Day, she teamed up with Liz Woods of Ryemarkable Moms to throw a Galentine’s Day Party at Wainwright House. The sold-out celebration of women’s friend- ship featured a wine tasting, food demonstration, and Q&A with “The Kitchen’s” Katie Lee Biegel.

She invited chef and “Chopped” judge Christian Petroni to last year’s Mistletoe Magic to help with the chili cook-off. Petroni, who lives in Port Chester, is founder of Westchester’s Fortina restaurants. “He brought his kids, his parents and his wife, and they had the best time.”

Lombardi began her career in television production right after college at LIU Post. Her first job was in New York as a production assistant on an FX morning show, “Breakfast Time.” The show featured a mix of current affairs, cooking, fashion, health, and even a puppet that would pop out from behind the couch during celebrity interviews. “It was just such a learning ground for me,” said Lombardi, “and an incredible place to be and learn from all these creative people.”

From there she moved to Los Angeles and worked as a producer on the “The Howie Mandel Show,” a talk show hosted by the comedian. Then it was back to New York for a stint in public relations and then on to produce “The Good Dish,” hosted by foodies Daphne Oz, Gail Simmons and Jamika Pessoa. Soon after, “The Kitchen” called. “One of my best friends who started with me at FX asked if I would come and just do this show for three months.” Three months turned into 10 years and counting, along with three Emmy nominations. “For us, for this little cable show on Food Network, it was the most exciting thing ever,” she said about the honor. “Our office screamed so loud. We could not believe it.”

Lombardi and her team handle the show’s fast-paced production from soup to nuts. Each season’s 20 episodes are shot in a span of just two weeks. “We write the shows, the intros, the outtros, the fun facts, pretty much what they’re saying,” she said. She books celebrity guests and folds their recipes, background, and fun personal tidbits into the show scripts, along with products from brands like Ocean Spray and Kitchenaid.

She credits The Kitchen’s wide appeal to the easygoing camaraderie among the four co-hosts. They’re all at the top of their game as chefs, restaurateurs, and cookbook writers, yet they exude a down-to-earth vibe while dishing out recipes and cooking advice that’s accessible to the average home cook, she said.

And there’s always a healthy dose of fun, especially when celebrity guests like Martha Stewart make an appearance.

She brought her own shaker to make martinis,” Lombardi said. “It was the size of me. Oh my God, can she make a lot of martinis.”

From melt-in-your-mouth slow-cooker pot roast to yummy chocolate peanut-butter banana bread, Lombardi said, it’s not only the recipes that lead cooks and non-cooks alike to tune into “The Kitchen” on Saturdays at 11 a.m.

“What people have said to me when I tell them, ‘Oh, I work on that show,’ is they leave it on as background because it’s soothing.”

Cooking skills aside, it’s a sure bet that Lombardi and her production crew will be serving up a big dollop of comfort food.