Food Network’s first-ever scripted feature, Candy Coated Christmas will premiere on Friday, November 19 exclusively on discovery+. A movie gift for anyone who loves the holidays and has a passion for cooking, baking and spending time with family, Candy Coated Christmas stars Molly McCook (Last Man Standing) as Molly Gallant, a Beverly Hills marketing executive whose carefully planned life takes an unexpected turn when she takes a business trip to the picturesque town of Peppermint Hollow, and Aaron O’Connell (The Haves and The Have Nots) as mint farmer and entrepreneur Noah Winters. Molly was counting on seed money from her father to help launch an exciting new venture with her best friend. However, just as she and her dad are supposed to be jetting off to Hawaii for their annual Christmas trip, Molly learns that the family business is facing bankruptcy. The only way to recoup the funds she needs is to sell her late mother’s childhood home in the town of Peppermint Hollow, Washington: the “Peppermint Capital of the World.” Molly fully intends to get the house on the market and get out of the cold to sunny Hawaii by Christmas, but then she meets the current renters, Noah Winters and his family, who warmly welcome her into their home, sharing their holiday traditions with her. It begins to seem as if fate, and the weather, are conspiring to keep Molly in Peppermint Hollow, even as she begins to appreciate the value of family. And she and Noah may discover a new way to make a mint…together.
Food Network’s own Ree Drummond makes her feature debut in the special as bakery owner Bee. The movie also stars John McCook (The Bold and the Beautiful, and real-life father of Molly McCook) as Molly’s father Fred Gallant, Lee Garlington (Broken) as Kim Winters, newcomer Landry Townsend as Dakota Winters, Lonzo Liggins as realtor Patrick, Dia Frampton as Chloe, and Jae Suh Park (The Big Short) as Gracie.