Food Network will add a new weekly half-hour series blending food and comedy, the network announced Tuesday during the Television Critics Association’s Winter Press Tour.

In “Ham on the Street,” a comic will quiz people on the street on food-related topics and issue challenges to them.

The network also announced the renewal of “The Next Food Network Star.”

Food Network said 2005 was its highest-rated year ever, up 17 percent in prime time over 2004.