What is Bobby Flay?

Bobby Flay

Cooking demonstration in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Born	1964(1964--)[][] Manhattan, New York, New York
Cooking style	Spanish, Mexican, and Southwest
Education	French Culinary Institute
Restaurants	Mesa Grill   - New York City   - Caesars Palace, Las Vegas   - Atlantis Paradise Island, Nassau Bolo (New York City) Bar American (New York City) Bobby Flay Steak (Borgata, Atlantic City)
TV Show(s)	Grillin' & Chillin Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay FoodNation Boy Meets Grill BBQ with Bobby Flay Iron Chef America Throwdown! with Bobby Flay

Robert William Flay is a fourth generation Irish-American, celebrity chef and restaurateur. He is the owner and executive chef of six restaurants: Mesa Grill, Bolo Bar & Restaurant, and Bar Americain in New York City, Mesa Grill Las Vegas (Caesars Palace), Mesa Grill Bahamas (Atlantis Paradise Island, Nassau), and Bobby Flay Steak (Atlantic City, New Jersey). Flay has hosted six Food Network television programs, and has appeared regularly on a seventh. He also has guest appearances on other Food Network shows and has hosted a number of Food Network specials.

Personal life

Bobby Flay was born in December^[0] 1964^[0] to Bill and Dorothy Flay in New York, New York, where he was raised and continues to live.^[0] He married Debra Ponzek, another well known chef in New York City, on May 11, 1991.^[2] Flay and Debra divorced in 1993^[2]. He later married Kate Connelly on October 1, 1995, whom he subsequently divorced^[2]. They had one daughter, Sophie, who was born in 1996.

Flay was set up with actress Stephanie March on a blind date by Stephanie's co-star Mariska Hargitay. They began dating and Flay proposed on December 19, 2003 while ice skating at Rockefeller Center. They have been married since February 20, 2005^[2] exactly four years since their first date at Nobu restaurant.

Until recently, Flay was known to hate lentils. "An early draft of Bar Americain's menu had a beet and goat cheese salad with lentils, but Mr. Flay rejected it before the restaurant opened. 'When I go on vacation, they run specials on lentils,' he said."^[4] However, Flay stated that he has "made peace" with lentils.^[5] Flay also dislikes fiddlehead ferns, indicating that to him they "taste like grass (as in the kind you mow)."^[6]

Professional Life

Bobby Flay dropped out of high school at age 16. After a short time working on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange, Flay took a job working as a cook in the kitchen at Joe Allen Restaurant in the Theatre District of New York City, where his father was a partner.^[7] Joe Allen was impressed by Flay's natural ability and decided to pay his tuition at the French Culinary Institute.^[8]

Flay was a member of the first graduating class of the French Culinary Institute in 1984 where he received a degree in Culinary Arts. After culinary school, he worked with restaurateur Jonathan Waxman at Bud and Jams. Waxman introduced Flay to southwestern cuisine, which defined his culinary career.^[8] Flay's first job as executive chef was at Miracle Grill in East Village, Manhattan where he worked from 1988-1990^[8]. This caught the attention of restaurateur Jerome Kretchmer, who ate at the restaurant a number of times. Impressed by Flay's food, Kretchmer offered him the position of executive chef at Mesa Grill which opened on January 15, 1991.^[1] Shortly after, Flay became a partner. Flay then partnered with Laurence Kretchmer to open Bolo Bar & Restaurant in November of 1993^[1][8] in the Flatiron District, just a few blocks away from Mesa Grill.

Bobby Flay opened a second Mesa Grill in Las Vegas, Nevada, in Caesars Palace in 2004.^[8] In the spring of 2005, Bar Americain, an American Brasserie, opened in Midtown Manhattan.^[8] He continued to expand his restaurants by opening Bobby Flay Steak in the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This was followed by a third Mesa Grill in The Bahamas, located in The Cove at Atlantis Paradise Island, which opened on March 28, 2007.

In addition to his restaurants and television shows, he has also been a Master Instructor and Visiting Chef at the French Culinary Institute.^[9] Although he is not currently teaching classes, he does occasionally do a demo or stop in when his schedule permits.^[0] Flay personally selects the recipient of an annual scholarship he has established for a New York City high school student to attend the French Culinary Institute.^[11]

Flay has been criticized in some circles for what is perceived as a "culinary chauvinism" because he tries to, in his words, make traditional, long standing recipes "better."

Television and Movies

Food Network

Flay has hosted six cooking shows and specials on Food Network, of which four continue to run:

• Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay (may still be airing somewhere but just not in the USA)
• Grillin' & Chillin' (no longer airing)
• FoodNation
• Boy Meets Grill
• BBQ with Bobby Flay
• Throwdown! with Bobby Flay

He has also served as a judge on The Next Food Network Star and The Next Iron Chef.^[11] He has also cooked with Emeril Lagasse on his show Emeril Live.

Iron Chef

Flay is also an Iron Chef on the show Iron Chef America.

In 2000, when the original Iron Chef show traveled to New York for a special battle, he challenged Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto for Battle Rock Crab. After the hour battle ended, Flay stood on top of his cutting board and made the "raise the roof" gesture with the cheering audience. Not realizing that all cooking instruments (and indeed all tools of any trade) are sacred in Japan, he offended Iron Chef Morimoto who criticized his professionalism, saying that Flay was "not a chef." Flay went on to lose the battle.

Flay challenged Morimoto to a rematch in Morimoto's native Japan. In this battle, at the end of the hour, Flay threw his cutting board across the room and stood on the counter yet again to raise the roof with the audience. This time, Flay won. Though they share a heated past, Flay and Morimoto, who are both Iron Chefs on Iron Chef America, are now friends.^[12] They even teamed--and won--against fellow Iron Chefs Mario Batali and Hiroyuki Sakai in the Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters "Tag Team" battle.

On a November 2006 episode of Iron Chef America, Flay and Giada De Laurentiis faced off against, and were defeated by, Rachael Ray and Mario Batali.

Flay uses mango in almost every episode of Iron Chef America and he regularly refers to honey as his secret ingredient.

Food Network Specials

• Bobby's Vegas Gamble - Covers the opening of Mesa Grill Las Vegas^[13]
• Restaurant Revamp - Bobby tries to help a family restaurant^[14]
• Chefography: Bobby Flay - Biography of Flay's life^[15]
• Tasting Ireland - Flay visits Ireland^[16]
• Food Network Awards - The Food Network recognizes people and places that have impacted the food world^[17]
• All-Star Grill Fest: South Beach - Flay joins Paula Deen, Giada De Laurentiis, Alton Brown, and Tyler Florence for a barbarque^[18]

Other Cooking Shows

In 1996, he hosted a show on Lifetime Television, The Main Ingredient with Bobby Flay. Approximately twice a month, on Thursday mornings, he hosts a cooking segment on The Early Show airing on CBS.^[1]

Other Television and Movie Appearances

Flay cameoed in the Disney Channel original movie Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off. He also played Leo Ashford in the NBC series episode "Design", which originally aired on September 22, 2005. Flay appeared on the television game show Pyramid with fellow Iron Chef Mario Batali as the guest celebrities in an episode originally airing on November 18, 2003. He had a small role as himself in the 2006 film East Broadway, in which his wife, Stephanie March, had a larger role.^[20]

Books

He authored several cookbooks, including:

• Bobby Flay's Bold American Food (Warner Brothers, May 31, 1994) - ISBN 978-0-44-651724-9
• Bobby Flay's From My Kitchen to Your Table (Clarkson Potter, March 31, 1998) - ISBN 978-0-51-770729-6
• Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill (Hyperion, May 19, 1999) - ISBN 978-0-78-686490-4
• Bobby Flay Cooks American (Hyperion, September 30, 2001) - ISBN 978-0-78-686714-1
• Bobby Flay's Boy Gets Grill (Scribner, May 18, 2004) - ISBN 978-0-74-325481-6
• Bobby Flay's Grilling For Life (Scribner, May 3, 2005) - ISBN 978-0-74-327272-8
• Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook (Clarkson Potter, October 16, 2007)^[0] - ISBN 978-0-30-735141-8
• Grill It! (expected May 2008)^[11]

Flay was also mentioned as the celebrity chef at Victor Ward's club opening in the novel Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis.^[22]

Awards

• New York Magazine Gael Greene's Restaurant of the Year - Mesa Grill (1992)
• James Beard Foundation's Rising Star Chef of the Year (1993)^[23][1]
• French Culinary Institute Outstanding Graduate Award (1993)^[1]
• International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for Design - Bobby Flay's Bold American Food (1995)^[24]
• Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Service Show Host - Boy Meets Grill (2004)^[25]
• Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Service Show Host - Boy Meets Grill (2005)^[26]
• James Beard Foundation's Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America (2007)^[27]

References

External links

• Official website
• Mesa Grill
• Bolo Bar & Restaurant
• Bar Americain
• Bobby Flay Steak
• Bobby Flay's IMDB Profile
• Bobby Flay's Food Network Profile
• Bobby Flay's Contributor Page - The Early Show on CBS
• Susan Mello's Official Website
• Bobby Flay on AhitoZiti.com
• The Bobby Flay Unofficial Fansite on MySpace.com