Alex Guarnaschelli facts for kids

Alexandra Maria Guarnaschelli (born June 20, 1969) is a famous American chef, cookbook author, and TV star. She is the head chef at Butter restaurant in New York City. Before that, she was the head chef at The Darby restaurant until it closed. Alex also spent a lot of time studying cooking in France.

You might know her from TV shows on the Food Network. She appears on The Kitchen, Chopped (where she is a judge), Iron Chef America, and Guy's Grocery Games. She also hosts her own shows like Alex's Day Off, The Cooking Loft, and Supermarket Stakeout. In 2012, she won the TV cooking competition The Next Iron Chef: Redemption. Her newest show, Alex vs. America, started in January 2022.

In 2013, Alex Guarnaschelli published her first cookbook. It's called Old-School Comfort Food: The Way I Learned to Cook. This book shares stories from her life and her favorite recipes. She changed these recipes so people can easily make them at home.

Early Life and Inspiration

Alex Guarnaschelli was the only child of Maria Guarnaschelli and John Guarnaschelli. Her mother was a cookbook editor. Alex was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but her family moved to New York City when she was just a baby.

Alex's love for cooking began when she was young. She watched her mom test many recipes at home for the cookbooks she was editing. This early experience helped Alex learn a lot about food and cooking.

She finished high school at Horace Mann School in 1987. Then, she went to Barnard College and graduated in 1991 with a degree in art history.

Becoming a Chef

In 1991, Alex started working in a restaurant called An American Place. She worked there for a year to gain experience.

After that, Alex worked with famous chefs like Larry Forgione. She also cooked in many restaurants in France, New York, and Los Angeles. Some of these included La Butte Chaillot by Guy Savoy and restaurants by Daniel Boulud and Joachim Splichal. In 2003, she became the head chef at Butter Midtown. She was also the head chef at The Darby restaurant until it closed in 2013. Alex also helps lead the Culinary Council for the Museum of Food and Drink.

In 2022, Alex Guarnaschelli was honored as the godmother of the Discovery Princess cruise ship.

TV Shows and Competitions

Alex Guarnaschelli has been on many TV shows, especially on the Food Network.

Early TV Appearances

She first appeared on Iron Chef America in 2007 as a competitor. She cooked against Chef Cat Cora, but Cat Cora won that challenge. Later, Alex often came back to the show as a judge. In 2011, she competed in The Next Iron Chef and finished in third place. She also competed in a Food Network Challenge Thanksgiving episode but did not win. After her time on The Next Iron Chef, Alex worked as a sous chef (assistant chef) for Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian.

Hosting and Judging Roles

In 2008, Alex started hosting her own show, The Cooking Loft with Alex Guarnaschelli. On this show, she taught students how to create new versions of classic dishes. Alex is a frequent judge on many Food Network competition shows. These include Food Network Challenge, Chopped, Cooks Vs. Cons, and Guy's Grocery Games. She also appeared on The Best Thing I Ever Ate.

Her show Alex's Day Off started in October 2009 and ran for three seasons. In 2012, she returned to The Next Iron Chef: Redemption and won the competition! Her first challenge as an Iron Chef on Iron Chef America was shown on December 30, 2012. Alex also made guest appearances on the TV shows Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn and The Real O'Neals.

Recent TV Work

Alex has also been a judge on Iron Chef Gauntlet and Beat Bobby Flay. On Beat Bobby Flay, she won against Bobby Flay with her special lobster dish. She appeared as herself in the TV show Young and Hungry. She was also a mentor on Worst Cooks in America in season 20, leading the Blue Team to victory.

In 2022, her new show Alex vs. America premiered on Food Network.

Personal Life

Alex Guarnaschelli married Brandon Clark on April 29, 2007. They met in 2006 when Alex was teaching a cooking class. Their daughter, Ava, was born in July 2007.

Alex and Brandon later ended their marriage. In June 2020, Alex announced she was engaged to chef Michael Castellon. He was a winner on the show Chopped. However, in February 2022, they announced that their engagement had ended.

Television Appearances List