Bobby Flay facts for kids
Flay in 2007
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| Born | Robert William Flay December 10, 1964 New York City, U.S. |
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| Cooking style | Southwest |
| Education | French Culinary Institute |
| Spouse |
Kate Connelly
(m. 1995; div. 1998)Stephanie March
(m. 2005; div. 2015) |
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Current restaurant(s)
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Previous restaurant(s)
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Television show(s)
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Robert William Flay (born December 10, 1964) is a famous American celebrity chef. He is also a food writer, restaurateur (someone who owns or manages restaurants), and TV personality. Bobby Flay owns and is the main chef for several restaurants. These include Bobby's Burger Palace, Bobby's Burgers, and Amalfi. He has been on Food Network since 1995. His work has won him four Daytime Emmy Awards and a special star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Cooking
Bobby Flay was born in New York City on December 10, 1964. He grew up in a neighborhood called the Upper East Side in Manhattan. His family has Irish roots.
When he was 8 years old, Bobby asked for an Easy-Bake Oven for Christmas. His dad thought a G.I. Joe toy would be better. But Bobby got both! This shows his early interest in cooking.
Bobby left high school when he was 17. His first jobs in food were at a pizza place and a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop. Later, he got a job making salads at Joe Allen Restaurant in New York City. His dad was a partner there. The owner, Joe Allen, was impressed by Bobby's natural talent. He offered to pay for Bobby to go to a cooking school.
Becoming a Chef
Bobby Flay studied at the French Culinary Institute. He earned a degree in cooking in 1984. He was part of the very first class to graduate from that school. After culinary school, he started as a sous-chef (a chef who is second in command). He quickly learned a lot about cooking.
At one restaurant, Brighton Grill, Bobby became the main chef just a week after the old one left. But he realized he wasn't ready to run a whole kitchen yet. So, he left and worked for another chef named Jonathan Waxman. Waxman taught Bobby about Southwestern and Cajun cooking. These styles became very important in Bobby's career.
After a short time working at the stock exchange, Bobby returned to cooking. He became the main chef at Miracle Grill from 1988 to 1990. There, he caught the eye of Jerome Kretchmer, who wanted a Southwestern-style chef. Kretchmer loved Bobby's food and offered him the job of main chef at Mesa Grill. This restaurant opened in 1991, and Bobby soon became a partner. In 1993, Bobby opened another restaurant called Bolo Bar & Restaurant.
Bobby's Restaurants
Bobby Flay opened a second Mesa Grill in Las Vegas in 2004. In 2005, he opened Bar Americain, which served American-style food. He kept opening more restaurants, like Bobby Flay Steak in Atlantic City. A third Mesa Grill opened in the Bahamas in 2007. The Mesa Grill in Las Vegas even earned Bobby a Michelin Star in 2008. A Michelin Star is a very special award for excellent restaurants.
Bolo Bar & Restaurant closed in 2007 to make way for new buildings.
Bobby also started a scholarship in 2003. It's a full scholarship to the French Culinary Institute. It helps a student from a special culinary arts program each year. Bobby helps choose the student himself.
In 2008, Bobby opened his first Bobby's Burger Palace (BBP) in New York. He opened many more locations across different states. At its busiest, there were nineteen Bobby's Burger Palace restaurants.
The first Mesa Grill in New York closed in 2013. In 2021, the Mesa Grill in Las Vegas became an Italian restaurant called Amalfi by Bobby Flay. He also changed the name of his Las Vegas Bobby's Burger Palace to Bobby's Burgers. Today, he has several Bobby's Burgers locations, including at Yankee Stadium.
Bobby Flay on TV
Bobby Flay is very well known for his TV shows on Food Network and Cooking Channel. He has hosted many cooking shows and specials.
Here are some of his popular shows:
- Boy Meets Grill
- BBQ with Bobby Flay
- Throwdown! with Bobby Flay
- Grill It! with Bobby Flay
- Brunch @ Bobby's
- Worst Cooks in America (he was a judge)
- Beat Bobby Flay
- Bobby's Triple Threat
Bobby has also been a judge on shows like The Next Food Network Star.
On Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, Bobby challenges other chefs to a cooking competition. They cook their best dish, and Bobby tries to make it even better.
He was also an Iron Chef on the show Iron Chef America. In one famous moment, he challenged Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. After the battle, Bobby stood on his cutting board, which some chefs found disrespectful. He lost that battle, but later won a rematch in Japan.
On Beat Bobby Flay, other chefs compete against each other. The winner then gets to cook against Bobby Flay himself. The goal is to see if they can make a dish that tastes better than Bobby's!
Bobby has also appeared in movies and TV shows as himself or in small acting roles. For example, he was in the Disney Channel movie Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off. He also appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2018, he was the voice of Fred Jones' uncle in the animated movie Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost.
Other Projects
Bobby Flay also had a weekly radio show on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. He gave advice on many topics, but cooking was always the main focus.
In 2021, Bobby launched a special cat food company called Made by Nacho. It's named after his own Maine Coon cat, Nacho. The company sells different kinds of cat food and treats. Bobby also started a charity fund for cats called the Made By Nacho Charitable Fund.
Bobby has written many cookbooks. These books share his recipes and cooking tips with people at home. Some of his cookbooks include:
- Bobby Flay's Bold American Food
- Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill
- Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook
- Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries and Shakes
- Bobby Flay Fit: 200 Recipes for a Healthy Lifestyle
Personal Life
Bobby Flay loves cats and has lived with them for most of his life. He has had three Maine Coon cats named Nacho, Stella, and Canelo. Sadly, Nacho passed away in 2023.
He also has a big interest in thoroughbred horse racing. He owns several racehorses that have won important races. For example, his horse Creator won the Belmont Stakes in 2016. Another horse, Pizza Bianca, won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2021. Bobby was even on the board of directors for the Breeders' Cup from 2014 to 2018.
Awards and Honors
Bobby Flay has received many awards for his cooking and TV work:
- New York Magazine Gael Greene's Restaurant of the Year – Mesa Grill (1992)
- French Culinary Institute Outstanding Graduate Award (1993)
- Four-time Daytime Emmy Award winner for his TV shows (2005, 2009, 2014, 2015)
- Three-time James Beard Foundation Award winner (1993, 2005, 2007)
- Culinary Hall of Fame Induction (2015)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame (2015)
See also
In Spanish: Bobby Flay para niños
Images for kids
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Entrance sign to Mesa Grill in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
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Mesa Grill at Las Vegas
