Keith Famie facts for kids

Keith Famie, born on February 11, 1960, in Farmington Hills, Michigan, is an American chef, restaurant owner, and a talented film director and producer. He became well-known after appearing on the TV show Survivor: The Australian Outback in 2001, where he finished in third place.

Keith Famie's Early Career in Cooking

From Dishwasher to Head Chef

Keith Famie started working in restaurant kitchens while he was still in high school. After graduating, he traveled and worked in hotels around the world. He cooked in places like Brussels, Monte Carlo, and New York City. He worked in 27 different restaurants globally, doing everything from washing dishes to being the head chef. By 1987, he was the main chef at Chez Raphael in Novi, Michigan. He even wrote a cookbook called The Flavor of Famie.

Opening His Own Restaurants

In 1988, Famie opened his own American bistro called Les Auteurs in Royal Oak, Michigan. This restaurant was quite successful, employing about 70 people in the early 1990s.

He also created a take-out chain called Famie's Chicken in the early 1990s, but it didn't last long. Between 1988 and 1993, he opened a cooking school, the Les Auteurs School of Cooking. He also started a bar and restaurant called Madison's.

Famie even released a series of trading cards in 1992 that featured different chefs and their recipes. A portion of the money from these cards went to the Rainbow Connection. This charity helps children with serious illnesses.

In 1993, Famie closed Les Auteurs and opened a new restaurant in the same spot called Durango Grill. It had a cowboy theme. He later sold this restaurant concept in 1994. By 1997, Famie was working as a chef at a restaurant called Forte in Birmingham, Michigan.

Keith Famie's Journey into TV and Film

Starting a Film Company

In 1995, Keith Famie started his own film company called Visionalist Entertainment Productions. He began producing TV shows and documentaries.

One of his early projects was a five-part TV series about Japanese cooking for WDIV-TV in Detroit. He also created a travel and food series called Keith Famie's Adventures in Cooking. This show was later renamed Famie's Adventures in Cooking. It was watched by many people in Detroit.

Documentaries and Special Projects

Famie produced a special documentary called From Hanoi to China Beach: A Taste of the Exotic. It was shown at the Fox Theatre (Detroit) for a charity event in 1999. It later aired on WDIV-TV.

In 2000, his company worked on another film called A Journey to Mexico, also known as A Journey Home. This film explored the journey of immigrants from Mexico to Detroit. It premiered at the Detroit Opera House and was later shown on WDIV-TV.

Before he became famous on Survivor, Famie often appeared on a cooking segment for a WDIV-TV news program. He also had another TV show called Famie's Wild Aussie Adventures.

Keith Famie on Survivor: The Australian Outback

Joining the Ogakor Tribe

Keith Famie was chosen to be a contestant on Survivor: The Australian Outback in 2001. He was part of the Ogakor tribe. On the show, he sometimes had disagreements with another contestant, Jerri Manthey. This often annoyed the rest of their tribe.

His tribe members sometimes criticized his rice cooking. However, they praised his fish cooking. Overall, some people felt his social skills in the game could have been better.

Staying in the Game

During one of the Tribal Councils, the votes against Famie and Mitchell Olson were tied. After a re-vote, they were still tied. To break the tie, the show looked at past votes. Since Famie had never been voted against before, Mitchell was eliminated. This helped Famie stay in the game.

The Merge and Final Challenges

Later, the Ogakor and Kucha tribes combined to form the Barramundi tribe. Famie won the first two individual immunity challenges. This meant he couldn't be voted off.

Eventually, Jerri Manthey was voted off. Other contestants were also eliminated. When only three players were left, Colby Donaldson won the final immunity challenge. He chose to take Tina Wesson to the Final Tribal Council. Colby felt that Famie didn't deserve to be in the final two.

So, Keith Famie finished in third place. He became the seventh and final jury member. He earned $85,000 from his time on the show.

Keith Famie's Career After Survivor

New Cookbooks and TV Shows

After Survivor, Famie released another cookbook in March 2001 called Famie's Adventures in Cooking. He also hosted an eight-episode series on Food Network called Taste the Adventure.

In late 2001, he released another cookbook, Yes I Can Cook Rice ... and So Can You. He also wrote a 2003 cookbook called You Really Haven't Been There Until You've Eaten the Food.

Famie appeared in another Food Network series, Keith Famie's Adventures, which started in 2002. He also appeared in a WXYZ-TV series called Our Story Of. This show explored different communities, like Greek Americans, Arab Americans, and Italian Americans.

Focusing on Family and Charity

Keith Famie chose not to appear on Survivor: All-Stars in 2004. He wanted to care for his non-biological father, who was ill with Alzheimer's disease. His father passed away in December 2003.

Around the time All-Stars was filming, Famie completed a very tough race. He ran the Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii, with a nine-year-old boy who had leukemia. They did this for charity to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Directing More Documentaries

Famie's film company, Visionalist Entertainment Productions, continued to make documentaries.

• Detroit: Our Greatest Generation (2009): This film honored World War II veterans from Michigan. It was shown at the Fox Theatre (Detroit) and aired on WDIV-TV.
• Can You See How I See? (2010): This documentary focused on veterans from the Iraq War and Afghan War who lost their sight in combat. Both this film and Detroit: Our Greatest Generation aired on PBS stations.
• Our Vietnam Generation (2011): This film paid tribute to Vietnam War veterans. It premiered at the Fox Theatre and aired on PBS stations.
• One's Soldier's Story (2012): This biographical film was about Michael Ingram Jr., a sergeant from Monroe, Michigan, who was killed in Afghanistan. It was shown in theaters and aired on PBS stations.
• Live Like There's No Tomorrow (2012): This documentary covered the life and music career of Jill Jack.
• The Embrace of Aging (2013): This was a two-part series, one about men and one about women, exploring growing older.
• Maire's Journey (2013): This biographical documentary was about Maire Caitlin Kent, who passed away from a rare illness at age 24. Famie also wrote a book about her called Maire's Journey to the Sea in 2016.
• Entitled (2018): This film explored military recruitment.
• Those on the Front Lines of Alzheimer's and Dementia (2018): This documentary focused on military veterans with Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Famie dedicated this film to his father.
• Those on the Front Lines of Cancer (2018): This film was screened in Royal Oak and aired on WTVS-TV and other PBS stations.
• Blessed Solanus Casey's Journey to Sainthood (2019): This documentary was about a priest named Solanus Casey.
• Shoah Ambassadors (2021): This film covered the Holocaust. It was screened in Novi and aired on PBS stations.

In 2021, Famie also released a book called Papa's Rules for Life.

Keith Famie's Family Life

Keith Famie has two children from a previous marriage.

His biological father was Tony Tarracino, who was a retired bartender, a former boat captain, and a former Key West mayor. Keith is one of Tony Tarracino's fourteen children. Keith and his biological father met for the first time in Key West about five years before Keith appeared on Survivor: The Australian Outback.

Selected Films and TV Shows

• Keith Famie's Adventures in Cooking (1990s)
• A Journey to Mexico (2000)
• Survivor: The Australian Outback (2001) – finished in third place
• Keith Famie's African Adventure (2001)
• Keith Famie's Adventures (2002)
• Detroit: Our Greatest Generation (2009)
• Can You See How I See? (2010)
• Our Vietnam Generation (2011)
• One's Soldier's Story (2012)
• Live Like There's No Tomorrow (2012)
• The Embrace of Aging: The Male Perspective of Growing Old (2013)
• The Embrace of Aging: The Female Perspective of Growing Old (2013)
• Maire's Journey (2013)
• Death Is Not the Answer (2016)
• Entitled (2018)
• Those on the Front Lines of Alzheimer's and Dementia (2018)
• Those on the Front Lines of Cancer (2018)
• Blessed Solanus Casey's Journey to Sainthood (2019)
• Shoah Ambassadors (2021)
• ‘’Detroit: The City of Chefs’’ (2024)