Rick Bayless facts for kids
Bayless in 2010
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| Born | November 23, 1953 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
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| Cooking style | Mexican cuisine |
| Education | University of Oklahoma (B.A.) University of Michigan (doctoral work, anthropological linguistics) |
| Spouse | Deann Bayless |
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Current restaurant(s)
Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, XOCO
Chicago, Illinois, United States Red O Los Angeles, California, Frontera Cocina Disney Springs, Orlando. |
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Television show(s)
Mexico: One Plate at a Time
Cooking Mexican (1978-1979) |
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Rick Bayless, born on November 23, 1953, is an American chef and restaurant owner. He is famous for making traditional Mexican cuisine with new twists. He is well-known for his TV show on PBS called Mexico: One Plate at a Time. He has won many awards, including a Michelin star, the title of Top Chef Masters, and seven James Beard Awards.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Rick Bayless was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His family owned restaurants and grocery stores that sold local barbecue. He is the younger brother of sports journalist Skip Bayless.
Rick started learning to cook when he was young. In college, he became very interested in Mexican culture and cooking. He studied at the University of Oklahoma and then earned a master's degree in linguistics from the University of Michigan. He almost finished his PhD before deciding to focus on his cooking career. While at Michigan, he met his future wife, Deann. They got married in 1979. Deann often works with him on his cooking projects.
Rick Bayless's Career
TV Shows and Cookbooks
In 1978 and 1979, Rick Bayless hosted a 26-part TV show on PBS called Cooking Mexican. After that, he spent over six years researching food in Mexico. This led to his book, Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico, published in 1987. A famous food critic, Craig Claiborne, called it "the greatest contribution to the Mexican table imaginable."
After Authentic Mexican, Bayless wrote many other popular cookbooks. He often wrote them with his wife, Deann, and his daughter, Lanie. One of his most famous cookbooks is Mexico: One Plate at a Time (2001). This book won a James Beard Foundation award and went along with the first season of his TV show.
In 2000, PBS started showing Bayless's TV series, Mexico: One Plate at a Time. Both Bayless and the show have been nominated for several Daytime Emmy Awards. Bayless was nominated twice for Best Lifestyle/Culinary Host in 2012 and 2017. The show was also nominated for Outstanding Culinary Program in 2016.
Some seasons of Mexico: One Plate at a Time focus on food from specific areas. For example, season 8 explored food from Tijuana and the Baja Peninsula. Season 9 focused on Oaxaca, and season 11 was filmed entirely on the Yucatán Peninsula.
Chef and Restaurant Owner
Rick Bayless started his professional cooking career in 1980. He was the head chef at Lopez y Gonzalez in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. In 1987, Bayless and his wife Deann opened Frontera Grill in Chicago. This restaurant specializes in modern regional Mexican cuisine, especially food from the Oaxaca region. In 1989, they opened Topolobampo, one of Chicago's first fancy Mexican restaurants. As of 2019, Topolobampo has one Michelin star.
In 1995, Bayless and his partners started the Frontera Foods company, which sells prepared food products. They sold Frontera Foods to ConAgra Foods in 2016. Bayless still helps the brand with new product ideas. The Frontera restaurants were not part of this sale.
Bayless was one of the people who started Chefs Collaborative. This group supports farming methods that are good for the environment. He is also active in Share Our Strength, a large group that works to end hunger. His TV shows often talk about using food responsibly and supporting sustainable farming.
Rick Bayless also teaches authentic Mexican cooking across the United States. He visits the Culinary Institute of America to teach. He also leads cooking and cultural trips to Mexico. He speaks Spanish fluently. He especially likes seafood dishes and foods that use traditional Mexican ingredients like chocolate, peppers, and vanilla bean.
In 2003, Bayless and his team started the Frontera Farmer Foundation. This foundation helps local farmers in the Chicago area by giving them money for farm improvements. By 2007, the foundation had given over $400,000 to local family farms.
In December 2007, Bayless opened Frontera Fresco inside Macy's Union Square store in San Francisco. He later opened more Frontera Fresco restaurants in Chicago, Skokie, at Northwestern University, and in Walt Disney World. The San Francisco location closed in April 2014, and the Northwestern location closed in June 2018.
In 2010, Bayless opened the kitchen at Red O in Los Angeles. He had spent a lot of time visiting local Mexican restaurants there first.
Bayless was the guest chef for a special dinner at the White House on May 19, 2010. This dinner honored Mexican President Felipe Calderón and his wife Margarita Zavala.
Other TV Appearances
In 2005, Bayless competed on Iron Chef America. He lost by just one point to Iron Chef Bobby Flay. The secret ingredient for that show was American bison meat.
Bayless was a guest judge on Top Chef in 2008. He judged both the quickfire and elimination challenges. Later, he became a contestant on the first season of Top Chef Masters. He won his episode and moved on to the final round. On August 19, 2009, he won the title of Top Chef Master.
In 2012, Bayless worked with Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago. They created a play called Rick Bayless in Cascabel. The show opened on March 21, 2012, and received good reviews. It ran until April 29.
Outside of cooking, Rick Bayless also practices yoga six days a week. He believes it is very important for his daily routine and staying healthy.
Current Restaurants
- Frontera Grill (Chicago)
- Topolobampo (Chicago) – This restaurant has 1 Michelin star as of the 2023 guide.
- XOCO (Chicago)
- Tortas Frontera (O'Hare International Airport – Chicago) – He co-owns this with Jollibee Foods Corporation and other partners.
- Frontera Cocina (Disney Springs, Lake Buena Vista, Florida)
- Bar Sótano (Chicago)
- Tortazo (Chicago, Chicago area, New York, and the Las Vegas Valley)
Awards and Honors
- Best New Chef of 1988, Food & Wine
- Best American Chef: Midwest 1991, James Beard Foundation
- National Chef of the Year 1995, James Beard Foundation
- Outstanding Chef 1995, James Beard Foundation for Frontera Grill/Topolombampo
- Chef of the Year 1995, International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP)
- Cookbook of the Year, 1996, IACP, for Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen
- Cookbook of the Year, 1996, National Julia Child Cookbook Awards, for Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen
- Cookbook of the Year, 1996, Chicago Tribune, for Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen
- Humanitarian of the year 1998, James Beard Foundation
- Cookbook of the Year in 2001, James Beard Foundation, for Mexico: One Plate at a Time
- Best Chef Midwest (CHICAGO) of 2002, James Beard Foundation
- Who's Who of American Food and Drink
- Humanitarian of the Year IACP 2007
- Frontera Grill won Outstanding Restaurant from the James Beard Foundation 2007
- Winner, Top Chef Masters Season 1 on Bravo Cable Network, September 2009
- Recipient 2011 Golden Beet Award from The Illinois Stewardship Alliance for his work with the Frontera Farmer Foundation and his support of local and sustainable agriculture.
- Frontera Grill was ranked the third-best casual dining restaurant in the world by the International Herald Tribune
- Insignia of the Order of the Aztec Eagle, 2012
- Julia Child Award from The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, 2016
- Topolobampo won 2017 Outstanding Restaurant from the James Beard Foundation.
See also
In Spanish: Rick Bayless para niños
