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 is a famous American chef and restaurant owner. He was born on November 23, 1953. He is known for making traditional Mexican cuisine with a modern twist. You might know him from his TV show on PBS called Mexico: One Plate at a Time. Rick Bayless has won many awards, including a Michelin star and the title of Top Chef Masters. He has also won seven James Beard Awards, which are like the Oscars for chefs!
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Rick Bayless's Early Life and Learning
Rick Bayless grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His family already owned restaurants and grocery stores that sold barbecue. So, he started learning about cooking when he was young.
When he went to college, Rick became very interested in Mexican culture and food. He studied Spanish and Latin American culture at the University of Oklahoma. Later, he earned a master's degree in language studies from the University of Michigan. He was even close to getting his PhD, but he decided to focus on his cooking career instead. While at the University of Michigan, he met Deann, who would become his wife and cooking partner. They got married in 1979.
Rick Bayless's Career as a Chef
TV Shows and Cookbooks
In 1978 and 1979, Rick Bayless hosted a TV show on PBS called Cooking Mexican. After that, he spent more than six years traveling and researching food in Mexico. This led to his first cookbook in 1987, called Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico. People loved it, and one food critic even called it "the greatest contribution to the Mexican table imaginable."
Rick Bayless has written many popular cookbooks since then. He often writes them with his wife, Deann, and his daughter, Lanie. One of his most famous cookbooks is Mexico: One Plate at a Time, which came out in 2001. This book went along with the first season of his TV show with the same name.
His TV show, Mexico: One Plate at a Time, started on PBS in 2000. Rick and his show have been nominated for several awards. Sometimes, the show focuses on food from a specific part of Mexico. For example, one season explored the food of Tijuana and the Baja Peninsula. Another season focused on Oaxaca, and a different one was all about the Yucatán Peninsula.
Opening Restaurants
Rick Bayless started his professional cooking career in 1980 in Ohio. In 1987, Rick and Deann opened their first restaurant in Chicago called Frontera Grill. It became famous for its modern regional Mexican food, especially dishes from the Oaxaca region. In 1989, they opened another restaurant called Topolobampo. This was one of Chicago's first fancy Mexican restaurants. As of 2019, Topolobampo has earned a Michelin star, which is a very special award for restaurants.
In 1995, Rick Bayless and his partners started selling packaged food products under the name Frontera Foods. They sold this company in 2016, but Rick still helps them create new products. The Frontera restaurants were not part of this sale.
Rick Bayless is also involved in helping the environment and fighting hunger. He was one of the first members of Chefs Collaborative, a group that supports farming practices that are good for the Earth. He also works with Share Our Strength, a large organization that helps feed people. His TV shows often talk about using food responsibly and supporting sustainable farming.
Rick Bayless teaches Mexican cooking across the United States. He also leads cooking and cultural tours to Mexico. He speaks Spanish fluently and loves cooking with seafood. He often uses traditional Mexican ingredients like chocolate, peppers, and vanilla bean in his dishes.
In 2003, Rick and his team started the Frontera Farmer Foundation. This foundation gives money to local farmers in the Chicago area to help them improve their farms. By 2007, they had given over $400,000 to family farms.
Rick Bayless has opened other restaurants too. In 2007, he opened Frontera Fresco inside Macy's stores in San Francisco and Chicago. He also opened one at Northwestern University and in Walt Disney World. Some of these locations have since closed. In 2010, he opened the kitchen at Red O in Los Angeles. He was even a guest chef for a special dinner at the White House in 2010, honoring the Mexican President.
Other TV Appearances
In 2005, Rick Bayless competed on Iron Chef America. He narrowly lost to Iron Chef Bobby Flay in a battle where the secret ingredient was bison meat.
He also appeared as a guest judge on Top Chef. Later, he became a contestant on the first season of Top Chef Masters. He won his episode and then went on to win the entire competition on August 19, 2009, becoming the "Top Chef Master."
In 2012, Rick Bayless helped create a play in Chicago called Rick Bayless in Cascabel. The show opened to good reviews. Outside of cooking, Rick Bayless stays healthy by practicing yoga six days a week.
Rick Bayless's Restaurants Today
Rick Bayless owns several restaurants that are still open:
- Frontera Grill (Chicago)
- Topolobampo (Chicago) – This restaurant has one Michelin star as of 2023.
- XOCO (Chicago)
- Tortas Frontera (at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago)
- Frontera Cocina (Disney Springs, Lake Buena Vista, Florida)
- Bar Sótano (Chicago)
- Tortazo (Chicago, Chicago area, New York, and Las Vegas)
Awards and Honors for Rick Bayless
Rick Bayless has received many awards for his cooking and his work:
- Best New Chef of 1988, from Food & Wine magazine.
- Best American Chef: Midwest in 1991, from the James Beard Foundation.
- National Chef of the Year in 1995, from the James Beard Foundation.
- Outstanding Chef in 1995, from the James Beard Foundation for Frontera Grill/Topolobampo.
- Chef of the Year in 1995, from the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP).
- Cookbook of the Year in 1996, from IACP, for Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen.
- Cookbook of the Year in 1996, from the National Julia Child Cookbook Awards, for Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen.
- Cookbook of the Year in 1996, from the Chicago Tribune, for Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen.
- Humanitarian of the Year in 1998, from the James Beard Foundation.
- Cookbook of the Year in 2001, from the James Beard Foundation, for Mexico: One Plate at a Time.
- Best Chef Midwest (CHICAGO) in 2002, from the James Beard Foundation.
- Listed in Who's Who of American Food and Drink.
- Humanitarian of the Year from IACP in 2007.
- Frontera Grill won Outstanding Restaurant from the James Beard Foundation in 2007.
- Winner of Top Chef Masters Season 1 on Bravo Cable Network, in September 2009.
- Received the 2011 Golden Beet Award for his work with the Frontera Farmer Foundation and supporting local farms.
- Frontera Grill was ranked the third-best casual dining restaurant in the world by the International Herald Tribune.
- Received the Insignia of the Order of the Aztec Eagle in 2012, a high honor from Mexico.
- Received the Julia Child Award from The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts in 2016.
- Topolobampo won Outstanding Restaurant from the James Beard Foundation in 2017.
