Robert Irvine facts for kids
Irvine in 2024
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| Born | Robert Irvine 24 September 1965 |
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| Spouse | Karen Irvine (divorced) Gail Kim
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Current restaurant(s)
Fresh Kitchen by Robert Irvine (The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, US),
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Television show(s)
The Globe
Dinner: Impossible Worst Cooks in America Restaurant: Impossible Restaurant Express All-Star Academy A Hero's Welcome Chopped: Impossible Next Iron Chef The Robert Irvine Show |
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Robert Paul Irvine (born 24 September 1965) is a famous American celebrity chef and talk show host. He has been on and hosted many Food Network shows. Some of his popular shows include Dinner: Impossible, Worst Cooks in America, and Restaurant: Impossible. Robert Irvine currently runs a restaurant called Fresh Kitchen by Robert Irvine. It is located inside The Pentagon building. He also hosted The Robert Irvine Show, a daytime talk show, from 2016 to 2018.
Contents
Early Life and Cooking Journey
Robert Irvine was born in England. He started his cooking career when he joined the UK's Royal Navy at age fifteen. After finishing his cooking training, Irvine worked on the Royal Yacht Britannia. This was a special ship for the Queen.
After serving for 10 years, Irvine worked as a consultant in places like Bali and Ho Chi Minh City. He then became the head chef on many cruise ships and at famous places like Trump's Taj Mahal.
Robert Irvine's TV Shows
Dinner: Impossible
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Irvine began his TV career on Food Network with a show called Fit for a King. It was later renamed Dinner: Impossible. On this show, he faced many tough cooking challenges.
In 2007, Irvine appeared on Iron Chef America. He teamed up with Tyler Florence in a dessert challenge. They competed against Paula Deen and Cat Cora but lost.
In 2008, there were some questions about parts of Irvine's past. Food Network temporarily removed his biography from their website. Irvine later explained his story on his blog. He shared letters from people he worked with, including those from the White House.
Food Network decided to continue with Irvine for Dinner: Impossible. He returned to host the show in 2009. He continued as the host until the show stopped making new episodes in 2010.
Dinner: Impossible made a comeback to Food Network in March 2021. Four new episodes were released. The show aimed to bring exciting new missions to fans.
Worst Cooks in America and Restaurant: Impossible
After Dinner: Impossible first ended, Irvine started two new shows. In late 2010, he joined the second season of Worst Cooks in America. On this show, he trained people who were not good at cooking. He competed against Chef Anne Burrell. The show started in January 2011.
Irvine also stars in Restaurant: Impossible. This show premiered in January 2011. In Restaurant: Impossible, Irvine has to fix up a struggling restaurant. He has only two days and a budget of $10,000.
In 2011, Irvine competed in Season 4 of The Next Iron Chef. He was the second chef to be eliminated. In 2013, he hosted a new Food Network series called Restaurant Express. On this show, he challenged nine chefs. The winner got a chance to open a restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In 2016, Irvine appeared on All-Star Academy. He helped Natasha Clement win the $50,000 grand prize.
Restaurant: Impossible returned with new seasons after a break from 2016 to 2019. In July 2019, Food Network also started airing Restaurant: Impossible: Revisited. In these episodes, Irvine checks back on restaurants he helped before. In 2020, a spin-off called Restaurant: Impossible Back in Business was launched. It focused on how past restaurants dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic.
In July 2020, Food Network signed a new contract with Irvine. This included more episodes of Restaurant: Impossible. It also involved creating short videos for Food Network's app.
In June 2021, Discovery+ announced a new series with Irvine called The Globe. This show features chefs transforming ingredients they have never used before. In March 2022, Robert Irvine and Jon Taffer from Bar Rescue competed in a series called "Restaurant Rivals: Irvine vs Taffer."
Restaurants and Other Businesses
Irvine is the founder of Robert Irvine Foods. He has created his own line of foods, spices, and oils. A part of the money from these sales goes to his foundation. This foundation helps the US military.
In May 2016, Irvine and the Tropicana Las Vegas resort announced a new restaurant. Robert Irvine's Public House opened in July 2017. It closed in April 2024 when the Tropicana resort closed. Irvine also became a co-owner of Boardroom Spirits, a distillery in Pennsylvania.
In September 2019, Irvine opened Fresh Kitchen by Robert Irvine in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This was his second Fresh Kitchen location. The first one opened in 2016 inside The Pentagon in Washington, D.C.. The Allentown restaurant closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and did not reopen.
During the pandemic, Irvine worked with WorkMerk, a tech company. They offered the VirusSAFE Pro, a mobile app for restaurants. It helped them check if they were following safety rules.
Between 2012 and 2016, Irvine launched many healthy food products. These included Fit Crunch protein bars, healthy cheesecake, and frozen crab cakes.
Books and Magazines
Irvine's first cookbook, Mission: Cook!, was published in 2007. His second cookbook, Impossible to Easy, came out in 2010. From 2011 to 2016, he wrote a regular column for Muscle & Fitness magazine.
In 2015, he published Fit Fuel: A Chef's Guide to Eating Well, Getting Fit, and Living Your Best Life. In this book, he shared his early life story. He wrote about being a "scrawny" kid who loved Muscle & Fitness magazine. He wanted to be strong like Arnold Schwarzenegger. He developed a love for weight training and fitness early on. Fit Fuel includes healthy recipes, Irvine's workouts, and his motivating advice.
In 2018, he published his fourth book, Family Table By Robert Irvine. This book shared his favorite family recipes. It also had essays on how to connect with family through activities.
In May 2016, he launched Robert Irvine Magazine. This digital magazine continued the ideas from Fit Fuel. It is a healthy lifestyle publication. It features healthy recipes, workouts, and advice from experts and celebrities.
Helping Others: Charitable Work
Irvine has been involved with the Children Uniting Nations charity. He was one of the celebrity chefs who helped with their fundraising dinners for the Academy Awards in 2005 and 2006. Irvine is also part of the Council of Chefs, a charity that helps hungry children.
In 2013, Irvine visited Afghanistan for the Honoring Our Troops Tour. He hosted a cooking competition there.
In 2014, Irvine started The Robert Irvine Foundation. This foundation honors military members. It raises money to help active duty service members and veterans who need support. Irvine also regularly helps the Gary Sinise Foundation. He often appears at their Invincible Spirit Festivals.
For his work helping the US military, Irvine received the Patriot Award in 2015. In 2016, he was given the Outstanding Civilian Service Award. This is a high honor from the US Department of the Army. It recognized his important contributions to the US Army community.
Irvine explained his passion for helping the military. He said that making a difference in people's lives is what motivates him. He feels it is important to show gratitude to those who protect our freedom.
Irvine also helped raise over $118,000 for a restaurant owner. This owner had been featured on Restaurant: Impossible and needed help with hospital bills.
Awards and Recognitions
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- Ambassador of the Culinary Institute of America (2007)
- Chef Professional from La Toque Blanche International
- 2001 Culinary Excellence Award
- Trustee of the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences' Five-Star Diamond Award
- Member of the Malta Chefs Society (MCS)
- Episode of Restaurant:Impossible in the Culinary Hall of Fame
- United States Navy Honorary Chief Petty Officer
- Medal of Honor Society's Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment
- US Department of the Army Outstanding Civilian Service Award (2016)
- Spirit of Hope Award (2017)
- ASYMCA Angel of Honor Award (2018)
- Association of the United States Army National Service Award (2020)
- Critic's Choice Association Real TV Awards Winner (Male Star of the Year) (2022)
- Veterans of Foreign Wars Distinguished Citizenship Award (2023)
- Special Operations Warrior Foundation “Legacy Of Service” Award (2024)
Personal Life
Robert Irvine married professional wrestler Gail Kim on 10 May 2012. They met when he was serving VIPs for WWE's SummerSlam event. As of 2013, Irvine's main home was in Tampa, Florida. He has two daughters from a previous marriage.
Because he is very active and loves fitness, Men's Fitness magazine named Irvine one of the "25 Fittest Guys in America" in 2007. He often wears a black T-shirt or chef's jacket. It has the Irvine clan badge with the motto: "sub sole, sub umbra, virens". This means "flourishing in both sunshine and shade."
