Iron Chef Bobby Flay

Name: Bobby Flay
Cuisine: Southwestern

Background: With roots in New York, Bobby Flay graduated from the French Culinary Institute in 1984 and has a strong passion for Southwestern ingredients and bold Cajun flavors. After culinary school he worked beneath a number of esteemed chefs in New York before meeting restauranteur Jonathan Waxman who Flay credits for teaching him the Creole style that would ultimately define his culinary style.

In 1991 Flay was hired as the executive chef for Mesa Grill in New York and became a partner shortly after. Two years later he partnered with Laurence Kretchmer to open Bolo Bar & Restaurant nearby in the Flatiron District of the city. Expanding his reach to the west, Flay opened a second Mesa Grill in Las Vegas in 2004, followed by Bar Americain in Midtown Manhattan in 2005. Over the next 2 years Flay opened Bobby Flay Steak in Atlantic City and a third Mesa Grill location in the Bahamas.

Bobby returned to the French Culinary Institute as a master instructor and visiting chef in addition to starting the Bobby Flay Scholarship in 2003 (where he personally helps select the recipient each year). In 2008, Flay opened Bobby’s Burger Palace (BBP) in New York and a second location in Eatontown, NJ. Additional BBP locations have gone up in Paramus, NJ, Southeast Connecticut, Philadelphia, Washington, and Maryland.

Personal Style: Currently married to actress Stephanie March, he continues to call New York his home. Flay has a huge television presence and has hosted a total of nine shows on the Food Network, including Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay, Grillin’ & Chillin’, FoodNation, Boy Meets Grill, BBQ with Bobby Flay, Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, Grill It! with Bobby Flay, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and Brunch at Bobby’s. Bobby is also an avid fan of horse racing and has won the 2010 Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with his horse, More Than Real.

Accolades:

• 1992: Gael Greene’s Restaurant of the Year, “Mesa Grill” by New York Magazine
• 1993: James Beard Foundation’s “Rising Star Chef of the Year”
• 1993: Outstanding Graduate Award by the French Culinary Institute
• 1995:  Award for Design – “Bobby Flay’s Bold American Food” by the International Association of Culinary Professionals
• 2000: Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Service Show – “Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay”
• 2004: Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Service Show Host – “Boy Meets Grill”
• 2005: Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Service Show Host – “Boy Meets Grill”
• 2009: Emmy Award winner for Best Culinary Program – “Grill It! With Bobby Flay”
• 2005: James Beard Foundation’s “National Television Food Show” Award for “Bobby Flay Chef Mentor”
• 2007: James Beard Foundation’s “Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America”

Restaurants:

• Mesa Grill (2 locations)
• Bar Americain (2 locations)
• Bobby Flay Steak
• Bobby’s Burger Palace (5 locations)

Books:

• Bobby Flay’s Bold American Food (Warner Books, May 31, 1994)
• Bobby Flay’s From My Kitchen to Your Table (Clarkson Potter, March 31, 1998)
• Bobby Flay’s Boy Meets Grill (Hyperion, May 19, 1999)
• Bobby Flay Cooks American (Hyperion, September 30, 2001)
• Bobby Flay’s Boy Gets Grill (Scribner, May 18, 2004)
• Bobby Flay’s Grilling For Life (Scribner, May 3, 2005)
• Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook (Clarkson Potter, October 16, 2007)
• Bobby Flay’s Grill It! (Clarkson Potter, April 18, 2008)
• Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries and Shakes (Clarkson Potter, April 11, 2009)
• Bobby Flay’s Throwdown

Additional Products:

• Sauces & Rubs
• Bobby Flay for Kohl’s

Recipes

• FREE Bobby Flay recipes, by ingredient, listed on bobbyflay.com