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'''Robert William "small cock" Flay''' (born December 10, 1964)<ref name="Chefography"/> is an [[United States|American]] [[celebrity chef]], [[restaurateur]], [[Iron Chef America|Iron Chef]], and [[television presenter|television personality]]. He is the owner and [[executive chef]] of ten restaurants: Mesa Grill in [[New York City]], in [[The Bahamas]] ([[Atlantis Paradise Island]], [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]]), and in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]; Bar Americain in [[New York City]] and [[Uncasville, Connecticut]]; Bobby Flay Steak in [[Atlantic City, New Jersey]]; and Bobby's Burger Palace in [[Lake Grove, New York]]; [[Paramus, New Jersey]]; [[Eatontown, New Jersey]] and [[Uncasville, Connecticut]].
'''Robert William "Bobby" Flay''' (born December 10, 1964)<ref name="Chefography"/> is an [[United States|American]] [[celebrity chef]], [[restaurateur]], [[Iron Chef America|Iron Chef]], and [[television presenter|television personality]]. He is the owner and [[executive chef]] of ten restaurants: Mesa Grill in [[New York City]], in [[The Bahamas]] ([[Atlantis Paradise Island]], [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]]), and in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]; Bar Americain in [[New York City]] and [[Uncasville, Connecticut]]; Bobby Flay Steak in [[Atlantic City, New Jersey]]; and Bobby's Burger Palace in [[Lake Grove, New York]]; [[Paramus, New Jersey]]; [[Eatontown, New Jersey]] and [[Uncasville, Connecticut]].


Flay has hosted seven [[Food Network]] [[television program]]s and appeared regularly on an eighth. He has also appeared as a guest on other Food Network shows and hosted a number of specials on the network. Flay is also featured on the [[Great Chefs]] television series.<ref name="GreatChef">{{cite web | title=Great Chef Bobby Flay | publisher=GreatChefs.com | accessdate=18 August 2009 | url=http://www.greatchefs.com/Bobby-Flay/}}</ref>
Flay has hosted seven [[Food Network]] [[television program]]s and appeared regularly on an eighth. He has also appeared as a guest on other Food Network shows and hosted a number of specials on the network. Flay is also featured on the [[Great Chefs]] television series.<ref name="GreatChef">{{cite web | title=Great Chef Bobby Flay | publisher=GreatChefs.com | accessdate=18 August 2009 | url=http://www.greatchefs.com/Bobby-Flay/}}</ref>

Revision as of 00:47, 8 February 2010

Bobby Flay
Cooking demonstration in Green Bay, Wisconsin
EducationFrench Culinary Institute
Spouse(s)
Debra Ponzek
​
(m. 1991⁠–⁠1993)​

Kate Connelly (m. 1995  – div.)
​
(m. 2005)​
Culinary career
Cooking styleSpanish, Mexican, and Southwest
Rating(s)
Current restaurant(s)
Previous restaurant(s)
  • Bolo Bar & Restaurant (New York City) (November 1993 –31 December 2007)
Television show(s)
Websitehttp://www.bobbyflay.com/

Robert William "Bobby" Flay (born December 10, 1964)[1] is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, Iron Chef, and television personality. He is the owner and executive chef of ten restaurants: Mesa Grill in New York City, in The Bahamas (Atlantis Paradise Island, Nassau), and in Las Vegas; Bar Americain in New York City and Uncasville, Connecticut; Bobby Flay Steak in Atlantic City, New Jersey; and Bobby's Burger Palace in Lake Grove, New York; Paramus, New Jersey; Eatontown, New Jersey and Uncasville, Connecticut.

Flay has hosted seven Food Network television programs and appeared regularly on an eighth. He has also appeared as a guest on other Food Network shows and hosted a number of specials on the network. Flay is also featured on the Great Chefs television series.[2]

Personal life

Bobby Flay was born December 10, 1964 to Bill and Dorothy Flay in New York City,[1][3] where he was raised and continues to live.[4] He is a fourth generation Irish American.[5] He married Debra Ponzek, another well-known New York City chef, on May 11, 1991.[6] Flay and Ponzek divorced in 1993. He later married Kate Connelly on October 1, 1995, who subsequently divorced him. His daughter, Sophie, was born on April 19, 1996. Mariska Hargitay then set up Flay on a blind date with actress Stephanie March, her co-star on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, in March 2001.[1] The two began dating, and Flay proposed on December 19, 2003, while ice skating at Rockefeller Center.[1] They were married on February 20, 2005,[7] exactly four years after their first date at Nobu restaurant.

As The New York Times reported, "An early draft of Bar Americain's menu had a beet and goat cheese salad with lentils, but Mr. Flay rejected it before the restaurant opened. 'When I go on vacation, they run specials on lentils,' he said."[8] In 2007, Flay stated that he had "made peace" with lentils.[9] Flay also dislikes fiddlehead ferns, stating that they "taste like grass."[10]

Professional life

Flay dropped out of high school at age 17.[11] In an interview with the New York Daily News, Flay said that his first jobs in the restaurant industry were at a pizza parlor and Baskin-Robbins.[12] Flay then took a position making salads at Joe Allen Restaurant in New York's Theatre District, where his father was a partner.[1][7] Joe Allen was impressed by Flay's natural ability and decided to pay his tuition at the French Culinary Institute.[13]

Flay received a degree in culinary arts and was a member of the first graduating class of the French Culinary Institute in 1984.[13] After culinary school, he started working as a sous-chef, quickly learning the culinary arts. Flay was handed the executive chef's position after a week when the executive chef was fired. Flay quit when he realized he was not ready to run a kitchen. He took a position as a chef working for restaurateur Jonathan Waxman at Bud and Jams.[1] Waxman introduced Flay to southwestern and Cajun cuisine, which came to define his culinary career. Flay has also added an extensive knowledge of Cajun and Creole styles to his recipe base. Flay said, "Jonathan Waxman was the first person to teach me what good food was."[1] Flay additionally worked for a short time on the floor at the American Stock Exchange. Flay's first job back as a chef was as the executive chef at Miracle Grill in the East Village, where he worked from 1988 to 1990.[2] This caught the attention of restaurateur Jerome Kretchmer, who was looking for a southwestern style chef. Impressed by Flay's food, Kretchmer offered him the position of executive chef at Mesa Grill, which opened on January 15, 1991.[4] Shortly after, Flay became a partner. In November 1993, Flay partnered with Laurence Kretchmer to open Bolo Bar & Restaurant[4][13] in the Flatiron District, just a few blocks away from Mesa Grill.

Entrance sign to Mesa Grill in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas

Flay opened a second Mesa Grill at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 2004, and in 2005 he opened Bar Americain, an American Brasserie, in Midtown Manhattan.[citation needed] He continued to expand his restaurants by opening Bobby Flay Steak in the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This was followed by a third Mesa Grill in The Bahamas, located in The Cove at Atlantis Paradise Island, which opened on March 28, 2007.[2]

Bolo Bar & Restaurant closed its doors on December 31, 2007 to make way for a new condominium.[14]

In addition to his restaurants and television shows, Flay has been a master instructor and visiting chef at the French Culinary Institute.[15] Although he is not currently teaching classes, he occasionally visits when his schedule permits.[16]

Flay established The Bobby Flay Scholarship in 2003. This full scholarship to the French Culinary Institute is awarded annually to a student in the Long Island City Culinary Arts Program. Flay personally helps select the recipient each year.[1][17]

Flay opened Bobby's Burger Palace in Lake Grove, New York on July 15, 2008. The restaurant is located at the Smith Haven Mall.[18] The restaurant is an homage to Flay's memories of hamburger shops from when he was a child. A second location opened on December 5, 2008 at the Monmouth Mall in Eatontown, New Jersey[19] and a third location opened March 31, 2009 in the Bergen Town Center in Paramus, New Jersey.[20] Flay's fourth shop opened at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Southeast Connecticut July 1, 2009,[21] which is also the location of his second Bar Americain, which opened on November 18, 2009.

Lawsuit

On January 15, 2009, a lawsuit was filed against Flay's company, Bold Food LLC, in Manhattan federal court by current and former employees. The lawsuit claims that the company violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and the New York Labor Law by practicing improper tip-pooling practices, failure to properly pay overtime, failure to reimburse employees for required expenses, and unlawful retaliation.[22][23]

Television, film, and radio

Great Chefs

Flay has been featured in several episodes of Great Chefs television including:

  • Great Chefs – Great Cities
  • Mexican Madness DVD
  • Great Chefs Cook American

Food Network

Flay has hosted seven cooking shows and specials on Food Network, of which five continue to run:

Flay served as a judge on Wickedly Perfect,[24] The Next Food Network Star, and The Next Iron Chef.[25] He has cooked with Emeril Lagasse on his show Emeril Live, and with Paula Deen on her program Paula's Party.

Iron Chef

Flay is an Iron Chef on the show Iron Chef America. In 1997, when the original Iron Chef show traveled to New York for a special battle, he challenged Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto to battle rock crab. After the hour battle ended, Flay stood on top of his cutting board and raised his arms in premature victory. Not realizing that cutting boards and knives are sacred in Japan, he offended Morimoto who criticized his professionalism, saying that Flay was "not a chef". Flay went on to lose the battle.[26]

Flay challenged Morimoto to a rematch in Morimoto's native Japan. In this battle, at the end of the hour, Flay threw his cutting board on the floor and stood on the counter yet again to raise the roof with the audience. This time, Flay won.[26] Though they share a heated past, Flay and Morimoto, who are both Iron Chefs on Iron Chef America, are now friends.[27] They even teamed  – and won  – against fellow Iron Chefs Mario Batali, Locke Michaels and Hiroyuki Sakai in the Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters "Tag Team" battle.

On a special episode of Iron Chef America originally airing on November 12, 2006, Flay and Giada De Laurentiis faced off against, and were defeated by, Rachael Ray and Mario Batali.[28] This was the highest rated show ever broadcast on Food Network.[29]

The team of Iron Chefs Bobby Flay and Michael Symon defeated the team of Iron Chefs Cat Cora and Masaharu Morimoto in a special episode titled "Thanksgiving Showdown", which originally aired on November 16, 2008.[30]

On November 29th 2009, Iron Chefs Morimoto and Flay faced off one-on-one again in Battle Egg Nog. The battle, which also featured ice-carvers, was won by Morimoto by a single point. Many judges thought Iron Chef Flay "played it safe." Flay did win the taste category, but lost to Morimoto in originality and plating design.[citation needed]

Specials

  • Bobby's Vegas Gamble — Covers the opening of Mesa Grill Las Vegas.[31]
  • Restaurant Revamp — Flay tries to help a family restaurant.[32]
  • Chefography: Bobby Flay — Biography of Flay's life and career.[33]
  • Tasting Ireland — Flay takes a food tour of Ireland, his ancestral homeland.[34]
  • Food Network Awards — The Food Network recognizes people and places that have impacted the food world.[35]
  • All-Star Grill Fest: South Beach — Flay joins Paula Deen, Giada De Laurentiis, Alton Brown, and Tyler Florence for a barbecue.[36]

Other cooking shows

In 1996, Flay hosted The Main Ingredient with Bobby Flay on Lifetime Television. Twice a month, he hosts a cooking segment on CBS' The Early Show.[4]

Other television and film appearances

Flay cameoed in the Disney Channel original movie Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off as the host of the cook-off. Bobby appeared as a judge on the CBS television show "Wickedly Perfect" during the 2004–2005 season. He also appeared in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Design", which originally aired on September 22, 2005. Flay appeared on the television game show Pyramid with fellow Iron Chef Mario Batali as the guest celebrities in an episode originally airing on November 18, 2003. He had a small role as himself in the 2006 film East Broadway, in which his wife, Stephanie March, had a larger role.[37] Jeopardy! featured a special "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" category during the March 12, 2008, episode, in which each of the clues featured Flay.[38] Flay also participated in the 2008 Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game played at Yankee Stadium after the 2008 MLB All Star Game; Flay played for the National League. Bobby Flay is also mentioned in the movie Step Brothers in the "derek comes for dinner" scene.

Sirius XM Radio

Flay will host a weekly call-in show on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.[39] He will offer advice to men on "everything from sports to current issues", although food will be the focus.[40] Flay confirmed that his wife, Stephanie March, will be an occasional guest on the show.[40]

Books

Flay has authored several cookbooks, including:

  • Bobby Flay's Bold American Food (Warner Brothers, May 31, 1994)  – ISBN 978-0-44-651724-9
  • Bobby Flay's From My Kitchen to Your Table (Clarkson Potter, March 31, 1998)  – ISBN 978-0-51-770729-6
  • Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill (Hyperion, May 19, 1999)  – ISBN 978-0-78-686490-4
  • Bobby Flay Cooks American (Hyperion, September 30, 2001)  – ISBN 978-0-78-686714-1
  • Bobby Flay's Boy Gets Grill (Scribner, May 18, 2004)  – ISBN 978-0-74-325481-6
  • Bobby Flay's Grilling For Life (Scribner, May 3, 2005)  – ISBN 978-0-74-327272-8
  • Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook (Clarkson Potter, October 16, 2007)  – ISBN 978-0-30-735141-8
  • Bobby Flay's Grill It! (Clarkson Potter, April 18, 2008)  – ISBN 978-0-30-735142-5
  • Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries and Shakes ( Clarkson Potter, April 11, 2009)  – ISBN 978-0-307-46063-9

Flay was mentioned as the celebrity chef at a club opening in the novel Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis.[41]

Awards

  • New York Magazine Gael Greene's Restaurant of the Year  – Mesa Grill (1992)[13]
  • James Beard Foundation's Rising Star Chef of the Year (1993)[4][42]
  • French Culinary Institute Outstanding Graduate Award (1993)[4]
  • International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for Design  – Bobby Flay's Bold American Food (1995)[43]
  • Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Service Show  – Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay (2000)[44]
  • Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Service Show Host  – Boy Meets Grill (2004)[45]
  • Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Service Show Host  – Boy Meets Grill (2005)[46]
  • Emmy award winner for Best Culinary Program  – Grill It! With Bobby Flay (2009)
  • James Beard Foundation's National Television Food Show Award  – Bobby Flay Chef Mentor (2005)[47]
  • James Beard Foundation's Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America (2007)[48]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Bobby Flay". Chefography. Episode CHSP08. 11 April 2008. Food Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c "Great Chef Bobby Flay". GreatChefs.com. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
  3. ^ Miller, Samantha (July 13, 1998). "Hot Hands". People. Time, Inc. Retrieved 2009-03-14. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Bobby Flay". CBSNews.com. CBS Worldwide Inc. 16 May 2002. Retrieved 8 October 2007.
  5. ^ Matt Lee; Ted Lee (February 26, 2003). "THE CHEF: BOBBY FLAY; Salmon Hot From the Oven, and No Slaving at the Sink". The New York Times. Both his mother's and father's families, he explained, were Irish-American going back several generations.
  6. ^ Hall, Trish (5 May 1991). "Sharing a Life Of Chefs' Hours And Pancakes". The New York Times. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  7. ^ a b "Stephanie March, Bobby Flay". The New York Times. 20 February 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
  8. ^ Schwaner-Albright, Oliver (6 July 2005). "I'm the Boss, and I Say No Lentils". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
  9. ^ Flay, Bobby (22 September 2007), Get Cooking! Food Show, Green Bay, WI{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ^ "Iron Chef America: The Series: Bobby Flay". Food Network. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
  11. ^ Flay, Bobby (2008). "Let's Talk About Your Life, Son". guideposts.com. Guideposts. Retrieved 2009-05-31. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  12. ^ Freeman, Danyelle (10 October 2008). "Bobby Flay will be grillin' & chillin' at Chelsea food fest". nydailynews.com. New York Daily News. Retrieved 12 December 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |curly= ignored (help)
  13. ^ a b c d "Here's Bobby". Food Network. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  14. ^ Fabricant, Florence (26 December 2006). "Off the Menu". NYTimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 9 January 2008.
  15. ^ "The French Culinary Institute Culinary Arts Programs: News & Press". The French Culinary Institute, Inc. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
  16. ^ Flay, Bobby. "Ask Bobby". BobbyFlay.com. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
  17. ^ "Bobby Flay". Nationwide Speakers Bureau, Inc. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
  18. ^ Marcus, Erica (15 July 2008). "Bobby Flay opens Burger Palace". NewsDay.com. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
  19. ^ Flay, Bobby (5 December 2008). "Bobby Flay News". BobbyFlay.com. Retrieved 12 December 2008.
  20. ^ Fabrikant, Mel (March 31, 2009). "Bobby Flay Opens Bobby's Burger Palace(BBP) Yummy Yum Yum". paramuspost.com. The Paramus Post. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
  21. ^ Marc (June 4, 2009). "Bobby Flay to Bring Bobby's Burger Palace to New England".
  22. ^ "NY Lawsuit dishes dirt on Bobby Flay restaurants". SignOnSanDiego.com. Associated Press. 2009-01-16. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  23. ^ "Celebrity Chef Bobby Flay's Restaurants Allegedly Violated Labor Laws, According to Outten & Golden LLP" (Press release). Outten & Golden LPP. 2009-01-16. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  24. ^ "CBS  – Wickedly Perfect". cbs.com. CBS Broadcasting. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  25. ^ Flay, Bobby (14 August 2007). "News". BobbyFlay.com. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
  26. ^ a b Marin, Rick (6 June 2001). "Lobsters at Five Paces, Knives and Egos Bared". NYTimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  27. ^ Kliman, Todd (1 December 2005). "Either/Or: Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto". Washingtonian.com. Retrieved 6 August 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ ""Iron Chef America: The Series" Flay/DeLaurentiis vs. Batali/Ray". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  29. ^ Martin, Denise (2006-11-14). "'Iron Chef' fires up Food net". Variety. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  30. ^ "Iron Chef America: Thanksgiving Showdown". reality-tv-online.com. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  31. ^ "Food Network Specials: Bobby's Vegas Gamble". Food Network. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
  32. ^ "Food Network Specials: Restaurant Revamp". Food Network. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
  33. ^ "Food Network Specials: Bobby's Vegas Gamble". Food Network. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
  34. ^ "Food Network Specials: Tasting Ireland". Food Network. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
  35. ^ "Food Network Specials: Food Network Awards". Food Network. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
  36. ^ "Food Network Specials: Food Network Awards". Food Network. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
  37. ^ "East Broadway (2007)". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 8 October 2007.
  38. ^ "Watch Bobby Flay on Jeopardy!". Jeopardy.com. Sony Pictures Digital Inc. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  39. ^ Cuprisin, Tim (January 6, 2009). "Departing Channel 6 reporter Feldman made her mark covering health". Inside TV & Radio. Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
  40. ^ a b Hirsch, J.M. (January 7, 2009). "Bobby Flay taking a taste of radio". The Associated Press. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
  41. ^ Ellis, Bret Easton (12 March 2002) [1998]. "27". Glamorama. New York, NY: Vintage Books. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-37-570384-3. "I'm looking over the menu that Bongo and Bobby Flay have come up with: jalapeño-cured gravlax on dark bread, spicy arugula and mesclun greens, southwestern artichoke hearts with focaccia, porcini mushrooms and herb-roasted chicken breasts and/or grilled tuna with black peppercorns, chocolate-dipped strawberries, assorted classy granitas {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |format= requires |url= (help)
  42. ^ "1993 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards". The James Beard Foundation. Retrieved 8 October 2007.
  43. ^ "Cookbook Awards Past Winners". International Association of Culinary Professionals. Retrieved 8 October 2007.
  44. ^ "Daytime Emmy Awards: 2000". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
  45. ^ "31st Annual Daytime Emmys  – Mayors Reception Press Release" (Press release). The National Television Academy. 20 May 2004. Retrieved 8 October 2007.
  46. ^ "32nd Annual Daytime Emmy Award Winners Release" (Press release). The National Television Academy. 20 May 2005. Retrieved 8 October 2007.
  47. ^ "2005 James Beard Foundation/Viking Range Broadcast Media Awards". The James Beard Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  48. ^ "2007 Who's Who Nominees & Winners". The James Beard Foundation. Retrieved 8 October 2007.
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