I attended a TV Academy event, hosted by The Food Network. The guest speakers were Guy Fieri, of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, (Hulu) and Bob Tuschman, the CEO of The Food Network. I’ve seen Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives several times and always thought Guy was cool, but after seeing him in person I’m in love!
He is such an authentic, caring individual. You may not guess it by looking at him with his spiked hair and tattoos, but he’s a dedicated family man with a passion for helping people. He always strives to be positive. He founded a non-profit foundation in 2010 called CDK – Cooking with Kids. Its mission is to teach kids to cook, educate them on how to eat nutritious food, and encourage them to live healthy lifestyles.
His mom and dad were . . . hippies. . . who embraced macrobiotic cooking. They fed him bulgur wheat, brown rice, greens, and a little fish as a kid but he’s been “food-centric” all his life. When he was 11 years old, he decided to cook his family a meal.
He went to the grocery store by himself and bought some rib-eye steaks and then cooked them along with pasta and tomato sauce. But, he didn’t know he was supposed to cook the pasta and tomato sauce separately and cooked them all together. His pasta was a flop, but his dad told him the steak was the best he’d ever tasted. After that, he knew he was going to be a cook and when he was older, studied cooking abroad in France as an exchange student.
Guy loves being a chef because cooking and serving food is a way to make people happy.
Diner’s, Drivin’s, and Dives focuses on “greasy spoons” and Guy’s often seen biting into ridiculously large juicy burgers or munching on deep-fried garlic fries, but he seeks out restaurants that serve the freshest food and ingredients. He truly believes that we all need to be part of a Food Revolution to change the American processed food diet and go back to fresh healthy eating because more people are getting sick from eating junk food.
“Food is a common denominator that brings people together.”
Everyone gets hungry, even the pickiest eater, and we all have to eat. Being able to cook and enjoy a meal with others is one of the best ways to connect with, and encourage social interaction between people.
Fiere encourages everyone to experiment with food and to try not to make the same dish over and over. Instead, ease out of your comfort zone and go wild with unusual ingredients and new recipes. Make mealtime a social event by inviting family and friends to join you. Have meaningful conversations over your meals rather than sitting in front of a droning TV. Unless, of course, you’re watching the Food Network. LOL
A family man
What impressed me about Guy Fieri is that he’s a very dedicated to his family and they always comes first. He’s a busy entrepreneur, who owns 8 restaurants and produces 5 TV shows, but goes out of his way to make time for his brood who live in Santa Rosa, California. He had a warehouse near his house built into a huge grocery store set for the show Guy’s Grocery Games so he didn’t have to work far from home.
At first he never entertained the idea of being a TV star. His friends badgered him to audition for the Food Network and he only did it to get them off his back. There were 10,000 contestants and he won and became the next Food Network Show host. Bob Tuschman said that Guy stood out so much above the rest that they had to find ways to make the contest look fair. The public chose him by a landslide.
When ask how he maintained his weight after eating all those big sloppy burgers, Guy replied that he practices moderation and tries to get some exercise.
Guy is also a huge supporter of law enforcement and active military. He has often visited bases in the Persian Gulf, Guantanamo Bay, and Hawaii, as a guest of the U.S. Navy. He entertains the troops and inspires military culinary specialists with instructions and inspiration.
With all the competitive and often nasty reality TV shows out there, it’s refreshing to see a TV Star like Guy Fieri making a positive and valuable difference in the world, by not only offering encouragement to small business entrepreneurs (restaurant owners) but also by inspiring kids to take cooking classes and live well.
Shop the Guy Fieri store on Amazon, here.
Who’s your favorite TV chef and what makes him or her stand out for you? Please leave a comment below.
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