This Celebrity Chef Has Been With Food Network Since The Beginning

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If you love Food Network, you know that it has signed dozens of chefs and hosts since it launched in 1993. Many of them have become fan favorites, but over time, some Food Network stars have faded from the spotlight. For instance, Emeril Lagasse is one beloved celebrity chef you don't hear from much anymore. On the flip side, Bobby Flay has worked with the cable network since practically the beginning and remains a prominent face.

Flay graduated from the International Culinary Center in New York City in 1984, and in 1993, he became the winner of the James Beard Foundation's Rising Star Chef of the Year award. The following year, he made his first television appearance on "Iron Chef America" for Food Network. He earned the nickname "Iron Chef Flay" after frequently appearing on the show as a contestant.

By 1996, he started hosting "Grillin' & Chillin'," and he became known as a grill master by the time "Boy Meets Grill with Bobby Flay" and "BBQ with Bobby Flay" were launched in 2003 and 2004, respectively. He started hosting "Throwdown! with Bobby Flay" in 2008, and then his grilling reputation continued with the launch of "Grill It! with Bobby Flay" in 2008 and "Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction" in 2011. Other shows that Flay has starred in include "Beat Bobby Flay," "The Flay List," and "Bobby's Triple Threat" — all of which are still running at the time of writing.

It doesn't look like Bobby Flay plans to leave Food Network any time soon. "I love having my Food Network family because it's my shorthand of life. They've let me basically bring to life my culinary dreams on TV," the celebrity chef said in a 2023 interview with People. "I love what I do for a living. I love that I can inspire people to cook better at home and open their eyes up to what's available for them to cook and eat in their household." Then, in 2024, he signed a new, multiyear deal with the network.

However, hosting and appearing in cooking shows isn't the only way that Flay inspires fans. As of this writing, the celebrity chef has authored 19 cookbooks, the first of which was "Bobby Flay's Bold American Food" published in 1994. More recently, he published "Bobby Flay: Chapter One: Iconic Recipes and Inspirations from a Groundbreaking American Chef: A Cookbook" in October 2024. It's one of the best cookbooks on Amazon for holiday gifting.

On top of that, Flay owns multiple restaurants. He started Bobby's Burger Palace in 2008, which is now in two locations. It inspired an offshoot — Bobby's Burgers — that he co-founded in 2021 and has expanded into 10 locations. At Caesars Palace, he launched Amalfi by Bobby Flay in 2021 and Brasserie B Parisian Steakhouse by Bobby Flay in 2023. The chef has also partnered with Wonder, a multi-restaurant food hall with more than 70 locations and counting, to provide Bobby Flay Steak to diners.