10 Things You Didn't Know About Bobby Flay
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Bobby Flay has been dominating the culinary game for over 30 years, and he's not slowing down. If you've been watching him on Food Network for years, from Iron Chef America to Beat Bobby Flay and Brunch at Bobby's, you probably feel like you know him. Besides the fact that he loves Southwestern flavors (Calabrian chilis FTW), you might not know some of the most interesting things about this award-winning chef. Keep reading to find out 10 things that will only make you love Bobby Flay even more!
He dropped out of high school.
That's right — he dropped out of high school at the age of 17 and started working as a busboy at Joe Allen in NYC.
He enrolled in culinary school not long after, at the age of 18.
Bobby didn't remain a busboy for long — he started working in the kitchen, and it didn't take him long to realize he wanted to go to culinary school. He graduated in the very first class of the French Culinary Institute in 1984. "The person who owned the restaurant I was working in told me about it, and on the first day of school, he handed me a check for the admission. I was 18. It was the first time I had found something that really interested me," Bobby said in an interview with Tasting Table.
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
And you know what's even cooler? He's the first chef to get one.
He opened his first restaurant, Mesa Grill, at just 26 years old.
Bobby opened Mesa Grill in 1991 in NYC, and that location was open until 2004. After that, the Southwestern-inspired restaurant moved to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, where it still operates today.
Now Bobby owns five restaurant families with over 20 locations.
Out of all his restaurants, he spends most of his time at Gato, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant in NYC. Its bestselling dish every night? This vegetarian kale and wild mushroom paella with crispy artichokes and a fried egg. BRB, making a reservation now.
He has a gorgeous 19-year-old daughter named Sophie.
And they're always hanging out.
They even cooked together on the Cooking Channel.
They made her "fave recipe when she's home" — pancakes!
He cooked for the president at the White House.
Bobby Flay is known for his grilling tips, and he even gave President Obama a few pointers when he grilled with him in the Summer of 2009.
. . . And Nacho even has an Instagram account.
Naturally. Follow Nacho for cat selfies, aka the best kinds of selfies.