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When Good Things Happen to Good People
A look at Guy Fieri
Original Publication Date:
March 2010
There's no mistaking him. With platinum pointy hair, interesting body ink, black Van Dyke beard, considerable chunky bling, Gatorz signature shades, bowling-style shirt, Dickies work duds, and that giant size grin, Food Network's culinary bad-boy has arrived. Oh, and don't forget the arm band—the thick black one he wears on his forearm that matches his son Hunter's. Guy Fieri is hot, hot, hot. He's all ablaze. He's setting off alarms on every spot his flip flops happen to flop. I mean, he's on fire to the point somebody had better call in the boys with the red engine to hose him down.
For many, Guy got lucky when he won season two of The Next Food Network Star. Luck, huh? I hardly think luck had much to do with it. After all, he didn't just fall off the turnip truck and into the kitchen. This guy had been preparing for this role since he was a young tyke in Ferndale, California. Guy had an association with food early on. From washing dishes to opening his own Awesome Pretzel stand in 5th grade, Guy got a taste of the business from many different fronts. He went on to live in France as an exchange student and came back to earn a degree in hospitality management. After getting his feet wet in a few restaurants, he and partner, Steve Gruber, dove in the deep end and opened Johnny Garlic's in Santa Rosa. Following their success they branched out with Tex Wasabi's, fusing southern-style barbecue with, of all things, sushi. (Today, his restaurants total five.) This spunky go-getter had been dealt a hand with many gifts and he was about to let the rest of the world in on the action. Guy says it was his friends and his buddy Mustard who encouraged him to apply for The Next Food Network Star. At first, he didn't want to go after it because he thought by putting it all out there the dream could go away. But he took the risk and dream kicked into overdrive. The reward for winning the competition: Guy was given his very own series. They aptly called it Guy's Big Bite. The deal was to shoot only six episodes and if the public liked it, they would order more. If the public didn't, it was curtains and he'd be history. The story goes they loved it, and Guy was on his way to making history.
Who knew one show would lead to another and another and another and so on? Who knew he would make such a meteoric rise? That makes Guy one busy, grateful, crazy successful guy. It also makes the Food Network one deliriously happy network. Each of his shows is as varied and distinct as the man himself. The explosion of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives was a surprise beyond belief. Guy rolls into town, in his bright red 1967 Chevy Camaro Super Sport Convertible, looking for the best food in the most unlikely places. These little gems in the rough are what Guy has put on the map in a big way. He even made the New York Times best-sellers list coming in at #2 with his book about all the joints he's visited during his travels. And the journey for Triple-D continues with many more unique treasures throughout the land waiting to be discovered.
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