Guy Fieri

Guy Fieri (/fjɛri/;[1][a] born Guy Ramsay Ferry, January 22, 1968[2]) is an American restaurateur, author, game show host, and television personality. He co-owns six restaurants in California[6] and is known for his television series on the Food Network.

By mid-2010, the Food Network had made Fieri the "face of the network".[7] In 2010, The New York Times reported that Fieri brought an "element of rowdy, mass-market culture to American food television", and that his "prime-time shows attract more male viewers than any others on the network".[7]
Guy Fieri was born in Columbus, Ohio, the son of Penny Anne (Price) and Lewis James Ferry.[b] He grew up in Ferndale, in rural Humboldt County, California. During high school, he was a foreign exchange student to France, where he developed his interest in food and cooking.[3] His paternal grandfather was of Italian descent; Fieri changed his surname, Ferry, back to his family's original surname, Fieri, when he got married in 1995, in order to honor his immigrant great-grandfather, Giuseppe Fieri.[5]
Fieri began his association with food in grade school in Ferndale, California, by selling pretzels from his "Awesome Pretzel" cart and washing dishes to finance his trip to France to study cuisine.[8] On his return to the United States, he worked at the restaurant at the Red Lion Inn in Eureka, California until going to Las Vegas for college.[8] He later managed and owned restaurants.[9] Fieri attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Hotel Management in 1990.[10][11] After graduation, he went to work for Stouffer's, developing restaurant concepts in Southern California[7] and managing their flagship restaurant in Long Beach, California. After three years in southern California, he became district manager of Louise's Trattoria, managing six locations along with recruiting and training for the restaurants.
In late 1996, Fieri and business partner Steve Gruber opened Johnny Garlic's, a California Pasta Grill in Santa Rosa, California. A second location opened in Windsor in 1999, a third in Petaluma in 2000 or 2001 (since closed), and a fourth in Roseville in late 2008. Subsequently they developed Tex Wasabi's (barbecue and sushi) in 2003 in Santa Rosa, adding a second location in Sacramento's Arden-Arcade area in 2007 (which was rebranded as Johnny Garlic's, and then subsequently closed). An additional Johnny Garlic's was opened in Dublin, California, in 2011. His first New York City restaurant, Guy's American Kitchen and Bar, opened in 2012 to scathing New York Times coverage by Pete Wells that has been called the most widely read restaurant review ever.[12][13] In April 2014, Guy Fieri's Vegas Kitchen and Bar opened in Las Vegas.[14]
After winning the second season of The Next Food Network Star [15] on April 23, 2006, Fieri was awarded a six-episode commitment for his own cooking show on Food Network. Guy's Big Bite premiered on June 25, 2006, and continues.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, his second series, premiered in April 2007 (a one-hour special aired in November 2006), with Fieri traveling the country visiting local eateries. The New York Times called the series "not a cooking show as much as a carefully engineered reality show".[7] Ultimate Recipe Showdown, co-hosted with Marc Summers, debuted on February 17, 2008, and aired for three seasons. On September 14, 2008, Guy Off the Hook debuted on Food Network. This special studio audience show aired through the end of 2008, but the extra cost of staging an audience show did not result in a ratings bump and the concept was discontinued. For Thanksgiving 2008, Fieri hosted a one-hour special titled Guy's Family Feast. He used the "Guy Off the Hook" set for the special, which was broadcast live, on November 28, 2008. Fieri appeared on other Food Network programs such as Dinner: Impossible in 2007 and 2009, Paula's Party, Ace of Cakes, and The Best Thing I Ever Ate.

In December 2009, NBC named Fieri as the host of the game show Minute to Win It, which premiered in March 2010 and aired for two seasons.[16] On May 13, 2012, NBC announced that the game show would not be renewed for a third season, citing high production costs and low ratings.
In 2011, Fieri partnered with Carnival Cruise lines to create Guy’s Burger Joint to sell Fieri's burgers fleet-wide.
Fieri receives the key to the city of Ferndale from the Ferndale City Council at a special council meeting, 23 November 2012.[17]

In January 2012, Fieri was one of the two team captains (along with Rachael Ray) in the Food Network reality series Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off.[18] A second season of Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off began airing on Food Network on January 6, 2013. A chef challenge show, Guy's Grocery Games, started on October 27, 2013, on the Food Network. It features four cooks who battle through 3 rounds, and are judged by three judges
Fieri appeared in promotions for Flowmaster, a California-based auto exhaust parts manufacturer.[20] In 2008 and 2009, he was the spokesperson for T.G.I. Friday's.[21] In 2010, he appeared in a commercial for Aflac named "Spicy".[22]
In 2009, Fieri began touring with the Guy Fieri Roadshow, a multi-state food tour that featured some of his fellow Food Network personalities.[23][24] He also appears in regional Food Network events, such as the Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival[25] and the South Beach Food and Wine Festival, where he officiated 101 gay weddings.[26]

In 2015, Fieri officiated the wedding of celebrity chef Art Smith on Miami Beach. The wedding, which included over two dozen same-sex couples, was held to celebrate Florida's Supreme Court lifting the state ban on same-sex marriage.[27]
Guy Fieri lives in Northern California with his wife, Vesna, and their sons, Hunter and Ryder. He collects classic American cars, including a 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle, a 1968 Pontiac Firebird, a 1976 Jeep CJ-5, a 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS, and a 1967 Chevrolet C10 pickup.[3]
Fieri has co-authored three books with Ann Volkwein; the first two were New York Times bestsellers for over 12 weeks.[28][29][30]

    Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives: An All-American Road Trip…with Recipes! (October 2008),[28]
    More Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: Another Drop-Top Culinary Cruise Through America's Finest and Funkiest (November 2009),[29] and
    Guy Fieri Food: Cookin' It, Livin' It, Lovin' It (May 2011).[30]
In 2006 Guy Fieri premiered his first show, Guy's Big Bite, on Food Network. Today, this "culinary rock star” also hosts the top-rated show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Guy's Grocery Games, and guest judges on Food Network Star.

This likeable, laid-back California guy with his trademark bleached-blond spiky hair began his love affair with food at the age of 10, selling soft pretzels from a three-wheeled bicycle cart (named “The Awesome Pretzel”) he built with his father. By selling pretzels and washing dishes, Guy earned enough money in six years to study abroad as an exchange student in Chantilly, France. There he gained a profound appreciation for international cuisine and the lifestyle associated with it. Guy attended University of Nevada Las Vegas, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management.
In 1996 Guy and his business partner, Steve Gruber, launched their Sonoma County, Calif.-based Italian restaurant, Johnny Garlic's. Their first location opened in Santa Rosa, Calif., in fall 1996, a second outpost opened in Windsor, Calif., in 1999, and their third opened in Roseville, Calif., in 2008. A fourth location opened in Dublin, Calif., in summer 2011. Following the success of their first restaurant concept, in 2003 they developed Tex Wasabi’s, a Southern barbecue and California sushi restaurant in Santa Rosa, Calif. In 2011 the restaurant reopened to rave reviews after an 18-month, $1 million renovation. A second Tex Wasabi’s is located in Sacramento, Calif. Combined, there are now a total of six locations. Always looking to make improvements to the restaurant industry, Guy was a three-term president of the Restaurant Association of the Redwood Empire and serves on the board of directors for the Educational Foundation of the California Restaurant Association.
In October 2008 Guy released his first book, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip...with Recipes! (William Morrow), based on his widely popular show, which offers recipes and memorable stories from establishments he has visited around the country. A follow-up book, More Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: Another Drop-Top Culinary Cruise Through America's Finest and Funkiest Joints (William Morrow), hit stores in November 2009. Both editions landed in the #1 spot on The New York Times Best Sellers List for 12+ weeks. In May 2011 Guy released his first cookbook, Guy Fieri Food (William Morrow), which includes more than 125 original recipes, full-color photos and cooking tips. That same month, he combined the worlds of food and rock ‘n’ roll during his second-ever cross-country tour. Guy’s first tour, “The Guy Fieri Road Show,” took place in November 2009 and toured 21 cities in 30 days at venues that seated 2,000-5,000 fans.
In 2011, Guy launched his own line of Guy Fieri Barbecue Sauces and Salsas as well as a Flavortown food line, which includes ready-to-eat frozen and refrigerated food products. Currently available nationwide, Guy Fieri Barbecue Sauces and Salsas each come in four varieties, while the Flavortown line offers items such as pre-marinated steak and pork, five varieties of sausage and appetizers that include everything from pot stickers and hush puppies to grilled shrimp and scallop skewers.
Passionate about empowering today’s parents to include their children in the kitchen and educate them about eating healthy, Guy helped draft California state legislation proclaiming the second Saturday in May annually as Cook With Your Kids Day. While it was passed unanimously by the California State Legislature in 2008, in April 2011 Guy received a new resolution that recognizes Cook With Your Kids Day every Sunday. Invited by the U.S. Navy team to cook at the White House, Guy spoke to politicians about making this a nationally recognized holiday. In August 2010 he officially launched CWK (Cooking With Kids), a program that encourages developing healthy eating habits to address the childhood obesity crisis and strengthen the family unit by sharing quality time in the kitchen.
A longtime supporter of law enforcement and the military men and women serving our country, Guy has an ongoing Armed Forces Entertainment commitment and has visited bases in the Persian Gulf, Guantanamo Bay and Hawaii, all as a guest of the U.S. Navy. He entertains the troops and inspires the military culinary specialists with instruction and inspiration.

Guy lives in Northern California with his wife, Lori, and their two sons, Hunter and Ryder.