Food Network Stars' Favorite Birthdays

Last night Food Network celebrated its 20th birthday with a blowout party full of Food Network personalities, and while plenty of them couldn't remember their favorite birthdays (too much to drink, perhaps?), some chefs have had some pretty stellar birthdays.

Guy Fieri? Remembers turning 16. "I'm a big car fanatic, so I got to drive. When I got to drive that's when things changed," he told The Daily Meal on the red carpet last night.

Both Aaron Sanchez and Bobby Flay favors when they hit the legal drinking age. "I guess [my favorite birthday] was probably 18, when I was allowed to drink. Then they changed the age to 19, and then they changed it to 21. So 18, 19, and 21 were my favorite birthdays," Flay said. His drink of choice: Tanqueray and tonic.

"In Mexico you can drink at 18, so I remember going to Mexico with some of my cousins, and going to cantinas and tequila tasting, and hanging out, and I felt like it was my secret that no one in the states had," Sanchez said.

Other chefs, however, felt that better birthdays came with age. Ming Tsai believes his next birthday will be the best. "I'm turning 50," he said, "and every year has gotten better. So I'm on the right track."

But the most heartwarming? Giada De Laurentiis, who told The Daily Meal, "I know it's probably strange, but [my favorite was] my 40th birthday. Because I finally grew up and I finally realized I'm happy with myself with my imperfections, and I don't care anymore who likes me and who doesn't. I think that takes a long time to get there. I wish I had gotten there earlier."