Bobby Flay And Daughter Sophie To Star On New Food Network Show
Good news, Bobby Flay fans: The celebrity chef will be on your TV a lot more next year. The restaurant owner just signed an exclusive three-year contract with the Food Network for a new show with his daughter, Sophie, called "The Flay List," set to premiere in spring 2019, plus more episodes of "Beat Bobby Flay." The celebrated cookbook author and on-air personality will also develop and produce his own shows through his production company, Rock Shrimp Productions. Sophie, 22, is the celebrity chef's only child. Her mother is his second wife, Katie Connelly; the couple married in 1995 and later divorced.
"Bobby Flay is a culinary superstar in every regard, and we are thrilled to be able to continue this extraordinary and productive partnership," said Courtney White, president of Food Network in a press release. "Bobby has a unique way of inviting audiences to experience food through the lens of his own passion. He's both an expert as well as approachable, someone most people feel they know and can trust to steer their own culinary curiosities."
The New York-native chef, 53, has become a familiar face to Food Network viewers, since hosting his first show, "Chillin' & Grillin'," in 1996. The author of "Bobby Flay Fit" and other cookbooks has also hosted "Throwdown! With Bobby Flay," "Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction" and "Food Network Star," among others. Flay shocked many viewers last year when he quit "Iron Chef."
According to her IMDB page, Sophie Flay has appeared with her celebrity chef father on several of his TV shows, including "America's Next Great Restaurant," "Brunch at Bobby's" and, most recently, as a judge and mentor on "Beat Bobby Flay."
While we don't know yet what "The Flay List" we will be about, we do know that Sophie has a sweet tooth. She posted an Instagram photo next to a cupcake tower and wrote: "Saturday food groups: coffee, cupcakes and mimosas."
On a recent episode of "Squawk Box" on CNBC, the restaurateur proclaimed his love of Italy, where he's not yet as familiar a face as he is in the United States, something he hopes will change. "One of the things I'm excited about is the globalization of my business," Flay said, though he revealed he doesn't have any current plans to expand his restaurant empire to Europe. When asked who he sees as the next generation of superstar chefs, he cited "Alex's Day Off" host Alex Guarnaschelli and "Girl Meets Farm" host Molly Yeh. "I'm always looking forward to really strengthening the roster at the Food Network becuase I know the stronger team that we have, the better for everybody."
We'll be eager to see what the father-daughter foodies cook up for their viewing audience, which we're sure will make our mouths water. While you're waiting for the premiere of "The Flay List," you can get your fill of TV food tips by binge-watching some of the Food Network's best cooking shows of all time.