15 Things You Didn't Know About Guy Fieri
Fieri has always had a bit of an entrepreneurial bug: when Fieri was in fifth grade, he convinced the organizers of the Humboldt County Fair to allow him to sell balloons! Over the next six years he earned enough money to spend a year in France, by running a pretzel cart.
He Moved to France at Age 16
When Fieri was 16, he moved to Chantilly, France, for a year abroad, and was miserable for most of the time. He was given a tiny room to live in (the bathroom was two flights downstairs), and he couldn't even use the phone without permission, because it was locked away.
French Cuisine was His First Love
Fieri didn't really fall in love with food until he went to France. Believe it or not, it was classic French fare — pâté, escargots, sheep's tongue, and the like — that was his first culinary love, not the uber-American fare that he's come to be known by.
His 'A Ha' Dish was Steak Frites
For Fieri, his "a ha" moment, the one that cemented his love for food (comparable to Julia Child's famous sole meuniere experience), came during a meal of steak frites at a tiny restaurant in the South of France.
His First Culinary Job Was at An Italian Chain
After graduating from UNLV, he got a job at a California Italian chain called Louise's Trattoria. Never one to be hemmed in, he added tortilla soup to the menu in order to provide some variety to the business lunchers who wanted some variety. He was almost fired for it!
Emeril Was a Major Inspiration
Seeing Emeril Lagasse on an episode of Good Morning America was another "a ha" moment. As he watched Lagasse strut his stuff and keep the audience in the palm of his hand, Fieri was blown away by how cool Lagasse was, and it served as a major inspiration for him.
His First Shot on Food Network Was a Failure
Auditioning for The Next Food Network Star wasn't his first attempt to get on Food Network, and he actually needed to be convinced to give it a second shot. His first effort, an audition to be on a barbecue show in 2004, went nowhere.
He Didn't Know What a Diner Was
Fieri hails from a part of the country that doesn't really have many of those classic, Jersey-style diners, and on the first day of production he still really had no idea what a diner was. He thought that diners were synonymous with burger joints, and criticized the ones with long menus because he thought that meant that they couldn't do any one thing well.
He Hadn't Heard of 'Jewish Penicillin'
The first time one of the chefs featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives referred to chicken soup as "Jewish Penicillin," it cracked Fieri up: he had never heard the term before and thought the chef had invented it.
A Billionaire Paid Big Bucks To Be His Friend
Hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen, a big fan of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, contacted Fieri's handlers and asked how much it would cost to hang out with him for a day. The price tag was $100,000, and Cohen gladly forked it over. The two eventually became close friends.
He Has a Massive Entourage
While it's just Fieri on camera, he actually travels with a huge posse, and sometimes they get rowdy. One time, one drunk entourage member broke an elevator by jumping up and down in it, and yelled at the hotel staff after he was freed. The whole gang was almost kicked out of the hotel after that.
His Sister Passed Away in 2010
In 2010, Fieri's sister Morgan sadly passed away after a bout with cancer. Fieri was scheduled to appear at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival soon afterward, and was told that if he needed to cancel the organizers would understand. Fieri soldiered on through his grief, however, and said that his sister would have wanted him to be there.
He Got into a Huge Spat with DDD's Creator
In 2011, Fieri had a major falling out with the creator and producer of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, David Page. Page was fired and sued the network for breach of contract; the network sued him back, claiming that he mistreated staff. In return, Page claimed that Fieri plundered the budget, had issues with Jews and gays, and never paid attention to notes. The lawsuit eventually settled out of court, and a new producer was brought on.
Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar
Emeril Lagasse, who's never opened a restaurant in New York City, warned Fieri about opening a restaurant in the most competitive, dog-eat-dog restaurant marketplace in the country. His main concern was that Fieri didn't have a trusted team, like Bobby Flay and Mario Batali. Fieri pressed on and opened the restaurant, and the reviews were incredibly scathing. Regardless, Guy's American Kitchen & Grill made a ton of money before closing down in 2017.
The Scathing Restaurant Reviews Enraged Fieri
Fieri was furious about the negative reviews for his restaurant, and his PR firm almost suggested to him that he apologize for the poor quality of the food and shut the restaurant down until the issues could be resolved. Instead, Fieri fought back and said that the reviews were filed too soon.
More From The Daily Meal:
10 Things You Didn't Know About Ina Garten
14 Things You Didn't Know About Guy Fieri's 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'
What Guy Fieri, Anthony Bourdain, and 14 Other TV Food Stars Looked Like Before They Were Famous