Only two short years ago, Guy Fieri competed on and won season two of "The Next Food Network Star." Today he hosts three popular shows on the Food Network, including "Guy's Big Bite," where he teaches viewers how to make creative dishes with bold flavors; "Ultimate Recipe Showdown," where he showcases home cooks' best recipes; and "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives," where he travels across America to find the most unique food America has to offer. From daytime to primetime, Guy brings his unique personality to Food Network multiple times a week.

 

This likeable laid-back California "guy" with his trademark bleached-blond spiky hair began his love affair with food at the age of ten, selling soft pretzels from a three-wheeled bicycle cart he built with his father named "The Awesome Pretzel." Through selling pretzels and washing dishes, Guy earned enough money in six years to study abroad as an exchange student in Chantilly, France. While there, he gained a true appreciation not only for international cuisine, but the culture and lifestyle associated with it.

 

Guy attended the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management. He began his career with Stouffers, managing their flagship restaurant in Long Beach, California. After three years, Guy became District Manager of Louise's Trattoria, where he oversaw six restaurants and was in charge of recruiting and training for the growing chain.

 

In 1996, Guy and his business partner, Steve Gruber, embarked on a Sonoma County Italian restaurant, Johnny Garlic's. They opened their first location in Santa Rosa in the fall of 1996, a second outpost in Windsor in 1999, and a third debuted in Roseville, California, in late 2008. With the success of their first restaurant concept, they developed Tex Wasabi's, a Southern BBQ and California Sushi restaurant in 2003 in Santa Rosa, California. Guy opened a second location in Sacramento in 2007. In addition to their thriving restaurants, customers can buy fun products, including T-shirts, squeeze bottles, aprons, hats, and more.

 

Guy has been a three-term President of the Restaurant Association of the Redwood Empire, serves on the Board of Directors for the Educational Foundation of the California Restaurant Association, and most recently was Grand Marshal for NASCAR in Sonoma. Guy believes in using his celebrity to help others, and in the fall of 2007, the Navy flew him to the Persian Gulf to entertain and cook for the troops.

 

Guy lives in Northern California with his wife, Lori, and two boys: Hunter and Ryder. When he isn't on the road or in a studio, he loves to spend time taking road trips with his family, cooking, and restoring his classic race cars and dirt bikes, and riding his lifted monster golf cart.

 

Photo Credit: Television Food Network, G.P.

Guy Fieri

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