IF YOU GO
“The Guy Fieri Roadshow”
WHEN: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17.
WHERE: Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 50 E. Merrimack St., Lowell, Mass.
COST: $42-$250.
INFORMATION: www.guyfieri.com/tourdates.html or www.lowellauditorium.com.
By MICHELLE COLLINS Correspondent
Imagine hosting four shows on national television, co-owning five restaurants, publishing a best-selling book, kicking off a culinary road tour and still having to take your kids to school in the morning.
This is the life of Guy Fieri, a Food Network’s celebrity chef and winner of the second season of its hit show “The Next Food Network Star.” “The Guy Fieri Roadshow” is launching in Lowell, Mass., on Nov. 17 to bring the popular cook’s culinary skills and persona out of the television and into a much more intimate setting.
“That’s what’s so cool about it; it’s a living, breathing event,” Fieri said.
Those who follow Fieri on Food Network may be surprised to know that he’s just a living, breathing guy: While on the phone with this shot-to-stardom chef, Fieri was joking about how he was trying to close down his backyard pool for the season in the pouring rain. Between questions, he was even feeding his 3-year-old son Ryder while his wife ran errands.
“I’m still just Guy Fieri,” he said. “I got home about 2 in the morning and was up at 6:30 to take my son to school.”
Before Fieri became a celebrity chef, he was slinging pretzels out of a three-wheeled bicycle cart he built with his dad called The Awesome Pretzel. After he earned enough money, Fieri traveled to France to study abroad and developed a love for international cuisine and the culture that came along with it. From there, Fieri acquired a degree in hospitality management and worked several years in the food industry before opening his own Italian restaurant in 1996 called Johnny Garlic’s with his business partner, Steve Gruber, in Sonoma County, Calif.
“For me, food is … my whole foundation,” Fieri said.
Fieri now co-owns five eateries with Gruber, including Tex Wasabi’s, a Southern barbecue and sushi joint in Santa Rosa, Calif. Since winning the second season of “The Next Food Network Star,” Fieri now hosts four programs on the food channel, including his first cooking show “Guy’s Big Bite”; the home cook competition show, “Ultimate Recipe Showdown”; “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives,” where Fieri visits locally owned eateries across the nation; and his cooking show with a live audience, “Guy Off the Hook.”
“They all have components of each other,” Fieri said. “‘Guy’s Big Bite’ is the culinary side of me, (while) ‘Guy Off the Hook’ is the wild side of me.”
In October 2008, Fieri even released his first book based on his most popular show, titled “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip … with Recipes!” The book landed on The New York Times Best-sellers List in its first week of release. Fieri also has his first cookbook in the works, which will compile his own original recipes.
“Like any artist … I have to make sure I’m delivering the real deal,” Fieri said.
Despite all of the “overnight success” this California native has had, at the end of the day, Fieri is a family man.
Success has not gotten in the way of his duties as a father, husband, son or brother – in addition to his son Ryder, Fieri also has a 13-year-old son, Hunter, and he’s been married to his wife, Lori, for 14 years.
“The Guy Fieri Roadshow” stems from the bleach-blond-haired chef’s success on the Food Network. Fieri received lots of requests to take his talent on the road and has been planning the tour for the last year.
“It’s kind of part demonstration, part rock ’n’ roll, part comedy hour,” Fieri said. “It’s entertainment, it’s fun, it’s food; it’s food-centric.”
Fieri’s strong fan base should be sure to sell out the shows quickly, too – there are several Internet fan groups devoted to the chef, including Fans of Guy Fieri and a group on Twitter dedicated to – of all things – his colon.
“Being a celebrity chef … I really attribute my success to my fans,” Fieri said. “When I think outside of it … I’m tripped out a little bit.”
Fieri is taking his cooking demos on the road with the likes of Michael Schlow (whom Fieri describes as a “renowned chef”), along with master mixologist Hayden Wood.
“It really shows we’re all one here,” Fieri said. “It’s around food – that’s the common denominator.”
Michelle Collins can be reached at michellep collins@gmail.com.
