13 Things You Didn't Know About Guy Fieri

Think you know everything about Guy Fieri? There's plenty more than meets the eye with this Food Network star.

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Surprising Secrets

How well do you know Guy when it comes to his family, his favorite cooking utensils or his philosophy on kid-friendly recipes? Read on to discover some unexpected facts about the Triple D, Triple G king.

He Was an Entrepreneur at Age 10

After falling in love with soft pretzels while on a family vacation, Guy was convinced by his dad to open a pretzel cart. "We just made a business plan. I had a checkbook. I mean, I’m in sixth grade and I’m rolling with a checkbook," he says. "My name was The Awesome Pretzel Company, and I would do the fairs and the rodeos and anywhere I could go that they would let me sell pretzels."

He Knew He Wanted to Be a Chef Since He Was a Kid

A staunch carnivore from the start, Guy constantly battled with his veggie-loving mom. Things came to a head when he was 10 years old. Exasperated, his mother inadvertently gave him the green light: “If you don’t like the way I cook, then you cook,” Guy remembers her saying. That same day, he rode his bike to the local grocery store, put a few steaks on the family tab and got to work. “My dad said, ‘This might be the best steak I’ve ever had in my life.’ And that was it. I knew I wanted to be a chef.”

He Doesn't Believe in Kid-Friendly Recipes

“What do your kids like to eat? That’s a good kid-friendly recipe,” he says. Even better: Ask them to help in the kitchen. “Get them involved with whatever you cook. Let them feel something!” It’ll turn picky eaters into enthusiastic ones, Guy says.

He'd Take a Wok Over the Grill Any Day

“The wok is one of my favorite things to work with when I’m camping,” he says. “Outdoor cooking is not just about hot dogs and hamburgers. There are so many styles of food you can make.”

His Son Hunter Is a Better Baker Than He Is

While son Ryder’s life revolves strictly around pizza, his eldest, Hunter, is more ambitious in the kitchen. “Hunter cooks a lot; he gets into it,” he says. “And he really likes to bake.” As for Guy: “I can’t bake anything. I’m the worst. My cakes always come out flat.”

His Parents Were Hippies

“My parents were all into macrobiotic cooking and natural cooking, and my sister was a vegetarian. I wasn’t down with that,” he says. His picks? Meatballs, pork chops, chicken Parm and steak.

He's Got a Man Crush on Masaharu Morimoto

“Of all the great people I’ve met in my life, he is one of the most gracious and caring. And man — he puts on a party,” he says. “If you haven’t tried his food, it’s out of bounds.”

He's a Fierce Canner

Just before summer ends, Guy gets down and dirty bringing his garden (yes, he has a garden!) into his kitchen. Bell peppers are a particular favorite to preserve, and “they work nicely” for canning. “It costs so much to buy them roasted in the jar, especially off-season. You’ll save so much money by canning them yourself,” he says.

He Loves Asian Cooking

He's known for his Donkey Sauce at his restaurantGuy's American Kitchen & Bar, but Guy goes Eastern when at home. "My favorite of all Asian sauces and condiments is sambal oelek. It has a nice chile flavor, but it’s not super-spicy," he says. Another go-to: oyster sauce. "It’s like ancient barbecue sauce. It’s excellent and coats food really well," he says.

Get the Recipe: Asian Chicken Meatball Sliders with Pickled Carrot and Daikon

He's a Cilantro Fan

Guy says it’s one of his “favorite, favorite herbs.”

He Watches Food Network

“I love Iron Chef and I love Chopped. I watch both of them. I think it is crazy what those chefs go through,” he says.

He Hates Eggs

Guy is adventurous when it comes to both eating and cooking new foods: "I’ll eat just about everything. I challenge myself every year to revisit things I don’t like," he says. Eggs, however, are one thing he tries to stay away from. "I'm not a huge egg fan," he admits.

He Won't Leave the Store Without Two Loaves of Bread

"You know, a baguette or sourdough, just really good, crunchy," he says. "We get two, because one will be halfway gone by the time we get home."

He's Crazy for Kale

Guy may cook a mean protein, but he knows that veggies can still be the star of a dish. "I love kale," he says. "I think kale is a vegetable that eats like a protein. It’s hearty. You can eat it raw, chopped in a salad, you can eat it cooked, wilted and beat up like a collard green. ... It’s super-fortifying and very healthy for you."

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