Flay realized his deep passion for the culinary arts when he was just 17 years old, working as a part-time cook at Joe Allen’s. The position was prearranged by his father, who was long-time partner of the famous theatre district restaurant. Joe Allen became so impressed with Flay’s gastronomic flair that he decided to pay for the young boy’s tuition fee in French Culinary Institute.
Right after graduating in 1984, Flay worked in Buds and Jams under the supervision of Jonathan Waxman, where he discovered the saccharine tangs of Southwestern ingredients. It was in these flourishing restaurants that he came across several culinary masterminds of the era – Jeremiah Tower, Wolfgang Puck – whom he believes have formed an entire generation of brilliant chefs. Right after working at Jams, he went to become the executive chef of East Village’s Miracle Grill. He captured the attention of restaurant industry veteran Jerome Kretchmer, who offered him the chance to cook up a storm in his very own kitchen at Mesa Grill, a restaurant that opened to an exhilarated crowd in 1991.
It was non-stop success for Flay from then on. He opened one successful restaurant after another in New York City, serving up outstanding dishes prepared with utmost brilliance and exceptional skill. Flay unsheathed inspiration from the intricacies and boldness of Spanish food and blended these flavors with traditional American ingredients, which needless to say, earned up a cult-like following among New Yorkers. It did not take long for Flay to conquer the rest of the nation.
Today, Flay appears in numerous Food Network television shows in and writes cook books. He continues to work tirelessly in challenging the way people see and taste food, guaranteeing every customer that walks into his restaurants a bold, fun and zesty dining experience.