Bobby Flay
www.bobbyflay.com
Bobby Flay’s culinary versatility is evident in the multiple talents he beings to the field: as critically-acclaimed chef/restauranteur, award-winning cookbook authour and television personality. However his first priority always remains with his restaurants.Flay discovered his culinary identity at the age of 17, working as a cook at the famed theatre district haunt, Joe Allen’s. This eventually led Flay to study at The French Culinary Institute and earned the first “Oustanding Graduate Award” in 1993. He now serves there as Master Instructor.

After working at several NYC restaurants, Flay developed his own style of American southwestern food incorporating ingredients such as chillies, avocadoes, and beans. Flay took his innovative cuisine and opened Mesa Grill, his first restaurant in 1991. This earned him widespread acclaim, including the “Best Restaurant 1992” award for Mesa Grill by New York Magazine’s Gael Green

In addition to his restaurants, Flay shares his knowledge and enthusiasm for food through his cookbooks. His first book, Bobby Flay’s Bold American Food (Warner Books, 1994), won the 1995 International Association of Culinary Professionals award for design. Five more cookbooks soon followed: From My Kitchen to Your Table (Clarkson Potter, 1998), Boy Meets Grill (hyperion, 1999), Bobby Flay Cooks American (Hyperion, 2001) and Boy Gets Grill (Scribner, 2004) and his most recent, Bobby Flay’s Grilling For Life (Scribner, 2005) each lending a unique urban-inspired approach to grilling, proving yet again that there is no limit to what can be cooked on the grill.

Flay possesses a remarkable ability to create and retain the individual character of each of his projects, insisting on uniqueness and intregrity. He works tirelessly to challenge diners’ expectations and influence the way Americans view and taste food – making it bold, zesty and always fun.

Rob Rainford
www.chefrobertrainford.com
Who knows where talent comes from? Is it nature or nurture, innate or learned? For Chef Robert L Rainford it is probably all of the above. He has always loved food. As a child, it gave him great comfort and as an adult it fills him with great curiosity. Born the youngest of five siblings into a hard working family, Robert Rainford learned at an early age that everyone had to do their part in the home. With both of his parents working, that meant cooking was no exception. “My brother Howard who is six years older than me, used to do a lot of the cooking”. I always thought it was a great mystery how the food got to taste like it did, both good and maybe not so good sometimes”.

In 1994, a real “ah hah moment”occurred for Robert. “My brother Howard asked me ‘what do you want to do with your life”? We explored my wishes vs. my talents and our conversation continually gravitated back to cooking. He opened me up to possibilities outside myself and helped break through my own self perpetuated limitations”.

Soon after, Robert enrolled in George Brown’s culinary school. “I felt that learning about food presented me with similar challenges that I had felt while trying to master basketball – practice, practice, then practice some more”.

At home, Rob was mastering the art of being a good husband and father. It was the latter that led Rob to becoming the barbecue-ologist that he is today. He combined his love for food and talent as a chef with the casual nature of cooking at home, for three children. Grilling has become his favorite way to prepare quick, flavourful, healthy meals.

Rob has a philosophy when it comes to the barbeque: “It’s pretty simple. Just start with the freshest ingredients you can find and then you’ve got two choices: long slow cooking over low indirect heat, or red hot and smokin’ for fast grilling. If you cook low and slow then you can use all sorts of rubs and smoking agents to infuse the food with a depth of flavour you just can’t get out of an oven. As for high heat grilling, your barbeque puts out way more heat than your stovetop so you can get that wonderful charring and searing, just like in a restaurant.”

Coming Soon
February 28th ‘08
Pre-order at
www.amazon.com!