There are certain things we all know about Food Network’s ultimate megastar, Guy Fieri — even if you’ve been living under a rock. He loves bleaching his hair and cruising in his Camaro, which takes him to every greasy spoon and hole-in-the-wall diner you can think of. But even uber-fans of the “Mayor of Flavortown” might be surprised by these lesser-known facts. Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about Guy Fieri.
1. Fieri Is Not His Real Name
The “Mayor of Flavortown” was born Guy Ramsay Ferry in January 1968. When he got married in 1995, he changed his last name to Fieri as a tribute to his paternal grandfather, Giuseppe Fieri, an Italian immigrant who anglicized his name to Ferry upon arriving in the U.S.
2. He Opened Up His First Food Business at Age 10
As of 2024, Fieri owns hundreds of restaurants, many of which have multiple franchises and locations, and 17 brands, including the famous “donkey sauce.” This success might have something to do with his early foray into entrepreneurship.
At the age of 10, during a winter trip to Tahoe, Fieri became obsessed with the soft pretzels from a local vendor at the ski lodge. When he got back home, he started his own pretzel bicycle-drawn cart, which he built with the help of his dad and called it “Awesome Pretzel Cart.”
3. His Parents Were Health Food-Eating Hippies
A staunch carnivore, Fieri, the host of “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives,” was actually raised by veggie-loving hippies who owned a candle store and cooked macrobiotic healthy food.
“I never got to have white bread or baloney,” Fieri said on Food Network’s Chefography. “I was brought up with steamed fish and brown rice and bulgur.”
Related: Hole-in-the-Wall Italian Restaurants Guy Fieri Says You Need to Visit
4. Before Food Network, He Had a Different Kind of TV Job.
Fieri had his first TV appearance in the early 2000s, years before he won “Food Network Star” but had nothing to do with cooking. Pre-frosted-tips Fieri appeared in a commercial for Flowmaster, a California-based auto exhaust parts manufacturer.
5. He Lived in France
During high school, Fieri spent a year studying in Chantilly, France, where he developed his interest in international cuisine.
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6. He Once Had Black Long Hair
Fieri is clinging to the spiky, bleached hairstyle — that was acceptable only in the early 2000s—to such an extent that you might think he was born with it. Alas, according to his wife of 24 years, Lori Fieri, the “Mayor of Flavortown” sported a different hairstyle when they first met.
“When I first met him, he had no goatee. He had dark hair. He wore a suit to work every day,” she told People Magazine. “Now I look at him and I’m like, ‘Where’s that man I married with the whole clean look?’”
7. He’s Doesn’t Like Eggs
Fieri is not a fan of eggs and avoids them unless they’re part of a dish where the flavor is masked by other ingredients. In a 2017 interview he told Tampa Bay Times, that he eats “eggs every once in a while.”
8. He Has a Vineyard Named After His Sons
Guy Fieri owns a vineyard and winery named Hunt & Ryde, after his sons Hunter and Ryder in the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County, California. His vineyard uses organic methods to produce small-batch Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and a Cabernet blend.
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9. He Once Officiated a Massive Gay Wedding
In 2015, shortly after same-sex marriage was legalized, the “Mayor of Flavortown” participated in a mass wedding event in Miami, planned by chef Art Smith. Fieri officiated 101 same-sex marriages in the area for the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.
10. He’s a Softie
Underneath the flashy shirts and array of tattoos beats the heart of a genuine softie. He created the Guy Fieri Foundation, which supports culinary education, disaster relief, and veterans. Fieri has also fed wildfire victims, raised $21 million for restaurant workers during the pandemic, advocated for kids in the kitchen, and even collaborated on a California resolution making Sundays “Cook with Your Kids Day.”
