Food Network Strikes New Multi-Year Exclusive Deal with Bobby Flay
December 3, 2018
New York – December 3, 2018 – Bobby Flay has signed a new multi-year exclusive deal with Food Network, it was announced today by Courtney White, President, Food Network. The new deal spans three years and includes more episodes of the chef’s most current primetime culinary competition series, Beat Bobby Flay, along with a new project, The Flay List (wt), featuring the chef alongside his daughter Sophie, set to premiere in spring 2019. Flay is a versatile talent both in front of and behind the camera, as a producer he has been a major influence in shaping how audiences experience the evolving world of food. With this new deal, Flay will continue to take an active role in the development and production of his own series through his Rock Shrimp production company as well as actively partner with the network on mentoring and helping to shape the next generation of food personalities. A respected food authority and longtime fan-favorite, Bobby Flay made his first appearance on the network in 1994 and by 1996 was co-hosting his own series, Grillin’ & Chillin’. Additional iconic series that have helped to make Flay a household name include: Bobby Flay’s Barbeque Addiction, Boy Meets Grill, Brunch @ Bobby’s, Food Network Star, FoodNation with Bobby Flay, Grill It! with Bobby Flay, Hot Off the Grill, Iron Chef America, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, his digital series Bobby Flay Fit, as well as numerous holiday specials and guest appearances.
“Bobby Flay is a culinary superstar in every regard, and we are thrilled to be able to continue this extraordinary and productive partnership,” said White. “Bobby has a unique way of inviting audiences to experience food through the lens of his own passion. He’s both an expert as well as approachable, someone most people feel they know and can trust to steer their own culinary curiosities.”
“I am thrilled to extend my partnership with Food Network and look forward to working under the new Discovery umbrella of networks,” said Flay. “In my conversations with David Zaslav, he’s expressed a desire to bring the content I produce with my Rock Shrimp Productions team to an even more global audience, and I am excited that we get to continue to bring our viewers some of their current favorites like Beat Bobby Flay as well as some new concepts we have been cooking up.”
Bobby Flay’s versatility is evident in the multiple talents he brings to the field as a chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and media personality. He has notched multiple awards and accolades for his TV series, including five Emmy wins and thirteen nominations. Flay was the very first chef ever to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in recognition of his stellar television career and philanthropic endeavors. After discovering his culinary identity at 17, Flay’s first major debut was at the opening of Mesa Grill in New York in 1991, followed by Bolo in 1993. In 2005, he opened a Las Vegas location for Mesa Grill, as well as Bar Americain, an American brasserie in midtown Manhattan, which received two stars from the New York Times, adding a second location in 2009 at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun. In 2006, Flay opened his first-ever steakhouse, Bobby Flay Steak, in Atlantic City, and then launched his burger chain Bobby’s Burger Palace in 2008, which quickly expanded to having 17 outposts. Bobby’s most recent fine dining restaurant located in New York City’s NOHO district, Gato, opened in March 2014 to rave reviews including two stars from The New York Times, and remains one of the most sought-after reservations in Manhattan. A new Las Vegas restaurant, Shark, is set to open next year. Flay is also the author of numerous cookbooks, including Bobby Flay Fit, released last fall and is currently working on his fifteenth tome, expected to be available in the second half of 2019.
FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers' best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring, empowering and entertaining through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to nearly 100 million U.S. households and draws over 46 million unique web users monthly. Since launching in 2009, Food Network Magazine's rate base has grown 13 times and is the No. 2 best-selling monthly magazine on the newsstand, with 13.5 million readers. Food Network is owned by Discovery, Inc., a global leader in real life entertainment spanning 220 countries and territories; the portfolio also includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, TLC, Investigation Discovery, and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.