How Bobby Flay's Culinary Training Shaped His Signature Cooking Style

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It's hard to imagine anyone not knowing the name and fame of celebrity chef Bobby Flay — at least in culinary circles or among folks who love to eat and cook. He's one of America's most exuberantly lovable chefs and grillmeisters, appearing on television, opening restaurants, winning James Beard awards, teaching Food Network classes, grilling at the White House, and penning best-selling cookbooks. There seems to be no end to Flay's pervasive popularity and presence in American food and kitchens. But long before reaching media-mogul status, some hands-on culinary training highly influenced his unmistakable signature style. 

Flay's training began the same as that of many youngsters toiling in restaurant kitchens. The wannabe chef was only 17 when joining the staff of New York's popular Joe Allen restaurant, though it led to formal schooling at the brand-new French Culinary Institute. That's where his now-famous cooking style got its first and crucial culinary foundation, under the tutelage of Alsatian chef Antoine Shaeffers. It led to Flay's future French-inspired American Brasserie cooking at his Bar Americain restaurant and subsequent "Bar Americain Cookbook." However, his next round of training arguably influenced his signature cooking style even more deeply. 

After mastering French techniques in culinary school, he strengthened his skills working for three years under Chef Jonathan Waxman, who introduced him to Cajun and Southwestern cuisine. What Flay later did with that knowledge came from his own ingenuity, but the early training was unquestionably a core influence in what became the Bobby Flay signature style — the bold, vibrant, spicy Southwestern-inspired flavors we know and love.

When Bobby Flay describes meaningful moments leading to his sizzling signature style, he credits the years working with Jonathan Waxman at Bud's restaurant in New York, where he instantly fell in love with the flavors of the Southwest. Writing for Guideposts, Flay revealed, "I'd never been to New Mexico or Arizona or Texas. But there was something about this food that I just instantly got, instantly loved." He described being introduced to things he'd never tasted, including mangoes, papayas, blue corn tortillas, and chili peppers. "All that stuff was completely new to me," he explained, "and it was awesome." 

Years later, in a narrative on his website, Flay nodded to the evolving creativity when developing his own distinct version of spicy, flavorful foods. Describing his early Vegas restaurant, Shark, he wrote that it was "a kitchen of new discovery that put South American chiles and peppers on my paint brush and fish as my canvas." Of the many restaurants he has owned, he added, "Each has been a labor of true love and inspiration." 

Now things have come full circle, truly merging his French and Southwestern-style training. In an exclusive interview with Tasting Table, Flay discussed this approach to French cuisine at Brasserie B in Las Vegas. While inspired by French bistros and classic French dishes, the food unsurprisingly features bold, spicy flavor, incorporating Bobby-beauties such as espelette hot sauce, gojuchang steak glaze, smoked-chili cocktail sauce, and gratined clams Barcelona with smoked paprika and chorizo. It's the perfect example of Flay's cooking style holding firm to its roots while blazing new trails.