How Did Bobby Flay Get Started?

At 17, Bobby Flay lucked into a cooking job at the Joe Allen Restaurant in NYC. The restaurant management paid Bobby's tuition at the French Culinary Institute, but Southwestern cuisine, rather than French cuisine, became his culinary career forte. Aspiring to "put a new and colorful twist on southwestern cuisine," Bobby created innovative dishes that gained him a loyal following at the Miracle Grill. He opened his first restaurant, the Mesa Grill, in NYC in 1991. It earned him critical acclaim from The New York Times for its "sassy fare." His culinary arts career continued to rise with the 1993 launch of Bolo, dedicated to Spanish cuisine.  more