Be My Guest with Ina Garten: Bobby Flay

Food Network | Sept 29, 2024

Episode Overview

Ina Garten welcomes her longtime friend, renowned chef and television personality Bobby Flay, to her East Hampton home for a day of cooking, reflection, and conversation. The episode moves fluidly between hands-on kitchen segments (cherry pistachio biscotti, Irish coffee affogato, and fettuccine with anchovy butter) and warm, thoughtful discussions about Bobby’s life, culinary journey, career highs and setbacks, personal inspirations, and the lessons that have shaped him. It’s a celebration of food, friendship, perseverance, and savoring life—flavored with laughter and heart.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Sweet Start: Baking and Reminiscing

[01:30–06:00]

• Ina prepares cherry pistachio biscotti for Bobby, providing a detailed walkthrough of her recipe and the importance of quality ingredients and classic techniques.
• She admits to nerves when hosting Bobby, “when he comes here, I’m like a bundle of nerves because I want it to be really good.”
• Brief reflection on their long Food Network history and appreciation of each other’s talents.

2. Affogato Fusion & Personal Connections

[06:19–10:08]

• Ina assembles an Irish coffee affogato (vanilla ice cream, coffee liqueur, Irish whiskey, whipped cream, espresso, chocolate), joking with Bobby about their Irish and Italian roots.
• Lighthearted exchange about Bobby’s late famous cat, Nacho, and his cat food line “Made by Nacho”.
  • Bobby: “He inspired me to come up with a cat food line and it’s called Made by Nacho, obviously.” [07:33]
• The pair enjoy the dessert, and Bobby raves about Ina’s biscotti:
  • “A lot of times when you see biscotti this big, sometimes they’re a little bit dry. But this is fantastic.” [10:55]

3. Career Origins and Turning Points

[11:12–17:08]

• Ina and Bobby revisit his first TV show, “Grillin’ & Chillin’,” with Bobby sharing production challenges and early learning experiences:
  • “We shot 42 shows in seven days…Before you got there, there was no editing…You had to shoot TV live to tape.” [12:15]
  • “I did have an anxiety attack the night before we started shooting, I would imagine. But it was really bad television. But I really believe it was so bad that it was good.” [12:52]
• Discuss the cultural impact Bobby had making it “cool” for men to cook:
  • Ina: “You made it cool to be a chef, really…an entire generation of boys who think it’s really cool to cook.” [13:02]
  • Bobby recalls how “years ago…guys weren’t sure whether it was okay for them to say that they really like to cook.” [13:50]
• Bobby shares memories of a nontraditional academic track, noting undiagnosed learning disabilities and getting expelled from several Catholic schools:
  • “There was absolutely no question in my mind, although it’s not actually documented, that I had a learning disability at some level.” [14:15]
  • His father’s insistence he get a job leads to Bobby’s first restaurant gig at Joe Allen’s and a chance offer to work in the kitchen, which ignites his passion:
    • “I remember waking up, laying in bed right before work and staring at the ceiling and thinking to myself, I can’t wait to go to work today.” [15:36]
• Joe Allen’s pivotal gesture of paying Bobby’s tuition to the French Culinary Institute:
  • “Joe handed me an envelope and said, this is from me. You owe me nothing. I just want you to have this. And he gave me my tuition.” [16:07]
  • Ina: “That’s really incredible, because it really means everybody’s got to keep going. You got to keep trying things…And the one thing that clicks is the thing you should be doing.” [16:30]

4. Philosophy, Mentorship & Keys to Longevity

[17:08–23:12]

• Bobby reflects on lessons from his father:
  • “Always do a good job, no matter what, because you never know who’s watching…and that person can change your life forever.” [17:03]
• Touches on early work with chef Jonathan Waxman (“the first person to teach me what good food was. Flavor and technique, respect for the ingredients.” [17:53]), and how farm-fresh values shifted his worldview.
• The stress and wild timing of opening his first restaurant, Mesa Grill, on the night the Gulf War broke out:
  • “I guess this restaurant’s over. We just opened…But we had so much good pre-press and prior to it that we got through that part of it.” [18:29]
  • The pressure of NY Times critics: “We have their photos, we have their aliases…We have it all. Because we want to know when they’re coming in.” [19:22]
• On embracing failure and resilience, especially learned through sports:
  • “Failure is a very good thing to have in your life and your repertoire as long as you can get past it.” [20:13]
  • “People don’t remember how you win, but they do remember how you lose.” [21:14]
• Advice to aspiring TV chefs:
  • “Learn how to cook first…Let’s not try to get lucky, let’s just be good and let’s look for longevity…put in the work, create a foundation…When you get the right opportunity, you will have the repertoire to go forever.” [21:43]

5. Italy, Self-Discovery, and Happiness

[23:12–24:45]

• Bobby recounts a transformative six-week solo trip to Rome in 2018:
  • “I learned that I could be alone and be happy…I learned that I did not have to work to be happy.” [23:45]
  • Time spent learning Italian, eating amazing food, and enjoying leisure reshaped his approach to life and work.
  • “Cooking in somebody else’s restaurant is not work to me. It’s discovery. It’s playtime.” [23:55]
• Bobby wrestles with the normal anxieties of staying relevant:
  • “I do get nervous sometimes that I’m not gonna be as good a cook as I was yesterday or that I’m gonna be left behind in being relevant…It’s the way I show my adoration to people. I cook for them.” [24:45]

6. Kitchen Segment: Fettuccine with Anchovy Butter

[27:52–34:46]

• Bobby guides Ina through his ultra-simple, ultra-flavorful pasta dish inspired by Rome’s Roscioli:
  • Ingredients: fresh fettuccine, anchovy butter (anchovies, soft butter, lemon zest, garlic), toasted panko breadcrumbs, chives.
  • Practical tips:
    • “Salt and pepper is like, the thing that comes out of my mouth most. And the other one is, did you taste it? Because if you’re not chewing in my kitchen, you’re not cooking.” [32:41]
    • On Italians finishing pasta in the sauce pan: “It’s like night and day.” [33:22]
  • Playful banter about Ina’s classic “How easy is that?” and Bobby’s encouragement, “If Bobby tells you to put all the chives in, you put all the chives in.” [34:12]
  • Ina, delighted: “The texture, the flavor. You don’t know the anchovies are in there, but it has a depth…That’s so delicious. I’m so making this.” [34:37]
  • Bobby: “Simple. You can make this any night of the week.” [34:44]

7. Entertaining & The Joy of Sharing Meals

[34:51–35:50]

• Bobby and Ina trade stories on entertaining, both admitting a tendency to “overcook” for guests.
• Bobby: “I usually need like a dozen to feel comfortable.” [35:07]
• He describes his favorite long, casual lunches with friends and family, always served family-style, full of food and conviviality:
  • “It becomes like this beautiful, leisurely three and a half hour, lots of wine, lunch. It feels like Tuscany or Provence.” [35:34–35:44]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Opportunity and Mentorship:

  • “Always do a good job, no matter what, because you never know who’s watching. And that person can change your life forever.” — Bobby Flay [17:03]

• On Failure:

  • “Failure is a very good thing to have in your life and your repertoire as long as you can get past it.” — Bobby Flay [20:13]

• On TV Success:

  • “Let’s not try to get lucky, let’s just be good and let’s look for longevity…put in the work, create a foundation that can never be taken away from you.” — Bobby Flay [21:46]

• On Cooking as Expression:

  • “Everything that I do…revolves around cooking. It’s the way I show my adoration to people. I cook for them.” — Bobby Flay [25:19]

• On Entertaining:

  • “I have a hard time cooking for four. I usually need like a dozen to feel comfortable.” — Bobby Flay [35:07]
  • “If Bobby tells you to put all the chives in, you put all the chives in.” — Ina Garten [34:12]

Important Timestamps

• [01:30] Ina welcomes Bobby, explains the day’s menu
• [06:19] Bobby arrives; memories of his late cat Nacho
• [08:40] Ina and Bobby make and enjoy Irish coffee affogato
• [11:55] “Grillin’ & Chillin’” show stories
• [13:02] The shift Bobby helped create in men’s cooking culture
• [14:15] Bobby’s school days, first job, mentor Joe Allen
• [16:07] Joe Allen pays Bobby’s culinary school tuition
• [17:53] Jonathan Waxman’s influence
• [18:29] Opening Mesa Grill on the eve of war
• [19:22] How serious chefs track restaurant critics
• [20:13] Talking about learning from failure
• [21:43] Bobby’s advice to aspiring TV chefs
• [23:21] Bobby’s transformative trip to Rome
• [24:45] Bobby’s fear of losing his edge, cooking as love
• [27:52] Fettuccine with anchovy butter—step-by-step cooking
• [34:12] “Put all the chives in!” moment
• [35:07] Entertaining style and joy of shared family lunches

Tone and Atmosphere

Warm, honest, deeply personal, and sprinkled with laughter. Ina and Bobby’s longstanding friendship shines throughout, as does their mutual respect and shared passion for food and the connections it fosters. Their banter is cozy, inviting, and often gently self-deprecating—a perfect listen for food lovers and anyone seeking inspiration to pursue their craft and embrace life’s detours.