Q&A: Guy Fieri of the Food Network

If you've got a crush on "Take Home Chef" Curtis Stone or want to see what Andrew Zimmern, host of "Bizarre Foods," will eat next, head to Hy-Vee Hall this weekend for Iowa's first-ever Celebrity Food and Wine Expo. Those chefs and others, including Guy Fieri and Sandra Lee from the Food Network, will appear at the "Celebrity Kitchen Theatre" and at meet-and-greets throughout the weekend.

Local chefs will also give half-hour demos on the Gourmet Stage. They are George Formaro from Centro, Django and Gateway Market, raw vegan chef Sheree Clark, "Road Food" host Don Hensley, Jennifer Strauss of Carefree Patisserie, and Jack Wenz, executive chef for the Iowa Events Center. The expo features an emporium with vendors who will help you with your holiday shopping, a wine shop and a sampling zone ($12 extra) with beer, wine and spirits.

We spoke with Guy Fieri, the high-energy winner of "The Next Food Network Star" and host of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives," "Guy's Big Bite" and new live show, "Guy Off the Hook."

How has your life changed since you won The Next Food Network Star?
If my life before was flying jet fighters, now I'm in the space shuttle. It's hard to articulate how big it is. I feel very blessed. I had five restaurants in California before that and now I've had four shows on the Food Network and all these other endeavors around it. I have a unique outlook on the food world.

What's the hardest part about cooking for television?
The start-stop-hurry-up-and-wait. A half-hour cooking show can take up to eight hours to film depending on how you're shooting it. We just started a new live show called "Guy Off the Hook" and a couple of one-hour specials. One-hour live shows are so much better because you get to cook in real time. Slamma jamma, just cook and get it done.

What will you talk about in your presentation at the Expo?
My style is to let the audience take it where they want it to go. Demos are one of my favorite things to do because I get to interact with people, say hi and talk to them. Meeting everyone is a blast.

What are some of the best experiences you've had filming the travel show, "Diners Drive-ins and Dives"?
We were down in Miami and I had a dish called mofongo with fried plantains, fried pig skins and roasted pork. It was about heaven. I had corned beef hash at a diner on stilts in Maine that was phenomenal. In Pescadero, California, a little two-building town there's a place that serves cioppino (fish soup) and an abalone sandwich. You'll gain 20 pounds if I tell you the whole story.

It sounds like filming this show is one of your favorite parts about this new life.
I love food. I am like in a giant culinary Disneyland. You know how when you¹re a kid Disneyland is bigger than life? That's how it is for me. I'm a little kid in a gigantic world of food. I was in Sacramento and just happened to be at a little French cafe, very inexpensive. And I studied in France so I'm familiar with that kind of food. I thought, this dude is knocking out classic country French food, you've gotta be kidding me. Is this shit really happening? I tell people to slow down, look at what's going on. You can have the greatest food adventures.

This area is really big on pork tenderloins.
Yeah, you have the National Pork Board there. I call myself a POP, a pal of pork. I'm looking forward to going there. I'm hoping to get there a little early and check out a restaurant. Where should I go? There¹s a section on Foodnetwork.com where you can "tell Guy where to go" in your city.

(I told him to go to the Waveland Cafe)

Who are your cooking idols?
Nobody that anyone would know. My dad out of everybody is the one I respect the most. Now I'm in awe of all of them (Food Network hosts). Emeril is Elvis. Bobby, Giada, Ingrid, they're all such masters of their trade. The closer you get to something, when you understand what it takes to do it, you come to appreciate it.

Are you working on any new projects?
My new book, "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" just hit the New York Times best-seller list. I was talking to some people at TV Guide and they said just call it the Guy Network. Pretty much any day I'm on it. I appreciate it. I'm glad people dig what I do. I'm always laughing and having a good time. As soon as it's not fun I won't do it. The fans of my show are the reason I keep doing it; they're a riot.

What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I used to be more of a daredevil. The other day I put on a dog suit and had a 90-pound German Shepherd attack me with the Mississippi SWAT team. I love anything that's a little bit different and I thought it must be gnarly to get attacked by one of those. The dog hits you like a linebacker in football. I cut my nose up and it was bleeding. I've lived a very exciting life.

So have you always been interested in cooking?
Since I was 10. It started with one incident with my mom. She was cooking eggplant parmesan and I asked why we couldn't have chicken parmesan. She said if I didn't like the food I could just make it myself. So I went to the grocery store and I cooked. My dad looked at me and said it was the best steak he¹d ever had. I thought, wow, I can make people happy. I can eat the food I want to eat. And if I cook I don¹t have to do the dishes.

Do you have any tips on how to take a really good bite of something?
As often as it looks like I take a monster bite, I think you enjoy the palate of food better when you don¹t fill your mouth up so much with food. It's important to put all the components of the food together to get a flavorful bite.

What are the most essential tools in your home kitchen?
A sharp knife without question. I have about 25 knives sitting next to my stove. I'll use them and as they become dull I'll set them to the side. Then I'll go through and sharpen them all and put them back into the rotation. So knives, and fresh cracked pepper.

What do you cook for yourself at home?
I'm a pasta fanatic. My favorite all-time meal is tomato sauce and pasta. Really good pasta. A rough-textured bucatini is heaven.