Give this guy a license to grill

Kansas City Star - MO, USA - Great chefs know a thing or two about timing, and Bobby Flay’s sense of timing is as good in front of the camera as it is in the kitchen.

In 2004 Flay was in Kansas City to film a segment at the American Royal for “Barbecue America With Bobby Flay.” Mayor Kay Barnes showed up for an interview.

When Flay asked her where’s the best barbecue — Texas or Kansas City — she replied: “Kansas City, of course.”

“I’ve just come from Texas, and it’s a very big state,” Flay said.

To which she replied, “Yes, but size isn’t everything.”

“Cut!” Flay yelled as the mayor’s face turned red and everyone within earshot had a good laugh.

Last month Flay retold the story as we were seated in a booth at Jack Stack Barbecue on the Country Club Plaza. He was on tour to promote his latest cookbook, Bobby Flay’s Grill It! (Random House, 2008).

This Iron Chef celebrity, with eight best-selling cookbooks, five hot restaurants and several hit shows on the Food Network, not only has a license to grill, he also has a license to be arrogant and cocky.

“I stopped fighting that fight years ago,” he says. “It comes from people who have never met me.” Besides, “being a prima donna takes a colossal amount of time, and ultimately it’s no fun.”

Although Flay lives in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, a few blocks south of the real Hell’s Kitchen of 19th-century infamy, his style is less abrasive than the trademark shouting and foul words that Gordon Ramsay uses on the “Hell’s Kitchen” TV show.

“I have a staff of more than 500,” he said. “I want a place that is fun, no shouting. I want my staff to look forward to coming to work everyday.”

Although Flay is one of the hottest celebrity chefs on the scene, he didn’t set out to be one. The job found him, more as a matter of necessity than choice. “I was a really poor high school student,” he says. Consequently, he dropped out at age 17.

In need of a job, Flay went to work in a restaurant. It turned out to be a perfect fit. He liked the work and had a natural talent for it. His aptitude was so apparent that his boss sent him to a culinary school to learn the basics, but Flay says he had no significant mentors until he met chef Jonathan Waxman. “Jonathan was the first to bring Southwestern cuisine to the East Coast,” he says.

Today Flay’s recipes reflect the cuisine of many cultures, but his signature dishes are bold Southwestern, with a touch of fire. And, as it turns out, one of Flay’s favorite fundraising goals is culinary training for youths. He wants to give kids who are in a situation similar to his a chance to make it in the culinary world.

Any advice to wannabe celebrity chefs? For accomplished chefs, “Get media trained.” And, for culinary students, “Learn how to cook first.”

Grill It! is Flay’s fourth book on grilling, and it’s the most user-friendly. It is his first full-color book with excellent food styling and photos.