The Food Network’s signature show, Food Network Star, kicked off its fourteenth season last Sunday, a feat definitely worth celebrating with a seared Kobe steak and a sip of lemoncello, yes?
As usual master chefs Bobby Flay and Giada de Laurentiis are presiding over the hopeful contestants, but do you remember who the big winners of seasons one and two were? Do the names Guy Fieri, Steve Smith or Dan McDonagh ring any bells?
Fieri won season two of Food Network Star and is a household name these days, but serious foodies will recognize the last two names, aka The Hearty Boys, as winners of season one.
Dan and Steve, partners in life as well as business, took home the top prize in 2005. Following their big win the Food Network premiered their much-anticipated show, Party Line with the Hearty Boys.
Since that time the chefs debuted, HB: A Hearty Boys Spot, a trendy Chi-town restaurant named by Chicago Magazine as one of the city’s top 10 hot spots.
They’ve authored a cookbook, Talk With Your Mouth Full, The Hearty Boys Cookbook, and recently launched HBTV, on-camera, interactive cooking class, which they describe as something akin to “cooking karaoke.”
Today the chefs live in the Windy City with their son Nate.
Guy Fieri took home the top prize in 2006 and the Food Network debuted his first show, Guy’s Big Bite, soon after. Since then the effervescent chef has gone on to dominate the Food Network’s lineup with popular and accessible shows such as Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Guy’s Grocery Games. He’s also a frequent guest judge on Food Network Star.
Guy has his own line of barbecue sauces and salsas as well as ready-to-eat refrigerated and frozen and food items.
A passionate proponent of families cooking together, Guy helped draft California state legislation proclaiming the second Saturday in May as Cook With Your Kids Day.
Guy lives in Northern California with his wife, Lori, and their two sons, Hunter and Ryder.