Bobby Flay is one of the most successful celebrity chefs working today, but there's something
about this guy that rubs people the wrong way, especially fellow chefs.
Here are just a few people who have publicly expressed their dislike of Bobby Flay.
Ramsay is unimpressed
Gordon Ramsay is not exactly known for keeping his opinions to himself in the kitchen.
"Your 'special' has now become 'not very special,' thanks to d—-face over there.
Hurry up, Giovanni!"
And he also doesn't shy away from letting the world know where he ranks among his fellow
culinary celebs.
Ramsay called Bobby Flay out, in particular, in a 2013 interview with Men's Journal, boasting
that he could easily outcook him, saying,
"I laugh when they say, 'Let's see if [Gordon Ramsay] is a real chef.
Let's get him up against Bobby Flay on Iron Chef.'
I'm like, 'F—-ing do me a favor.
Come on!
I've forgotten more than he's known!'"
Ramsay also called Flay out on The Late Late Show with James Corden over his refusal to
compete against him for a good cause:
"For the last five years, we've been trying to do this cook-off together in Vegas for
charity, and he won't sign the f—-ing contract.
Now, Bobby, sign the contract, you limp d—-!"
Morimoto is offended
Japanese chef Masaharu Morimoto competed against Flay on an early episode of Iron Chef, and
his American competitor didn't exactly have a great showing.
Flay declared victory toward the end of the competition, jumping up on his cutting board
in celebration.
Not only was it a jerk move, but it was also a premature one, Morimoto ended up being the
actual winner of the showdown.
Morimoto accepted his win with grace, although he couldn't help but throw a little bit of
shade at Flay.
"By the way, he's not a chef.
Y'know, after finishing, he stood up on the cutting board.
That's not right."
"Cutting boards and knives are sacred to us."
Bourdain was blunt
Late chef, author, and TV host Anthony Bourdain's contempt for celebrity chefs was legendary,
but his take-down of Bobby Flay was especially brutal.
Bourdain openly mocked Flay during a stop on his book tour in Philadelphia in 2016 with
this devastating burn:
"[The Food Network show] Beat Bobby Flay sounds promising until you realize it's about cooking."
The closest Bourdain ever came to complimenting Flay, to the best of our knowledge, is when
he conceded in 2007 that Flay can, quote, "make a better chili than a supermarket ground
beef-bearing amateur", a reference to Flay's pros vs. amateurs competition show Throwdown
with Bobby Flay.
Considering Flay's status in the culinary world even then, that's damning him with faint
praise, to say the least.
Giada was disappointed
They might be friends now, but there was a time when chef Giada De Laurentiis hated Flay.
She was reportedly so angry with him, in fact, that the two didn't speak to each other for
nearly a year.
An episode of Iron Chef is to blame for causing the rift.
The two paired up on the show, competing against Rachael Ray and Mario Batali.
De Laurentiis and Flay lost, which crushed De Laurentiis, but didn't seem to bother her
teammate at all.
De Laurentiis told Delish in 2018,
"We lost, and he thought it was funny; he didn't think it was any big deal that we lost.
I was really disappointed.
[...] I was upset that he didn't seem to care.
[...] I thought, you're a jerk, and I never want to be around you again."
March moved on
Flay is reportedly not the easiest person to get along with, just ask his ex-wife, Law
and Order: SVU actress Stephanie March.
In 2014, March's appendix burst and, instead of staying by her side, Flay, according to
TMZ, sent his assistant in his place, choosing his work over his wife.
Flay's overall track record with women isn't great, if tabloid reports are to be believed.
In addition to the cold-hearted hospital snub, Flay was also accused of cheating on March
with his assistant, which may have been a huge factor in his third divorce to-date.