Bobby Flay
Mesa Grill
New York NY
http://www.bobbyflay.com
Barbecued duck and wild mushroom quesadilla with spicy mango salsa. Grilled swordfish tostada with black bean and mango salsa. Barbecued ribs with chipotl-peanut sauce and corn-tomatillo relish. This is the stuff that Mesa Grill´s dreams are made of, and Bobby Flay is the dreamweaver.
With his bright red hair and vivacious personality, he seems to physically match his obsession with fire and spice. Flay was named one of the James Beard Rising Star chefs; his restaurant empire has expanded over the past decade, he´s written more books, and is now famous for his television series. Perhaps they should have named him Rising Firebrand.
All that was in the future when Mesa Grill opened in 1991and Flay promised, ‚“I´m going to put a new and colorful twist on Southwestern cuisine.‚” He has not only succeeded in doing this but in riding the wave of the style´s popularity to fame in New York, a long way from Arizona and New Mexico. As critic Gael Greene stated the case, ‚“the sassy fare at Mesa Grill surpasses anything of its kind elsewhere in New York.‚”
Flay began cooking at age 17, when he took a job at Joe Allen´s in New York. The management was so impressed by his talent that it paid his tuition to New York´s French Culinary Institute, where Flay was a member of that school´s first graduating class in 1984. He now serves as a Master Instructor.
It was restaurant owner Jonathan Waxman who first introduced Flay to Southwestern cooking. The chef-to-be was mesmerized by the region´s foods and set about exploring the possibilities of Southwestern cuisine.
From 1988 to 1990, Flay followed his passion at New York´s Miracle Grill, where something of a cult following gathered around his innovative and flavorful creations. These dishes became the basis for his first book, Bobby Flay´s Bold American Food, published by Warner Books. He opened Mesa Grill, then Bolo Restaurant & Bar. In 2004 he brought his style to Las Vegas, opening a Mesa Grill at Caesar´s Palace. In 2006 it was his first steakhouse (Bobby Flay Steak) at Borgata Hotel & Spa in Atlantic City. And in 2007 Mesa Grill Bahamas, at The Cove Atlantis. There are more cookbooks, including one with the inspired title ‚“Boy Meets Grill, ‚” followed of course by ‚“Boy Gets Grill.‚”
