Fieri may participate in B.R. Cohn Charity Events in 2009

More philanthropic work for Guy ahead
On December 26, 2008, The Sonoma Sun reported that Guy Fieri attended a meeting at the B.R. Cohn Winery in Sonoma Valley, California. "No one can wake up a room like Food Network star Guy Fieri, complete with spiked bleached blond hair, tattoos, heavy leather and silver jewelry, skater pants and a big voice and heart."

Arrangements are being made for Fieri to participate in next year’s 23rd Annual B.R. Cohn Charity Events Fall Music Festival and Celebrity Golf Classic, Oct. 2-5, 2009. Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance, Sonoma Valley Education Foundation, CommonBond Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley are some of the recipients from the charity events.

Guy continues to make news in West Virginia
The Herald Dispatch reported today that Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives made several pit-stops in the Huntington area, positively impacting the area's economy.

Guy's show featured Smokey Valley Truck Stop in nearby Olive Hill, Ky., Central City Cafe, 529 West 14th St., Huntington, and the original Lesage location, of Sonny and Sharie Knight's Hillbilly Hotdogs.

Fieri, whose father, Jim, is from Wheeling, also put two recipes from Hillbilly Hotdogs into his new cookbook, and flew Sonny and Sharie out to Cali in December to tape a "best of" episode for Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

In their article, they continue to comment that, "As if that wasn't enough culinary spotlight, Cabell County native Katie Lee Joel (armed with her grandma Dora Harshbarger's Logan County Hamburgers recipe), beat out 17 other cooking teams including many of the top chefs in New York City and celebrities such as Al Roker of NBC's "Today" show to win top honors at Rachel Ray's Burger Bash."

Here's Guy at that very event.

Guy Fieri visits Disneyland, again!

*Update*
For information on Guy Fieri at Disney's California Food Wine in 2010, click here.

Guy Fieri with Cheryl, of Mira Loma, CA

At Disneyland
There's a buzz all over Anaheim - Guy Fieri and Food Network film crews were spotted at Disneyland on Sunday, December 21, 2008 (yes, just the day after he was signing books in Sacramento, followed by a Metallica concert in Oakland), shooting a holiday special due to air in December of 2009.

Guy's Disney Holiday

Busy boy!

Guy visiting with Hunter (?)


Guy and Ryder


The Fieri Family

From left to right: Ryder (almost 3), Hunter (12), Guy, Lori

Photos from The Wong Chronicles

Holiday Cheer and Ultimate Recipe Showdown Viewing Party

Dorable Award
This young lady wins the Dorable Award for her blog post Birthday Books.
Keep Cookin' !!

Ginger Bling
Still looking for the perfect Holiday Cocktail? Try this ...



View the particulars on how to mix this lovely drink below. Is it just me? Or does he look rather slender in this video? Hmmm? Guy, you've been working out?



Or try my favorite rum drink,

Mary Ann's Revenge
2 shots quality Carribean sugar cane rum
1 shot Manderine orange juice
3 shots ginger ale
1/2 teaspoon juice of fresh ginger (approximately)
Garnish with slice of orange; serve over ice

"Ginger will never know what hit her!"

News on the Ultimate Recipe Showdown
Sunny Anderson reports that she'll host viewing parties each week. She and her party friends will "dish" after each episode on FN Dish.
Ultimate Recipe Showdown premiers January 4, 2009.

Night Out with the Boys, and Metallica

Sent to me by a fan, at the Metallica concert in the Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA.

Guy has taken the month of December to spend time with friends and family.

Here's a nice Interview with Guy Fieri by Brett Moore, who does a finer job than I ever could.

Guy Fieri interview on Ultimate Recipe Showdown

On December 17, 2008, I learned of a conference call with Guy. He was on his cell phone, sitting in his truck outside his house in Santa rosa. A film crew was inside, shooting interviews with family and friends.

Cynthia Boris of SheKnows.com commented, "I don't think he knows how to be anything but loud -- in an 'I'm so excited, I could burst' way." He spoke of his upcoming second season of The Ultimate Recipe Showdown, premiering on January 4, 2009.

This season began with 12,000 recipes that a panel of judges narrow down to 24, in categories of Comfort Food, Burgers, Hot and Spicy, Desserts, Cakes, and Hometown Favorites. Each week the winner takes home $25K and a chance to have their recipe featured on a T.G.I. Friday’s menu. Co-host Marc Summers is not helping Fieri this time, and while he claims to be bummed out about that, Fieri is ready for the challenge of hosting it alone.

“This second year is remarkable,” Fieri said. “There is a real in-depth view of the contestants. It’s not just about the food on the plate and how it’s presented. Producer Art Edwards really got more of a compelling background piece on the show contestant’s giving the show much more depth.” He then adds, “The folks this year were a fantastic group and many of them had that one signature piece that just blew the judges away.”

See Premium Hollywod for a more in-depth article.

Fieri Cooks for Rock Fantasy Camp

Pictured in front of Tex Wasabi's, with sushi on a Sammy Hagar-signed guitar.

Found on Billboard.com, Guy Fieri, slated as Rock n Roll Master Chef, has signed on to cook the opening night meal in next year's Hollywood edition of Rock'n'Roll Fantasy Camp, which will take place April 29 - May 3.

Registration has opened at RockCamp.com. Cost?

1. HOLLYWOOD CAMP PACKAGE - $7,999 per person
SAVE $500 when you sign up before 12/22/08

2. HOLLYWOOD SPOUSE PACKAGE - $699 includes all Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp evening activities, nightly dinners, access to master classes, and ticket to the concert at The WHISKY A Go Go.

Oh my.

Fieri, no stranger to rock concerts, was joined by Sean Penn, plus wife Robin Wright Penn and their kids, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and his family at an AC/DC concert after-party, Thursday, December 4 in Oakland. The rockstar of the kitchen made sushi and pulled pork for the party.

It's been said Fieri plays drums. Let's hope he doesn't take on a full-time job singing? Check this out, from August 1, 2008, in California.

FN Dish contest

Visit the FN Dish to enter for a chance to win a autographed Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives book.

Guy's Big Night airs February 25, 2009. The show was taped in early October.

Recently (on December 11, 2008), the associated press reported that the DDD book is #15 on the TRADE PAPERBACKS section of the "BC-Best-sellers-Books-PW" (whatever that is).

As far as I can tell, Guy has had a small number of book signing events: at the NY Wine and Food festival (just minutes after Bruce Seidel's interview pictured above), at two locations on the east coast in late October, at two locations in Southern California in early November, and at two cooking demonstrations in Cleveland, Ohio and in Des Moines, Iowa in mid-November. He's also had two book signings in his home area of Sonoma County, at his restaurant Johnny Garlic's in November and at Copperfield’s Books in Santa Rosa mid-December.

Not a great video below, but I like his last statement on meeting fans, "Best part of my life ..."



Here, Guy Fieri with fans Masato and Cori of Rohnert Park, CA,
at the book signing in Santa Rosa, 12/13/08