GUY FIERI: RUSSELL RAMSEY’S CHOP HOUSE

With his signature spiked and bleached hair, repeatable catch phrases and flamboyant style both in and out of the kitchen, Guy Fieri is arguably one of today’s most recognized celebrity chefs. Off the hook, in fact! His restaurants throughout the United States and numerous television shows also help to make him one of the most successful. But like most star stories, Fieri’s has much more humble roots.

Growing up in Northern California, Fieri knew food was his calling. At age ten, he opened a home-built food cart called “The Awesome Pretzel” and six years later had saved enough money to fund a trip to France as an exchange student, where his love of food was sealed. When Bob Thompson, Senior Loan Officer at Bay Area Development, first worked with Fieri in 2006, he had already started on his way to the top. Fieri had just won Food Network’s first “The Next Food Network Star” competition/reality show and had been awarded a six-episode cooking show on the network. Back at home in Northern California, Fieri was busy starting and building his portfolio of unique concept restaurants, which included three locations: Russell Ramsey’s Chop House in Santa Rosa, opened in 1996 and serving steaks, seafood, chops and more; Johnny Garlic’s in Windsor, a California-inspired pasta restaurant opened in 1998; and Tex Wasabi’s in Santa Rosa, opened in 2003 and combining two of Fieri’s favorites, sushi and barbecue, in what he described as a “con-fusion” restaurant concept.

Fieri had been leasing his Russell Ramsey’s location for a decade when the landlord made the decision to triple the monthly rent. Doing so would likely have forced Fieri to close the restaurant, resulting in the loss of more than 20 local jobs. Not one to shy away from a challenge, Fieri teamed with Bay Area Development Company and Bank of America to buy the 3,000+ square foot building so that he could keep his restaurant running and ensure his employees kept their jobs. When the deal went through, Fieri was able to create an additional five jobs, bringing his combined restaurant employee count to nearly 120. Just as importantly, he preserved his restaurant brand and maintained the solid footing needed to truly launch his career.

Today, Fieri is a brand unto himself, with his restaurant chains employing an estimated 500 people. Tex Wasabi’s now has four locations throughout California and Johnny Garlic’s has six. Fieri opened Guy’s American Kitchen and Bar in New York City in 2013 and recently partnered with Carnival Cruises to feature Guy’s Burger Joint on their entire fleet. On February 3 of this year, he launched his own custom line of flavored coffees for Keurig, Flavortown Roasts. He is also one of Food Network’s most successful personalities, with shows including Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guy’s Grocery Games, Guy’s Big Bite and Rachael vs Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off.

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