The mayor of Flavortown, Guy Fieri, has been on the road with ‘Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives’ for 36 seasons and has learned about how sharing food, even vegan food, can change the world.
Food has a certain unifying factor, and, according to Guy Fieri, the potential to solve some of the world’s biggest problems. The celebrity chef has traveled the country for 36 seasons of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and has learned that the ultimate way to establish a better understanding across divides is through sharing food.
He delved into this topic in a recent interview with CNN. “It’s how we should have our world summits,” Fieri said, explaining that food from different countries should be on the table for all to share. “I think we could solve a lot of the problems we have going on these days.”
“The great thing is that when we talk about food, it’s become so neutral that you can bring people together who typically wouldn’t be together over food,” Fieri said. The chef explained that food is an entry point into understanding cultures and ideas, admitting that he is a big fan of Indian food.
“I turn people onto Indian food all the time. It’s one of my favorite things,” Fieri said. “Or vegan food. People look at vegan food with this voodoo [notion]. No, I’m sharing it with people and they’re going [in disbelief], ‘Wait a second.’”
“We don’t even go to the restaurant because it’s vegan, we go because it’s delicious,” he said to prove the point that good food is for all to share.
Guy Fieri embraces vegan food
Fieri might be best known for his over-the-top musings and the menu at his Flavortown Kitchen chain is mostly meat and dairy products. However, the chef has embraced vegan food in recent years.
Fieri started to cook plant-based when his late sister was in treatment for cancer as a way to get her to love vegetables. In 2016, he took Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives to Minneapolis for a stop at The Herbivorous Butcher, the first vegan butcher shop owned by sibling team Aubry and Kale Walch. There, he was impressed by the vegan offerings, including the Italian Cold Cuts Sandwich which he said was as good as its animal-based counterpart.
In 2018, Fieri served two vegan options at the decidedly not vegan Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, CA. While Fieri operated a barbecue pit at the festival, he also put thought into crafting a vegan Thai Curry Burrito.
In 2021 at the 38th Annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, CO, Fieri took the stage to show off a vegan burger recipe.
“I’m not preaching here, but at home, we don’t always eat meat,” he said on stage.
The burger he showcased was packed full of veggies atop a homemade vegan patty made from quinoa, mushrooms, rice, and a vegetable and cashew-based cheese sauce.
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