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Superstar chef Bobby Flay and Food Network are set to go their separate ways after a 27-year race that made the restaurateur and businessman one of the country’s most recognizable culinary figures.
Flay and Food Network have been negotiating a new contract for some time. Its last three-year exclusive pact with the Discovery-owned cable company expires at the end of the year. Sources familiar with the situation said Food Network had ended negotiations.
Flay’s representatives at WME declined to comment on the situation, citing the policy of not commenting on active negotiations. This is an indication that Flay’s team is considering tough negotiating tactics. But sources close to Food Network say the decision was made to move on because the parties were far apart financially. Food Network declined to comment for this story.
The split will come as a shock to longtime Food Network viewers. Flay has been a staple of its programming since 1994, when the cable company was still in its first year on the air.
Flay has featured a host of series and specials for the cable maker, from recent offerings such as “Beat Bobby Flay” and “Brunch at Bobby’s” to the original “Grillin ‘and Chillin'” series that established Flay as a chef. charismatic master of barbecue. Flay has also long been a regular contender for Food Network’s many game shows, from “Chopped” and “Iron Chef America” to “Worst Cooks in America”, “The Best Thing I Ever Ae” and “The Next Food Network Star” .
Recently, Flay also hosted the series “The Flay List” with his young adult daughter Sophie.
In addition to his television work, Flay operates numerous restaurants across the country and has authored over a dozen cookbooks. In 2015, Flay became the first television chef to be recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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