Guy Fieri recently inked a new three-year deal with Food Network, reportedly worth over $100 million.
But the star of the long-running cable TV show “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” said his sons won’t get a free ride on his coattails.
The celebrity chef told Fox News that they would only get a slice of the “cheese” if they earned two college degrees.
“Shaq said it best,” Mr. Fieri said. “Shaq said, ‘If you want the cheese, you got to get two degrees.’
“Well, my two degrees mean, you know, postgraduate.”
He and his wife, Lori, have two sons, Hunter, 27, and Ryder, 17. The couple also helped raise Mr. Fieri’s nephew, Jules, 22, after the death of his mother, Morgan, according to People. Morgan, Mr. Fieri’s younger sister, died of cancer in 2011.
Mr. Fieri said he offered the same warning to his kids that his father gave to him.
“The same thing my dad told me, Dad says, ‘When I die, you can expect that I’m going to die broke, and you’re going to be paying for the funeral,’” he said.
“And I told my boys, none of this that we ... that I’ve been building are you going to get unless you come and take it from me.”
His oldest son, Hunter, is well on his way to completing the requirements his father has set forth. He is currently working on his master’s degree in business at the University of Miami.
The culinary giant’s nephew is also making progress toward the goal.
“So my nephew Jules is in the music industry down in [Los Angeles],” he said. “He’s in the law program at Marymount [College] right now. If you’re going to be a big-time entertainment agent, you need to have that law background. So, he’s doing that.”
Meanwhile, his youngest son, Ryder, a high school senior, is not too excited about his dad insisting he complete undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
“He’s like, ‘Dad, this is so unfair. I haven’t even gotten to college yet, and you’re already pushing that I gotta get an MBA,” Mr. Fieri said his son tells him.
The celebrity chef has spent nearly 20 years building his massive empire, which includes more than 80 scratch kitchen concepts that can be found across the world.
He will continue producing episodes of “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” “Tournament of Champions,” and “Guy’s Grocery Games,” along with new projects that he’ll develop and produce through his Knuckle Sandwich production banner.
“One of the reasons we’re bullish about our television networks is because of the power of incredible talents like Guy,” Warner Bros. Discovery US Networks Chairman and CEO Kathleen Finch told Variety. “In addition to being a star on Food Network, Guy is a global phenomenon with millions of fans throughout the world, and he’s an incredible creative content producer as well.
“We’re thrilled to extend our long-standing partnership with Guy and to continue to entertain his legions of fans,” she continued.
Now, he describes the Food Network as “home.”
“For nearly two decades, Food Network has been my home, and continuing to create great TV within the Warner Bros. Discovery universe is exactly where I want to be,” Mr. Fieri said. “Food is our most universal language, so being able to unite people through highlighting chefs, restaurateurs, and the folks dishing out incredible meals all over this country and world is a privilege and responsibility that I don’t take lightly. “
