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The culinary world never stops evolving, and even chefs at the height of their careers are constantly looking to others for inspiration to step up their game. Food Network host, chef, and restauranteur Bobby Flay is no exception. In an exclusive interview with Tasting Table discussing his Brasserie B, his French concept restaurant in Las Vegas, the “Beat Bobby Flay” host shared his culinary inspirations. Both Julia Child and Ina Garten come in at the top of his list when it comes to inspiring his kitchen creations.
Flay discussed his love for Child’s classic French cooking approach and how it inspired much of the menu at Brasserie B. “There’s lots of classic things on the menu, whether it’s the Vidalia onion soup or the duck confit or the Dover sole. Actually, I feel like there was a scene in the movie ‘Julie and Julia,'” Flay said. “[Julia Child] was eating Dover sole with her husband in some French brasserie and that kind of kicked her off in terms of wanting to make a career out of [French cooking].”
Bobby Flay on Ina Garten: A friend and an inspiration
In addition to Bobby Flay’s love for Child’s quintessential French style, he’s also inspired by his colleague and friend Ina Garten. So much so, in fact, that he’d never dare to go against her on an episode of “Beat Bobby Flay.” The chef shared a heartwarming story of a time when his daughter was cooking Father’s Day breakfast, and he was excited to see which of his cookbooks she decided to pull from. “And of course, she was using Ina Garten’s. There’s only one Ina.” Flay has also shared that his lobster Cobb salad is a copycat recipe from a mind-blowing lunch that Garten served him while he visited her home for lunch.
While the two will likely never go head-to-head on any of Flay’s cooking competition shows, Food Network fans have plenty of chances to see them share their culinary passions on-screen. Flay was recently on an episode of Ina’s current project, “Be My Guest with Ina Garten,” where she invites friends to her Hamptons estate to cook together (they made Irish coffee affogato, cherry pistachio biscotti, and fresh fettuccine with anchovy butter and chives — yum). Flay has also featured Garten as a guest on “Beat Bobby Flay” alongside actor Neil Patrick Harris.
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