Robert Irvine

For other people named Robert Irvine, see Robert Irvine (disambiguation).
Robert Irvine

Irvine on the set of Dinner: Impossible at Yahoo! Headquarters
Born 24 September 1965
Salisbury, England, United Kingdom
Spouse(s) Gail Kim (m. 2012)

Culinary career

Robert Irvine (born 24 September 1965) is an English celebrity chef who has appeared on a variety of Food Network programs including Dinner: Impossible, Worst Cooks in America, Restaurant: Impossible, and Restaurant Express.[1]

Early life and career

Irvine was born Robert P. Irvine[2] and was raised in Wiltshire, England. He began his cooking career upon enlisting in the Royal Navy at the age of fifteen. Having completed culinary training, Robert served aboard Her Majesty's Royal Yacht Britannia.[3] Upon completion of his 10-year tour of duty, Irvine performed consultant work in Bali, Jakarta, and Ho Chi Minh City before becoming Executive Chef aboard numerous cruise ships, culminating with the five-star MS Crystal Harmony.[4]

Irvine has been involved with the Children Uniting Nations charity that was founded by southern California socialite Daphna Ziman. He was one of a team of celebrity chefs who participated in their fundraising dinner for the 77th Academy Awards in 2005[5] in addition to serving as Head Chef at their 78th Academy Awards dinner in 2006.[6]

Irvine is currently president and founder of Irvine Thyme, LLC., and has introduced an Irvine-branded line of spices, oils and vinegars.[7] His first cookbook, Mission: Cook!, written with Brian O'Reilly, was published by HarperCollins Publishers in September 2007.[8] Irvine also appeared in a December 2007 episode of Iron Chef America with Tyler Florence in a dessert battle (theme ingredient: sugar) against Paula Deen and Cat Cora in which the men lost. He is a member of the Council of Chefs, Cora's charity dedicated to helping hungry children.[9]

Irvine was selected as one of the "25 Fittest Guys in America" by Men's Fitness magazine in 2007.[10] He typically works in a black T-shirt or chef's jacket bearing the Irvine clan badge with the motto: "sub sole, sub umbra, virens" (flourishing in both sunshine and shade).[11]

He and business partner Randall Williams opened eat! restaurant in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, in 2008 and renamed it Robert Irvine's eat! in February 2009.[12] Robert Irvine's eat! closed at the end of 2013.[13] Irvine opened his second restaurant in the area, Robert Irvine's Nosh, in December 2011.[14][15] Irvine toured Afghanistan in 2013 with the Honoring Our Troops Tour and hosted a Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) competition.[16]

Controversy

In 2006, Irvine announced his intention to open two restaurants in St. Petersburg, Florida. Irvine had impressed financial backers with the claims he was a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order,[17] had a degree in food and nutrition from the University of Leeds,[17] had worked on the wedding cake for Prince Charles and Princess Diana[17] and had worked as a White House chef,[17] claims Irvine also made in the opening segment of his Food Network show, Dinner: Impossible.[18] An article in the 17 February 2008 issue of the St. Petersburg Times quoted sources who disputed most of Irvine's assertions.[17] As a result, the Food Network pulled Irvine's biography from its website. Network spokesperson Lisa De Colle said they were "taking the necessary steps to ensure the accuracy of all representations of Robert." Beginning with the episode that first aired on 20 February 2008, the claims that Irvine had worked for three US presidents and the British Royal Family were removed from the opening sequence of Dinner: Impossible,[19] though former White House executive chef Walter Scheib confirmed in the article that Irvine had worked in the Navy Mess facility in the West Wing of the White House.[17]

On 29 February 2008, the Food Network announced it would honour its contract with Irvine for a fourth season of thirteen episodes of Dinner: Impossible but was also looking for a replacement host for the series.[20] On 21 April 2008, Food Network executives released a statement announcing they were expanding the Dinner: Impossible series to a one-hour format and replacing Irvine with recent Iron Chef America addition Michael Symon.[21] The first Symon episode aired on 20 July 2008, but ran for 30 minutes.[22]

In March 2008, Irvine's business partner and landlord issued a joint statement announcing the chef had abandoned his plan to open the restaurants. The reasons cited were "the timing is not exactly right" and Irvine "cannot commit to spending at least four days a week" at the restaurant as he had planned.[23]

In the spring of 2008, the Food Network restored Irvine's biography to its website. It reflected his service in the British Royal Navy and service on the Royal Yacht Britannia.[24] He also appeared in an episode of The Next Food Network Star on 8 June 2008.[25] In July 2008, Chef Irvine launched a blog and posted information about his service in the Royal Navy, with the British Royal Family, and with the White House Guest Chef program as an attempt to "set the record straight."[26]

Return to the Food Network

On 20 November 2008, the Food Network announced that they had rehired Irvine to host six episodes of Dinner: Impossible with a scheduled air date in March 2009.[27] The first episode of Irvine's new season aired on 8 April 2009, and was one hour in length.[28] Irvine continued as host of Dinner: Impossible until it ceased production in 2010, following its eighth season.

Following the end of Dinner: Impossible (which continues in reruns), Irvine embarked on two new projects with the Food Network. In late 2010, the Food Network began advertising the second season of Worst Cooks in America featuring Irvine (replacing Chef Beau MacMillan) training a cadre of would-be cooks in competition with Chef Anne Burrell. The show premiered on 3 January 2011. In advance of the show's premiere, Irvine teamed with Cat Cora to battle Burrell and Michael Symon in the special "Battle Deep Freeze" on Iron Chef America.

Irvine also appears in the restaurant make-over show, Restaurant: Impossible, which premiered on 19 January 2011. Described as a spin-off from Dinner: Impossible, Restaurant: Impossible challenges Irvine to make over a restaurant in two days with a budget of $10,000.[29]

Irvine competed in Season 4 of The Next Iron Chef, which premiered on 30 October 2011.[30] He was the second chef eliminated from the competition after losing a peanut secret-ingredient showdown against Chef Michael Chiarello.[31] Starting on 3 November 2013, Irvine hosted a new Food network series called Restaurant Express. In this series, Irvine challenged 9 chefs to a series of tests for a chance to open a restaurant in a Las Vegas, Nevada spa and casino.

On 2 December 2012, Irvine appeared alongside Masaharu Morimoto and Ted Allen on the Battle Holiday Gingerbread episode of Iron Chef America representing the Food Network against a team of Cooking Channel stars including Michael Symon, Nadia Giosia and Ben Sargent. In the episode, Irvine removed his chef's coat, stating that he does not wear chef's coats very often. Iron Chef Michael Symon commented on this by saying that he had a bet that Irvine would remove his chef's coat after 25 minutes of the competition and that he lost because he removed it much earlier. Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto also stated that Irvine removed his chef's coat to show off his muscles.

Personal life

Irvine lived with his first wife Karen in Absecon, New Jersey, before buying another home in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where he has lived since at least 2007.[1][12][32] Irvine married former WWE and current TNA star Gail Kim on 10 May 2012.[33] The couple met on the set of Dinner: Impossible, when he came to serve VIPs for WWE's Summerslam.[34] He has two daughters, Annalise and Talia, from his first marriage.[35]

Professional honors

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Williams, Rachel (3 March 2008). "A CV that proved a recipe for disaster – US channel axes British celebrity chef". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  2. ↑ "Robert Irvine biography". Irvine Thyme's Website. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
  3. ↑ Food Network Chef Robert Irvine on CYACYL, YouTube
  4. ↑ Bickell, Bob (2010). "Robert Irvine: A Chef on a 'Mission'...". Restaurant Report.
  5. ↑ "Press Release for Oscars Party". Remix Magazine. 16 February 2005. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
  6. ↑ "Oscars Party Hosted by Children Uniting Nations Lights Up the Night". L.A. Splash Magazine. March 2006. Retrieved 25 April 2008.
  7. ↑ "Irvine Thyme's Corporate Website". Retrieved 12 September 2008.
  8. ↑ "About the Book: Mission: Cook". HarperCollins. Retrieved 25 April 2008.
  9. ↑ "Chefs for Humanity website" (PDF).
  10. ↑ "25 Fittest". Men's Fitness. 18 May 2007.
  11. ↑ "History of the Irvine/Irving/Irwin Family".
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Paprocki, Justin (10 June 2009). "Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine's recipe for success". The Island Packet (Bluffton, SC). Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  13. ↑ Dobkin, Kelly (16 December 2013). "Celeb Chef Robert Irvine's eat! to Close Permanently".
  14. ↑ Paprocki, Justin (10 October 2011). "Food Network's Robert Irvine opening restaurant in Bluffton". The Island Packet (Bluffton, SC). Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  15. ↑ Shane, Brittany (12 December 2011). "Food Network Star Opens Second Restaurant in Lowcountry". WSAV-TV (Savannah, Georgia). Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  16. ↑ Walker, Uriah (10 June 2013). "Operation H.O.T. heats up RC-S". Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 Montgomery, Ben; Kennedy, Shirl; Keeler, Janet; Reiley, Laura (17 February 2008). "TV chef spiced up his past exploits". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
  18. ↑ Robert Irvine and the Reputation:Impossible dilemma, 19 July 2008, Michael Martinez
  19. ↑ "Hawaii, Episode IE0306". Dinner: Impossible. Season 3. Episode 6. 21 February 2008.
  20. ↑ "Food Network drops tainted chef". St. Petersburg Times. 1 March 2008.
  21. ↑ Hirsch, J.M. (21 April 2008). "Chef replaced on Dinner: Impossible". Tampa Bay Times. Associated Press.
  22. ↑ O'Connell, Elizabeth (18 July 2008). "Michael Symon's first 'Dinner: Impossible' on Sunday night". Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
  23. ↑ Moore, Waveney Ann; Swider, Paul (11 March 2008). "No local kitchen for chef Irvine". St. Petersburg Times.
  24. ↑ "Robert Irvine". Celebrity Chef Biography. Food Network. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
  25. ↑ "Season 4, Week 2 episode". Retrieved 10 June 2008.
  26. ↑ "Getting On With It". Chef Robert Irvine's Blog. 16 July 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
  27. ↑ Hirsch, J.M. (20 November 2008). "Dismissed Robert Irvine returns to Food's "Dinner: Impossible"". The Seattle Times.
  28. ↑ Barnes, Steve (11 March 2009). "Return date for ‘Dinner: Impossible’ with local chef". Times Union (Albany, NY).
  29. ↑ "Restaurant: Impossible: Robert Irvine". Food Network. 30 December 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  30. ↑ "The Next Iron Chef Rivals: Shows". Food Network. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  31. ↑ "The Next Iron Chef". Food Network. 6 November 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  32. ↑ Paprocki, Justin (11 January 2011). "Local celebrity chef Robert Irvine gets cooking with "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"". The Island Packet (Bluffton, SC). Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  33. ↑ Meltzer, Dave (10 May 2011). "Thurs. update: Tons more on King Mo TNA/Bellator details, Cena divorce, UFC sales in Calgary, Faber". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  34. ↑ "Robert Irvine talks new season and working out". ESPN. 24 August 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  35. ↑ "Food Network Dinner Impossible Chef Visits Busch Gardens Tampa Bay". Ultimaterollercoaster.com. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  36. ↑ "Wear your uniform with pride," advises celebrity chef Robert Irvine Dinner: Impossible host challenges CIA graduates at commencement". Culinary Institute of America. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 "Orlando Current Event". Lachaine.com.
  38. ↑ "History of the MCS". Malta Chefs Society. 4 December 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011.
  39. ↑ Culinary Hall of Fame Induction

External links

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