Guy Fieri, the man bringing Flavortown Fest to Columbus, is the most Googled American chef

Bob Vitale, Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
Guy Fieri has hosted more than 400 episodes of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" since its debut in 2006 on the Food Network. In 2024, he announced, he'll bring a two-day festival called Guy Fieri's Flavortown Fest, in Columbus.
Guy Fieri has hosted more than 400 episodes of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" since its debut in 2006 on the Food Network. In 2024, he announced, he'll bring a two-day festival called Guy Fieri's Flavortown Fest, in Columbus.
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With a new restaurant set to open here this spring and a two-day food and music festival scheduled in June, it's easy to understand why Guy Fieri Google searches would be on the uptick lately in Columbus.

But a new study by a global travel company shows the Columbus-born chef is also the most searched-for celebrity chef in his home state and the entire nation.

Explore Worldwide looked at the global volume of Google searches for a number of celebrity chefs from November 2022 to October 2023. Scottish-born chef Gordon Ramsay, who hosts cooking, reality and travel shows in the United States and the United Kingdom, was the most Googled chef in the world over that span with about 12 million searches, according to the study.

More: New Albany cook dishes on Gordon Ramsay, 'Next Level Chef' appearance, homemade food brand

English chef Jamie Oliver was second, the subject of more than 4.4 million searches. People searched Fieri's name nearly the same number of times, Explore Worldwide said.

Fieri, 56, was born in Columbus but raised in Ferndale, California. Although his official "Guyography" at guyfieri.com doesn't mention his Ohio roots, he has been playing them up a lot lately.

Here are the most Googled chefs who hail from nations around the world, according to Explore Worldwide.
Here are the most Googled chefs who hail from nations around the world, according to Explore Worldwide.

“This festival will truly be the first of its kind and I couldn’t be more stoked to bring it to my original hometown,” he said in November when he announced plans for the inaugural Flavortown Fest, scheduled for June 1 and 2 at The Lawn at CAS, near the Ohio State University campus.

More: Country star Kane Brown to headline Guy Fieri's Flavortown Festival in June

"The first meal I ever had was in Columbus…I was born here! So, it’s a true homecoming to bring my latest concept to the area," he said in January when Eldorado Scioto Downs announced a Fieri-branded Italian restaurant that will open this spring at the casino on the Far South Side.

Cleveland's Michael Symon was 15th on the Explore Worldwide list of the most Googled American chefs. Following Fieri on the U.S. list were chefs Bobby Flay, Buddy Valastro, Emeril Lagasse and Katie Lee.

rvitale@dispatch.com

Here are the most Googled chefs hailing from each U.S. state, according to Explore Worldwide.
Here are the most Googled chefs hailing from each U.S. state, according to Explore Worldwide.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Guy Fieri tops list of celebrity chef searches on Google