Celebrity chef Guy Fieri gives back to hospitality students through his foundation

In 2006, Guy Fieri was given the opportunity to host his own show on the acclaimed Food Network. Today, he boasts the title of successful chef, restaurateur, New York Timesbest-selling author and Emmy Award-winning TV host. But before all of that, he had one title: hospitality management student. 

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas graduate once sat in class with the same passion exhibited by current Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management  students to become the culinary superstar he is today. 

After years of connecting with FIU students following the path on which he started, Guy Fieri is putting money behind them, helping turn their passion into a reality. 

The Guy Fieri Foundation has established the Guy Fieri Foundation Scholarship, which will award $10,000 to each of two students, one student currently enrolled in the Chaplin School and one incoming admitted student.   

“I never got any scholarships when I went to school,” Fieri said. “Does anybody know how hard it is to work and go to school?” he asks in explaining his reason for the generous move.

His experience as a young hospitality student pushed him to give back, not only through financial support but also by sharing his life experiences and career journey with students. He virtually joined FIU students in the Leadership in the Hospitality Industry class and emphasized the importance of making your mark on future generations.

Celebrity chef Guy Fieri speaks with FIU students during a virtual visit to a hospitality class.

“When you guys make it, when you have your chance, when you get to that level, do yourself a favor. Help the younger generation,” the restaurateur told students.  

The scholarship aims to alleviate financial barriers for the students who will be the next restaurant owners, Michelin-starred chefs or even the next hosts of a Food Network hit. 

Fieri also encouraged students to continue learning, even after they become successful.  

“I know what a hospitality school did for me, and I know what it can do for you,” he said. 

For many FIU hospitality students, the “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” host has been more than a familiar face on TV. Through the South Beach Wine & Food Festival®, the nation’s largest wine and food festival, which originated at the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, FIU students have had the opportunity to work alongside the culinary star and learn from him firsthand.  

FIU students pose with Guy Fieri at the 2010 South Beach Wine & Food Festival®.

Whether setting up Fieri’s stage for his cooking demonstrations at the Festival or interviewing the star for the school’s news site, students interact with the chef and leave with real advice from the experience.  

For Jade Barnett, a public relations and advertising student, interviewing Fieri at SOBEWFF® this past year felt like a dream come true. 

“As a girl who grew up watching almost every episode of Guy’s Grocery Games and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, this meant the world to me,” Barnett said. 

Barnett meets Guy Fieri behind the scenes at SOBEWFF®.

The connection doesn’t stop there. Hospitality students and the Guy Fieri Foundation team up annually to serve meals to students and first responders participating in the disaster field operations exercise hosted by the Academy for International Disaster Preparedness within the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work. 

“Supporting current and future first responders is critical to the foundation’s mission and together, we’re all-in whenever the need arises," Fieri said about the initiative. 

FIU President Jeanette Nuñez (center, right), Chaplin School Dean Michael Cheng (center), Guy Fieri Foundation CEO Brian Daly (center, left) and FIU students at the university’s 10th annual disaster field exercise