These Are The Only Chefs To Make It On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame

Nearly 3,000 pink terrazzo and brass stars occupy about 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street, all tributes to celebrities who have, in one way or another, made names for themselves in the entertainment industry (via LA Times).

Stars aren't just handed out like candy. Celebrity candidates for Walk of Fame stars are nominated, but a celebrity must agree to be considered, and they have to pay a fee for the awarding ceremony, which can be upwards of $30,000. Most of the stars have gone to those who have worked in movies, television, radio, live performance, and recording (via LA Times). Actors, musicians, directors, producers, and theatrical groups have all been immortalized on the Walk of Fame, along with four chefs who have been honored, less for their culinary creativity and innovation, than for their contributions to the television industry.

Bobby Flay beat out cooking show hosts that came before him, including Julia Child and Graham Kerr, to take the first Hollywood star ever awarded to a chef. When he was recognized for his contributions to food television, then President of the Food Category for Scripps Networks, Brooke Johnson, told Variety that "Bobby was one of the first personalities to see the benefit of the unproven entity that was Food TV back at the very beginning of Food Network. Additionally, Bobby's ability to also wear a producer hat, be it his own shows or when working with other talent, sets him apart." 

By the time he was awarded his Hollywood star in 2015, Flay had already won four Daytime Emmy Awards and had starred in a dozen series for Scripps Networks.

Chef to the Stars Wolfgang Puck remembers the first time he saw the Walk of Stars. He told NBC Los Angeles, "I came up here on the boulevard and I saw all the stars and counted them. I always thought, 'What does somebody has to do (sic) to get a star? For me, it's really an amazing thing. I'm really proud to be a citizen of Los Angeles." 

At the time he received his star, Puck was also a TV regular, having hosted Wolfgang Puck on The Food Network for five seasons. He was also a regular guest on Good Morning America, and appeared on the Home Shopping Network to promote his homeware. Like Flay before him, Puck was awarded for his television accomplishments, even though he'd been recognized with the James Beard Foundation Award for his West Hollywood restaurant Spago in 1998 (via Los Angeles Daily News).

Julia Child and Guy Fieri are as different as chalk and cheese. One made a name for herself in the 1960s as the chef that brought French cooking techniques to America. The other hit the small screen as a 21st century cooking icon who enjoys uncovering fried classics served along America's highways. But both chefs have made their mark on television for their devotion to teaching America about new food and cooking trends. And for that, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce saw fit to announce that they would award Fieri and Child with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at the same time. Fieri and Child's stars were awarded in 2019 (via Food 52).

Sadly, Child didn't live to see this amazing accomplishment, as her star was awarded posthumously. Meanwhile, about the honor Fieri said, "I couldn't have dreamed this big. This is out of the stratosphere of dreaming (via Food & Wine)."