Chef Bobby Flay looks back at the dishes that made him a star in new cookbook, 'Chapter One'

NEW YORK — Bobby Flay's latest cookbook is really a sort of recipe for how Bobby Flay was made. Chef Bobby Flay looks back at the dishes that made him a star in new cookbook, 'Chapter One' The chef, restaurateur and TV personality has compiled 100 of his most important dishes into a lush, beautifully photographed coffee table book he hopes will inspire home cooks. “Bobby Flay: Chapter One: Iconic Recipes and Inspirations from a Groundbreaking American Chef,” has dishes from his restaurants like Mesa Grill, Bolo, Bar Americain and Gato, and his epic runs on “Iron Chef.” “Interestingly enough, when I was going through the database of all these thousands of recipes, they popped out at me immediately,” he says. “So when somebody says, ‘I want to cook fish tonight, I got that Bobby Flay cookbook, let me open to the fish section’ — that’s going to inspire them.” Most illuminating are the eight essays Flay wrote that describe a career that has won four Daytime Emmys, multiple James Beard Awards and the honor of cooking a state dinner for President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping. I mean, you can’t just sit in a room and just come up with a brand new cuisine.” Flay also became a Food Network star, hosting such shows as “Grillin’ & Chillin’” and “Boy Meets Grill” and competition shows like “Bobby’s Triple Threat” and “Beat Bobby Flay,” which has a new holiday-themed series this year featuring Marcus Samuelsson, Eric Adjepong and Brooke Williamson.