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Photos Of Famous Chefs When They Were Young
Published on: December 30, 2009 – 9:39 am by Jillian Madison 
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[The internet doesn't offer a lot of background info on the Food Network chefs, so compiling the photos for this post was a painstaking process! The photos are from Chefography episodes, and other random shows I happened to catch over the last 12 months. Some of 'em were really cute back in the day... and some of 'em, well, weren't. I'll let you decide which is which.]
GUY FIERI
TONY BOURDAIN
SANDRA LEE
MARIO BATALI
DUFF GOLDMAN
PAULA DEEN
BOBBY FLAY
NIGELLA LAWSON
GIADA
RACHAEL RAY
Other posts on Food Network Humor:
---Famous Foodies By The Smell---Famous Foodies By The Smell (Part 2)
---Photo: A Young Duff Goldman
---Food Network Chefs: You’re Under Arrest
---Celebrity Chef Look-Alikes
5 Trackback(s)
- Dec 31, 2009: Something We Dreamed » Blog Archive » Eat it Up: Faster Food News
- Dec 31, 2009: That Awkward Phase… « I Have Issues
- Jan 2, 2010: WHen Food Network Chefs Were Young | Food & Fabulous
- Jan 6, 2010: Fifty tidbits about Nigella Lawson, predicting the food trends of 2010, Anthony Bourdain as a teenager | Read All About It | torontolife.com
- Jan 29, 2010: Lunch Break - Notes On A Page
THIS WEEK: Ina Garten porn, Giada's gone Chinese, a review of Giada's Parmesan Garlic Dipping Sauce, Paranormal Cake Challenge, Down Home with the Neelys and Gina's rude sister, NFNS recap, tons of listener mail, and more!
Bobby Flay = Danny Bonaduce
That’s Danny Bonadouchey
OMG, you’re right! They could be twins! Ewwww!!!!
Nah, he’s Scut Farkus from A Christmas Story.
These are hilarious! FNH does it again!
Wow. I still wanna bang Nigella regardless of that flying nun outfit! Pauler had some BIG SOUTHERN hair! It’s almost Jersey-esque…
Ya might be a redneck if your hairdo interfers with ceiling fans. Thats a whole lot of “Aqua Net”!
Sandra drinks so much that she has gained immunity against the affects of alcohol, thus preventing her from aging at a natural pace.
Alcohol is a preservative after all.
Given my fondness for vodka, I take comfort in the way she is aging.
Are you saying that she has pickled herself?
Photo #2 of SL…atleast in the “early years” she disguised her vodka in water bottles!
Well, she is from Wisconsin and we do drink a lot of beer.
Giada looks exactly the same! She was cute. Rachael Ray was cute in her own way too.
I thought Giada was cute, but RR was not at all!
Giada looks like that little girl who came on near the end of Growing Pains.
Giada looks like Marlee Matlin. I agree that RR was pretty cute.
ROBB!!!!!!!!! Thank you!!! I was racking my brain trying to think of who she looked like! You are sooo right!! That little girl Chrissy with the curly blond hair!
i always thought Sandra was faking the vodka thing. No one
could drink that much and look so good.
Most of them, you can look at the face and tell who it is. Sandra Lee looks completely different. Did she have massive plastic surgery or something?
Guy Fieri: once a dork, always a dork. Look at his squinty beady eyes. Grandma told me to never trust anyone with beady eyes.
I’m pretty sure Sandra had a nose job. Not bad for someone who goes on and on about being dirt poor. Can’t put a price on vanity, I guess.
She should give Giada her surgeons number.
The middle picture of Mario looks like the Flounder character in the movie ‘Animal House’. Booby looks like someone who got his ass kicked every single day in high school.
Love this post!!! Anthony Bourdain looks like part of the Addams Family.
I see Tiny Tim, Tip-Toe Through The Tulips………
Thank you Boo, you nailed it, I was going crazy(short trip) trying to figure out who he reminded me of.
Because of the hair, I immediately thought of Howard Stern.
My apologies to Mr. Bourdain.
I knew there was a reason why I looooove Anthony Bourdain. He looks exactly like my boyfriend in those younger year pictures. Boy, do I have something good to look forward to!! Sooo happy!
Tony looked like a guy I dated in Berkeley in the 80’s. Those were hazy times, folks ….
I think I dated him (in Berkeley) as well. :)
It’s amazing to see the evolution of these stars, who for the most part have been augmented in some way shape or form. Does anyone have their original nose or teeth anymore?
Rachael’s nose looks like it’s been changed for sure. She looks a bit like Britney Murphy in one of those pix.
Flay always has, and still does look like a school yard bully. I have such an urge to sucker punch him.
LOL at the photo you chose of Giada. Cleavage much?
Poor Duff really never stood a chance, did he?
Duff looks like Leif Garrett. I know those cakes are impressive but are they edible? Alice needs to grow out those assinine looking bangs.
Duff’s “before” looks like a mug shot.
I’m trying to decide who probably got beat up more as a child… Bobby Flay, or Sandra Lee.
Hands down it’s Duff Goldman.
Even as a kid, Guy looked like he had something to prove.
Duff looks like a ferret curled up & went to sleep on his head.
Giada was cute!
RayRay looks like Jon Bon Jovi. Giaggly still has that morehead thing going on, but a completely different nose.
She kinda looks like Kristy McNichol in that 3rd shot.
Bobby Flay looks like… what was the kid from A Christmas Story, Scott Farkas? The yellow-teeth red-head kid that Ralphie ends up beating the shit out of.
Aunt Drunky definitely has a different nose.
I was going to comment that Flay looks just like Scut Farkus! (Believe it or not, his name was Scut)
What the fuck is that thing on top of Goldman’s head circa 1992?
The mother spore Geof grew out of.
The upper right photo of Nigella reminds me of the brown/white dotted dress with wide-brimmed hat that Julia Roberts wore in the racetrack scene in “Pretty Woman”.
Nigella is a total floozy. I can’t watch her. She made me gag on Top Chef with that whole breakfast in bed fiasco.
And your point is…… what, boke? How come nobody makes anything about Baldy from Top Chef’s taste guzzling Diet Coke, or Padma Prettytits doing that Carl’s Jr. gastroporn burger commercial? Floozy, indeed!
Duly noted. Moving forward I’ll stick to ranking on the FN folks in the proper context.
Sandy definitely had her shnozz fixed. I think Giada looks the same; obviously she had braces but I don’t think she’s had work done. I wonder how often Guy has to bleach his hair in order to keep the roots from showing. Surprised it hasn’t all fallen out…..
Wow! Thanks so much for posting these! I love the one of Pauler in her 1970’s bar fly stage–she could have used that hair to clean floors, also loved Tony Bourdain…um, except…well, wasn’t he a member of the Manson family? And also, I’m not sure, but I think I went to high school with Sandra Lee, or at least a half a dozen blonds with that same hairstyle.
I love your profile pic…is that your puppy?
Not really, but thanks! We have a Westie and I thought this picture was a Westie pup so I picked it. The more I look at it, the more I think it is a different breed, but I still like it, so I keep it.
Who agrees with me that if Bobby Flay wasn’t filthy rich and successful he would have one butt ugly wife?
Agreed. But that’s how Flay rolls. He dumps his ugly wives and as his fame increases, just marries hotter ones. I want to punch him in the face.
Absolutely…LOL!! I’ve never been too impressed with him or his cooking.
Wait! You mean…Guy Ferry actually ISN’T a natural blonde???? But it looks SO REAL!!!
How come no one has picked up on Guy’s 3rd pic? It’s obviously called “caught masturbating in the bathroom” Nice mullet ya gots goin there Guy!
Giada in her youngin’ pic reminds me of Joan Crawfords daughter in ‘Mommy Dearest’
As Guy would say with his gaping maw full of reuben sandwich, that is so ON POINT!
Tony Bourdain is definately one of the ugly ones. YUK…he is still creepy!! That first picture looks like a zombie walking out of a graveyard…gross!
He’s hot young, old, or otherwise.
OMG…no way…I suppose maybe if you’re gay?
Well…I think he is hot now, but in those older pics he looks like Andre the Giants anorexic little brother or really ugly sister.
I think he looks more attractive with the long hair. But, hey, I’m gay; what do I know? Couldn’t possibly be because I like long hair.
He makes me want to puke, end of story.
I didn’t realize that Bobby Flay was a ginger kid! He’s kinda homely too. Mario looks like a fat Carrot Top. Giada is cute, but the current pic is mammory overload! Cover those things woman!
Giada is not even remotely cute as a kid or now (not including her body). I dont understand why people think that nose and chin that most Italians have is attractive.
I think Giada’s nose and chin are, in fact, her worst features. She has beautiful eyes, but the nose and enormous, toothy smile sort of takes away from them, not to mention the plunging necklines. Not speaking for myself as a straight woman, but seriously, what man is even looking at Giada’s eyes?
Ya, her nose has issues and that huge mouth!! I guess I’ve never noticed anything with her chin…now I will have to look. I cannot stand the way she is always saying “I know, right?” all the fricking time and “I love” this and that. When you watch her show…she LOVES everything. And when she says “sugar” it sounds more like shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhugar, annoying!
Ouch… Italian noses and chins tend to be something Italians are proud of… they set us apart from others.
I agree about Giada’s pronumciatio of shhhhhhhhhugar and shhhhhhhhrimp and mushhhhhhhhrooms. Very contrived and done purposefully. I probably can’t spell it correctly but I also hate the way she pronounces cccccccrispy, ccccccccrunchy and ccccccreamy.
OMG! I meant “pronunciation.” Maybe I shouldn’t be criticizing other people!
You folks are too funny! But, I agree with a lot of what everyone has to say … Giada’s pronunciations drive me CRAZY. Shhhhugar …
This is great, Thanks!
…and Anthony Bourdain still looks like a woman.
A very ugly woman…in that first pic, he actually looks like a dancer from Michael Jackson’s Thriller video – one of the zombies.
I’m pretty sure Mario has that beard just so he isn’t mistaken for an old woman.
Mario is one of those guys who operates under the delusion that a beard will disguise the fact that he has no discernable chin. If anything it just emphasises it. He looks better older than younger.
My Tony Bourdain crush just went threw the roof now that I know he used to have long hair.
Bourdain looked like a stoner back then
as opposed to now?
Ever read Kitchen Confidential? He was. Oh, he was.
“Dissolute” is the word that comes to mind.
This was very cool. Love the Bourdain pics! Thanks for sharing!
Glad to see you found Duff Goldman’s mug shot.
Great compilation!
Looks like Sandra’s carved off half of her nose.. lots o plastic surgery for that chick.
OH Giada.
Young Bobby seems to be some sort of bizarre crossbreed between Ron Weasley and the bully from A Christmas Story – I forget his name.
Also, is it just me or did Guy maybe have a little nose job himself? I don’t have a good eye for those things myself, but it looks like he maybe had a little work done.
The second photo of Batali looks like a screen shot of a character in Harry Potter!
man Giadia has a nice rack
They look bulbus and sweaty to me. Eww
Nice like saggy summer squash.
bourdain knows about the photos since i first saw them in Ruhlman.com Michael Ruhlman, Bourdain’s friend, foodie and willing victim in some of his episodes, posted those pics and Bourdain responded with the possiblity of a picture of Ruhlman attending a KAJAGOOGOO concert. No word yet on when that will be published. But all I can say is that Bourdain looks like he could beat Duff and Guy Fieri to a pulp.
Watch for Super Chef Special on Sunday with Mario and Emeril. A few weeks ago, photos were posted of the two have lost some weight recently so it looks like Alton Brown sending the message. Those photos I believe were in Star magazine. If you see those photos, post them for us.
Wow, hello, Rachael Ray’s nose job.
I think that’s just her puberty nose. She grew into it later.
Ya…I doubt there’s been a nose job, looks pretty similar!
Bobby looks like a kid you would see behind the counter at McDonald’s, and Duff looked like a Latin King even back in the day.
[...] Photos of Famous Chefs When They Were Young (FOOD NETWORK HUMOR) [...]
[...] Photos of Food Network stars when they were younger. I love the FN, but a couple comments have to be made about this one: [...]
They really are a very attractive bunch! Especially the women. They are all just beautiful, yesterday and today.
holy shiatsu! Giada’s forehead! It’s almost as ginormous as her boobs!
Um I’d really like to see a picture of you. Sure youre much
cuter than Giadda.
On Autumn’s point – She isn’t wrong, it’s simply her opinion! Secondly, everyone here is entitled to their own opinion and we ALL respect each other’s opinion whether we agree with it or not! Thirdly, since you don’t have a picture posted do you morally get to comment on any other member’s picture? Finally… lern 2 spel u moron – it’s Giada (not Giadda)
Feel free to argue anyone’s point-of-view but please don’t attack anyone for their right to an opinion. Thanks, Tyler
Not for nothing people, but where do you all get off slagging folks who are famous because they Know How to Cook,
At least theyre not useless Movie Stars. Wouldn’t want to see what
you all cook for breakfast…
True… Movie stars have some talent unlike most of the FN ‘celebrity’ hosts! Giada isn’t famous for her clevage shots nor did she get her job because her grandfather was a famous Italian movie director… it’s because of her multi-talented use of NUH-TELL-AH. *rolls his eyes*
And seriously, what in the hell are you doing on a HUMOUR site that is dedicated to this type of endeavor. If you seriously love these people, make your own freakin’ site up to bow before their paltry attributes. In other words, Ms Esposito, find another forum.
Baby Giada reminds me of B’elanna Torres.
[...] would’ve thought these would be the mug shots of future culinary stars? Take a look here to see 10 chefs at their (not so) finest. Sisters Jillian and Michelle Madison painstakingly [...]
I know this post is aging but I forgot to suggest that Rachael get NON-reflective nipple covers for her next red carpet event. Just sayin’….
Nigella looks like a messy-eyebrowed Winona Ryder in that ‘92 pic. Adorable. I think she got better looking!!
AGREED !!!
[...] • Food Network Humour has published a series of photos of famous cooking show hosts in their salad days. Our favourites are Paula Deen and her enormous bouffant hair, Nigella Lawson attempting Audrey Hepburn, and Anthony Bourdain’s long hippie hair. [Food Network Humor] [...]
Looks like Duff was already sporting a combover in ‘92! No wonder he’s now gone the way of the cueball.
[...] Back When All They Had Was an Easy Bake Oven and a Dream… check out some of your favorite food network chefs when they were young. [...]
The color picture of RR when she was young looks a tad bit (i.e. a whole hell of a lot) like the crack whores that you see get arrested and then splashed all over the drug resistance programs. I can hear the teacher now.
“Kids, I want to show you something. It won’t be pretty, but you need to see what drugs do to you.”
(teacher holds up pic of young RR and the kids scream)
“I know this is scary, but this woman is why you don’t do drugs. Boys, this is specifically for you. Imagine if you were high and took this home. Is that what you really want? Do you know what would happen? Your peen would fall off.”
That will scare anyone from doing drugs.
That younger photo of Duff makes him look like the principal in Motley Crue’s “Smokin’ in the Boy’s Room” video (Michael Berryman from “The Hills Have Eyes”).
“Howdy y’all” looks like she’s ’bout ready to sell me some Amway in that old pic!
Looking at that current picture of Giada is a testament to my sheer will power. The fact that I can remember any of her recipes when that dreamy cleavage is staring me right in the eyes is truly a gift!