Photo: Bobby Flay via Food Examiner
Bobby Flay runs as a hobby, and he runs around as he competes in Iron Chef America’s Kitchen Stadium. He runs one of the most distinguished restaurants in the country, and even in his show Throwdown, we can see Chef Flay as the guy who can run anyone into anything. In a recent interview, he also mentioned running for something else. Running for what? Running for office. If Bobby Flay can sprint — and he can sprint, alright — can he run a city, or a country?
Having a competitive spirit is an admirable trait in any leader. Just imagine an apathetic individual facing head on today’s crucial challenges: the economy, issues on health care, education concerns, national security, and so on. In this day and age, there is a rising consciousness that makes people more afraid of the basic necessity: food. Bobby Flay is not afraid of food because he knows how to cook. He loads up on carbs and uses them as a weapon to fuel his competition, whether he’s running a marathon or challenging established, small-time cooks with his modified versions of their recipes. He’s a sport when gets defeated, and he looks humble when victorious. Truly, Bobby Flay might as well be The Man.
It is also notably uncommon that most politicians do not get near a stove or a grill. Setting their busy schedules aside and priorities such as stirring up the Capitol or saving face from a rising controversy, cooking is something many politicians are not associated with. Maybe there is the exception of Sarah Palin and her moose stew (yes, she shot the moose herself), but men in politics are not necessarily kitchen figures. Perhaps Bobby can change that.
Is Bobby Flay — chef, celebrity, businessman, and athlete — qualified to run for office? His popularity alone can get him a substantial number of votes, and even if bad publicity is still publicity. With his presence at the Food Network and other media venues, Bobby Flay’s everyday life of signing autographs, answering interviews and flying from one city to the next is already comparable to hectic campaign trail. His business acumen is undebatable; he knows how to market himself and his company, he knows how to manage and lead his people, and he is generally enterprising. He knows where and what to put the investments in. His stamina can be seen in his strong drive to maintain his athleticism, but he’s laid-back enough to take any regular guy for beers and meat-laden pizza. And above all, he’s a chef; he creates, orchestrates, he delivers.
Does Bobby Flay have a future in the Presidency? He may, but that doesn’t mean I won’t advice him to stay away from politics and in the kitchen.