Since her first appearance on “Iron Chef America” in 2007, Alex Guarnaschelli has become one of the Food Network’s biggest stars. The 54-year-old chef is also a fan favorite, starring on numerous Food Network shows including “Ciao House,” “Alex vs. America,” “The Kitchen,” “Supermarket Stakeout” and “Chopped.”
Known as a fierce competitor, Guarnaschelli beat nine other chefs to win “The Next Iron Chef: Redemption” in 2012, earning her the coveted Iron Chef title and the nickname ICAG (Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli) from her colleagues.
“I am competitive in every way except when it comes to my daughter, Ava,” Guarnaschelli admits. “That’s my safe harbor.”
At 16, Ava Clark is a chef-in-training, following in her famous mother’s footsteps. The daughter of Guarnaschelli and her ex-husband, Brandon Clark, Ava often shares recipes with her mom that she’s seen on TikTok.
“Ava definitely has her own methods of cooking,” Guarnaschelli says. “We generally work in the same kitchen but make separate dishes side by side. She’s a visual learner and gets inspiration from different sources than I do, and it’s always interesting to see what she brings to the table.”
The mother-and-daughter duo enjoys preparing American and Italian American classics, and Guarnaschelli says Ava also loves cooking fish and Japanese foods. The two recently collaborated on a cookbook, “Cook It Up: Bold Moves for Family Foods,” which came out last month.
“Like many kids in America, Ava is exploring food in a variety of ways, and we wanted to share how she and I ‘cook it up’ at home,” Guranaschelli says. “Ava is quite the sauce maker and really knows how to put flavors together and then spoon them on top of the perfect dish.”
Creating culinary masterpieces with Ava is a full-circle moment for Guarnaschelli, who first learned how to cook watching her mother, Maria, prepare meals at their family home in Midtown Manhattan. An acclaimed cookbook editor and publisher, Maria died in February 2021 at the age of 79.
In an Instagram post from Feb. 8, 2021, Guaranschelli fondly remembered her mother, sharing photos and the heartfelt sentiment, “I will miss her souffles, her endless curiosity, and the smell of her perfume in the room.” She notes that her late father, John, also loved to cook Italian and Chinese meals for the family.
While working alongside her daughter in the kitchen brought back fond memories for Guaranschelli, she admits it was also a learning experience to watch Ava cook dishes from both sides of her family. In addition to the Italian entrees she learned from Guaranschelli, Ava is skilled at creating many Jewish dishes that she learned from cooking with her paternal grandmother.
“The most important takeaway I had watching Ava cook while we were working together on the cookbook was to remain free and open,” she says. “I have decades of cheflike rules in my head and the voices of chefs I have worked with, yet I admire the uninhibited way Ava approaches food.”
Guarnaschelli says her greatest hope for Ava is that she finds a career she loves, a lesson she learned from her parents. Despite graduating from Barnard College in 1991 with a degree in Art History, Guarnaschelli ultimately found her passion working as a chef.
“I liked going to the museum with my dad when I was a child and I took painting and drawing classes as a teen,” she says. “I think there’s a connection between painting/drawing/sculpting and food, but when I graduated from college, I realized I wanted a hands-on profession and I soon found myself in the basement of a Midtown restaurant cutting onions.”
Guarnaschelli enjoyed the hustle and bustle of working in a busy restaurant. Her first job lasted six months and served as a stepping-stone for her culinary career. It also cemented her desire to forge a career as a chef. She traveled to France to study culinary arts at La Varenne Cooking School in Burgundy and proceeded to work under the direction of many restaurateurs, including the Michelin Star restaurant, Guy Savoy, in Paris and La Butte Chaillot, another Savoy restaurant.
After seven years in France, Guarnaschelli returned to the U.S. to work as a sous chef at Daniel in Manhattan and later at Patina in Los Angeles, Calif. A native of New York City, Guarnaschelli ultimately made her way back to the Big Apple and served as executive chef at The Darby, later joining Butter as its executive chef in 2003 and then as owner of Butter’s Midtown location that opened in 2013.
“Butter is a classic restaurant that is really about a family of people working to keep a restaurant going, we always joke that it’s like a long-running Broadway play,” Guarnaschelli says. “We have some tasty signature dishes including the cavatappi pasta, cheesy gnocchi and raspberry beignets.”
Relishing New Adventures
To say Guarnaschelli maintains a busy life would be an understatement. Her newest television show, “Ciao House,” was renewed for a second season, while “Alex vs. America” was just renewed for a fourth season and “Supermarket Stakeout” is now in its fifth season. She’s also slated to make an appearance in Boca Raton, when she will be the speaker for the Boca West Children’s Foundation Luncheon at Boca West Country Club on April 17, 2024.
Guarnaschelli serves as co-host with Chef Gabriele Bertaccini on “Ciao House,” a reality show that pits ten rising chefs against each other in culinary challenges as they live together in an Italian villa.
“We don’t have a premiere date for Season 2, but I know there will be pasta, laughter, learning and maybe a few tears along the way in our second season,” she says. “Gabe and I share organic chemistry and we love watching the chefs blossom as they learn so much about themselves in one of the most beautiful countries in the world.”
Encouraging other chefs to venture out of their comfort zones and try new recipes is also important to Guarnaschelli. On her show, “The Kitchen,” she strives to inspire home cooks with recipes that are big on flavor but don’t require a lot of time spent in the kitchen.
“Meal planning and prepping on a day off is a great way to have homecooked food on the days you’re too busy to cook,” she says. “My new cookbook and website (alexguarnaschelli.com) both feature many ideas and recipes to help families accomplish this.”
Guarnaschelli says cooking doesn’t have to be complicated and she recommends always keeping a few “durable” vegetables in the fridge to make a big salad along with some protein staples from the pantry.
“For example, I always keep cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and iceberg lettuce in the fridge so that I can quickly combine them with canned tuna, canned chickpeas or canned beans for a protein-heavy but light meal,” she explains. “As a family, Ava and I try to eat as many meals as we can together at home, so there’s a communal vibe.”
When she’s not filming a show or cooking up a decadent meal, Guarnaschelli indulges in an unexpected hobby: a love of American muscle cars and Formula 1 car racing.
“Something about fast and beautiful cars is oddly relaxing to me,” she says with a smile. “Maybe because it’s not my area of professional expertise. I love how cars remind us of moments in history and the past in general.”
Guarnaschelli also enjoys visiting the beach with Ava and their Australian Shepherd, Leon, and although she has a love for flowers, trees and gardening, she didn’t inherit a green thumb.
“I also love watching my daughter grow up,” she admits. “That’s my favorite hobby of all.”
Photos By Chris Sue-Chu and Alyssa Wodabek