From the moment Tyler Florence first stepped into a kitchen, he was hooked. Growing up in Greenville, S.C., he got his first restaurant job at the age of 15, and the hum of activity, the energy of the line and the joy of creating ignited a passion that would define his life.
Today, at 54, Florence continues to share his love of cooking with others through his acclaimed restaurants, television shows, cookbooks and Masters of Fire tour. On Feb. 22, 2026, he will bring that high-energy live-fire cooking show to the South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF) in Miami. The annual culinary event, set for Feb.19-22, attracts some of the best chefs and restaurateurs from around the world.
“This year is the 25th anniversary of the festival, which is wild to think about,” Florence says. “I’ve been a part of 21 of them, and it’s truly the party of the year, bringing together programming executives, fans, colleagues and friends.”
Florence says he looks forward not only to hosting the Masters of Fire event at Joia Beach, on Miami’s Watson Island, but also taking part in some of the master classes.
“I enjoy attending the festival events as much as everyone else,” he explains. “Whether that’s a seminar by a master sommelier on white Burgundy or a bluefin toro tasting with chef Masaharu Morimoto, those are the things I look forward to as a fan.”
His own Masters of Fire event will feature some of the country’s top live-fire chefs competing head-to-head, with the winner walking away with a $5,000 cash prize.
“It’s going to be an upscale barbecue event where we’re celebrating low and slow and hot and fast, and demonstrating all kinds of great fire-cooking techniques,” he says.
Net proceeds from the festival are donated to Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, something Florence appreciates.
“I still remember when I was a young culinary student at Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina, and got the chance to go to a food and wine festival and meet some great chefs and assist them with their food and their menu,” Florence says, noting that he now enjoys paying it forward and mentoring the next generation of culinary professionals.
“We have a whole legion of young cooks in our kitchens right now, and mentoring these young professionals is one of the happiest things I do,” he adds. “Two years ago, we hosted an oyster event with four culinary students, and two of them had never opened an oyster before. Now, they were faced with helping me shuck a thousand oysters, and by the end of the event, they were pros.”
After starting at Food Network in 1996, Florence hosted “How to Boil Water” and “Worst Cooks in America,” where he guided aspiring chefs through their kitchen missteps. Today, he hosts “The Great Food Truck Race,” which celebrated its 18th season this year. The show’s enduring popularity not only secured Florence’s place as a household name but also helped bring food trucks into the mainstream.
“It’s exciting to see that we now have an official street-food culture in America,” Florence says. “We’ve always had a fast-food culture, but never the kind of vibrant street-food culture you see in other cities around the world. Think of Borough Market in London or the amazing stalls outside Hong Kong — those are truly spectacular examples of street food.”
Florence notes that a wide diversity of food and food-themed trucks has spread across the country.
“Right now, there are more than 57,000 active food trucks in America,” he says. “We didn’t invent the trend, but we did help fuel its growth. We’ve shown that if you hustle, you can earn six figures a year operating your own food truck, and along the way, we’ve built an epic fan base for the food-truck movement.”
Photos Courtesy of Jason Perry
Expanding His Culinary Empire
Florence grew up in the South, where food was part of his DNA.
“I had mustard-based barbecue sauce in my baby bottle,” he says teasingly. “And, my grandmother made spectacular biscuits, and of course, we had plenty of grits and fried chicken.”
After his childhood in Greenville, Florence moved to Charleston, which he calls “one of the greatest food cities in the country,” where his Southern roots deepened alongside a growing passion for the culinary world.
“Charleston celebrates what is known as Lowcountry cuisine,” he says. “It’s Southern food with a coastal influence, so you’ll find incredible seafood, along with some of the best soul food anywhere.”
Florence blends his roots with years of culinary expertise, creating dishes that honor traditions while pushing boundaries. He spent more than a decade in New York City honing his craft under Michelin-starred chef Charlie Palmer at Aureole and Marta Pulini at Mad 61 and served as executive chef at the legendary Cafeteria before moving to the West Coast.
Today, his San Francisco restaurant Wayfare Tavern is best known for its organic fried chicken — named one of the best in the country by Food & Wine — which remains the most-ordered dish on the menu.
“I describe my dishes as a little bit Nashville and a little bit Napa,” Florence says with a smile.
A two-time James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef West Coast, Florence also operates Miller & Lux in San Francisco, a steakhouse the Michelin Guide credited with having “one of the best hamburgers in California.” In 2023, he expanded the Miller & Lux brand to the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Hawaii.
“Miller & Lux in San Francisco was named ‘Best Steakhouse in the San Francisco Bay Area’ for the third year in a row, and Miller & Lux in Hawaii was just named ‘Best Restaurant on the Big Island’ by Honolulu Magazine,” Florence says. “I’ve loved the steakhouse genre ever since I was a little kid, and I’m excited to be able to live that dream.”
Looking ahead, Florence plans to expand Miller & Lux to other luxury resort towns.
“We want this to be a super high-level boutique steakhouse — the best in America,” he says. “For me, a great restaurant needs to have spectacular ambience, top-notch service and unforgettable food.”
Celebrating Food & Family
The author of multiple cookbooks, including his most recent, “American Grill: 125 Recipes for Mastering Live Fire,” Florence wants to show home cooks that preparing meals can be an experience rather than a chore. At home, he often cooks with seasonal fruits and vegetables from his own garden, and he champions sustainable beef, highlighting his partnerships with American ranchers and his commitment to supporting small farms.
In Corte Madera, Calif., Florence shares a kitchen with his wife of nearly 20 years, Tolan Clark, and their two teenagers, Hayden and Dorothy. He also has an adult son, Miles, from his first marriage.
“My wife cooks most weeknights, while I cook the big birthday and holiday celebrations,” Florence says. “I’m there for Christmas and Thanksgiving, and the Fourth of July cookout.”
The family has a big dinner at least once a week, with Florence on the grill.
“I’m usually cooking a 45-day dry-aged tomahawk steak, or some great pork chops with roasted peaches, basil and Thai chilies,” Florence says. “My wife has about 20 dishes under her belt that are just bangers. She has a Japanese rice cooker that she loves to use and is an ace at soups and stews.”
Although Clark grew up in a home with good cooks, Florence calls her his No. 1 culinary student over the past two decades.
“She’s always clipping New York Times recipes to try,” he says. “Today, she’s looking at making homemade spiced pear liquor and an apple-pear cider, because our pear tree is starting to pop.”
Florence believes “American Grill” will give readers the confidence to grill many of the same entrées he enjoys preparing at home.
“It’s filled with 125 simple recipes for mastering live fire, and it’s all technique-driven,” he says. “Readers can follow the steps at home to have very fancy barbecue meals and cookout food.”
Looking to the future, Florence envisions more cookbooks, more wine and food festivals and an ever-expanding roster of creative recipes.
“I love what I do and couldn’t turn it off if I wanted to,” he says with a laugh. “Sometimes, I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with an idea for a new dish and immediately e-mail it to all of our chefs.”
For Florence, the recipe for success is simple: keep creating, keep sharing and never stop dreaming about what comes next.