Guy Fieri has become a Food Network staple and one of the most well-known celebrity chefs with popular shows like Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and Guy’s Grocery Games. The TV star, 54, also has a loving family he’s proud of, which includes his wife, Lori Fieri, and two sons, Hunter, 25, and Ryder, 16.
Guy first met Lori when she came into a restaurant he was managing in Long Beach, California as far back as 1992. Lori told Guy she was making a cross-country move from Rhode Island to Southern California and was visiting her friend in the process. Upon first meeting, Guy was completely smitten, telling Delish in 2017 that he “just knew” she was the one and won her over by cooking for her.
“I don’t remember what I made, but I do remember it was quite an epic time,” he said. “The first time I cooked for her, she was just like, ‘You made all this?’ We both love food, so being able to cook, that was one of the things that impressed her.”
The couple ended up tying the knot in 1995 and subsequently welcomed their two sons Hunter and Ryder in the mix. Find out more about Guy’s kids below!
Hunter Fieri
Lori gave birth to Hunter Fieri on August 13, 1996, the same year Guy opened his restaurant, Johnny Garlic’s, in California. As the oldest son of the Fieri brood, Hunter has already been following in his dad’s footsteps, appearing on many of Guy’s shows and leaning toward venturing off on his own. Apparently, his father instilled that independence in him at a young age.
“When I was in third or fourth grade [Dad] tells me, ‘I’m done getting up and making you breakfast at 6 a.m. before school. You’re going to get up now, I’m going to teach you how to make breakfast,'” Hunter told the New York Post in Sept. 2020. “He taught me how to make a French toast sandwich and put cream cheese and sliced strawberries in the middle.”
Hunter also opened up to PEOPLE on Jan. 13, 2022 about his solo ventures and what he wishes to accomplish in the food space. Last year, he partnered with plant-based pasta maker ZENB on a mini-documentary called “What Plants Can Do.” The 25-year-old traveled to a farm in North Dakota to film the doc explaining how the company makes their yellow pea pasta. “It’s my first time really going out there by myself and believing in something and getting after it,” he told PEOPLE about the experience.
“I was very nervous,” Hunter continued. “I didn’t know what to look for. I didn’t know what to do in the sense of how do I watch over myself while also playing the role of the star of the documentary? But I just took what I learned from my dad and from his manager and from all the friends and mentors that’ve helped me along the way. And I just remembered what I was taught and I put everything I had forward.”
Speaking with Delish in 2017, Guy said of his eldest son’s career, “I wanted him to get a couple years of his own feeling and flavor and message. When that gets done, we’ll all know when it’s time for him to come back to the family program,” he stated. “It’s gonna happen, I don’t have any question. Matter of fact, I look forward to it. I’m almost wanting to cheat the system and bring him back early, but I know what’s going to be best for him.”
Also speaking with the outlet in 2018, Hunter admitted to wanting to follow in his dad’s path because he feels like he could “kill it” in that realm. “I want it all. I want to open my own restaurants — to have things that I created and things my dad created and run this empire,” he stated.
Aside from bonding over his dad with food, Ryder and Guy are huge fans of the band Rage Against the Machine! and saw them live three times during the summer of 2022: first in Cleveland, Ohio, next in Pittsburgh, Pa., and then in Raleigh, N.C. Guy documented their travels on Twitter, calling the second show the “best concert ever”. And after the third performance, he tweeted, “I’ll never be able to sing or play with @RATMofficial but the big screen is an honor!” alongside a clip of his face being aired on the stage’s screen.
Ryder Fieri
Ryder Fieri was born December 31, 2005, and is almost a decade younger than his older brother Hunter. Although Guy likes to keep things relatively low-key with his sons via social media, he does tend to bring the boys out for numerous sports games, posing with Ryder in Oct. 2021 for a Golden State Warriors game. The proud dad also wished his son a happy birthday on Twitter in Dec. 2020 with a series of adorable photos for the occasion. “Happy 15th birthday Ryder So proud of you my son, 15 years has flown by!” the Food Network star exclaimed. “You are a great person, friend, ball player, boyfriend, pool player, and most importantly son! Love you, Dad[.]”
Although his older brother has been making TV appearances with their dad and has already entered into the world of food, Ryder is still a teen and is just trying to figure himself out. He has made appearances on some of his father’s shows, such as Guy’s Big Bite and Guy’s Family Road Trip, but he hasn’t been as outspoken as Hunter in terms of following in his dad’s footsteps just yet. On his Instagram, you can see his numerous travels and adventures as well as his fun times with friends. We don’t know yet where Ryder is going, but we’re sure it will be great!