Andrew Gruel
Andrew Gruel | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Born | 1980 (age 43–44) |
| Education | Bates College Johnson & Wales University |
| Spouse |
Lauren Gruel (m. 2013) |
| Children | 4 |
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | Seafood, chicken, vegan |
Current restaurant(s)
| |
| Website | chefgruel.com |
Andrew Gruel (born 1980) is an American chef and television personality, based in Orange County, California. He appeared as a judge on Food Network's Food Truck Face Off and as a host of FYI's Say It to My Face!, and is the founder of Slapfish,[1] a seafood restaurant franchise that he launched in 2012 and sold to Mac Haik Enterprises in 2022.[2] He is the founder, CEO and executive chef of Big Parm, a pizza restaurant in Tustin, California;[3] Two Birds, a chicken restaurant in Irvine, California;[4] Butterleaf, a plant-based restaurant in Irvine, California;[5] and Calico Fish House, a casual seafood restaurant in Huntington Beach, California.[2]
Early life and education[edit]
Gruel was born and raised in Bridgewater, New Jersey[6] and graduated from the Pingry School in 1998.[7] He said that his affinity towards cooking started at an early age, when he would fake sick to stay home from school and watch cooking shows on public-access television.[8] While attending Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, he worked in lobster restaurants in the area.[9][10] He received his culinary degree from Johnson & Wales University's College of Culinary Arts.[11]
Career[edit]
Cooking[edit]
Gruel began his career working in fine dining restaurants, hotels and diners in New Jersey, as a cook at the Ritz Carlton in Boston[11][12] and at Jack's of New London in New London, New Hampshire.[11] He left the East Coast in 2009 to work as director of Seafood for the Future, a nonprofit program at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California.[6][13]
After the COVID-19 pandemic forced many restaurants to shut down, Gruel started a fund in December 2020 to raise money for out-of-work restaurant industry employees, raising over $230,000 in the first three weeks.[14][15][16] The fund, called 86 Restaurant Struggle, is a nonprofit charity that helps struggling and unemployed restaurant workers.[17]
Television[edit]
Gruel's first television appearance was on the BBC show The Endless Feast in 2007.[13] He served as a judge on the Food Channel's Food Truck Face Off[8] and Chopped Junior,[18] and also appeared on Eat St. on the Cooking Channel,[19] Today on NBC,[20] and On the Rocks on the Food Network.[6] In 2015, Gruel starred as a host on season 1 of the reality television show Say It To My Face![21] Since 2020, he has been a frequent guest on various national news programs.[17]
Radio[edit]
Gruel hosted a culinary radio show called Cooking with Gruel in 2015.[8] He co-hosts the weekly The SoCal Restaurant Show on KLAA, which launched in 2012.[22]
Television appearances[edit]
| Year | Series | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Endless Feast | BBC | Guest |
| 2012 | Eat St. | Cooking Channel | Guest |
| 2013 | On the Rocks | Food Network | Consulting chef |
| 2014 | Food Truck Face Off | Food Network | Judge (season 1, 5 episodes) |
| Today | NBC | Guest | |
| 2015 | Say It To My Face! | FYI | Host (season 1, 15 episodes) |
| 2016 | Chopped Junior | Food Network | Guest (season 3, episode 3) |
| 2016-20 | Home & Family | Hallmark Channel | Guest (8 episodes) |
| 2020 | Food Paradise | Food Network | Guest |
| The Issue Is | Fox | Guest | |
| Justice with Judge Jeanine | Fox News | Guest | |
| The Ingraham Angle | Fox News | Guest | |
| 2020-21 | Fox & Friends | Fox News | Guest (3 episodes) |
| 2020-22 | Tucker Carlson Tonight | Fox News | Guest (3 episodes) |
| 2021 | The Chris Salcedo Show | Newsmax TV | Guest |
| Fox & Friends First | Fox News | Guest | |
| Fox News Primetime | Fox News | Guest | |
| NBC Nightly News | NBC | Guest | |
| 2022 | Jesse Watters Primetime | Fox News | Guest (8 episodes) |
Personal life[edit]
Gruel and his wife Lauren Gruel have four children.[8][15]
References[edit]
- ^ "Andrew Gruel of Slapfish restaurant on how the seafood chain has adjusted during the coronavirus pandemic". Nation's Restaurant News. 17 April 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ a b Ruggless, Ron (6 July 2022). "Founders sell Slapfish interest to Mac Haik investment group". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved Jul 6, 2022.
- ^ "Mess Hall Has Soft Opened in Tustin". Orange County Register. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ "Trade, an Open Air Irvine Food Hall". Orange County Register. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ Jennings, Lisa (March 2017). "Slapfish founder to debut 2 new food-hall concepts". Restaurant Hospitality. Retrieved Dec 8, 2022.
- ^ a b c Anthony Clark Carpio, "Slapfish set to jump into bigger pond," Los Angeles Times, January 8, 2014.
- ^ "School Achievers; Bridgewater", Courier News, July 21, 1999. Accessed November 22, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Andrew Gruel, a freshman at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, was among 21 students who participated in the college's Steel Pan Ensemble spring performance.... Gruel is a 1998 graduate of Pingry School and the son of Frederick and Susan Gruel."
- ^ a b c d "Featured Chef of the Month, Andrew Gruel of Slapfish!". Tony Reverditto. Food Enthusiast Magazine. 2015-03-15. Archived from the original on 2015-05-19. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
- ^ Bret Thorn, "Slapfish co-founder: 'Let’s make seafood sexy again'," Nation's Restaurant News, July 23, 2014.
- ^ Susan Adams, "Started As A Food Truck, Slapfish Is Trying To Be The 'Chipotle Of Seafood'," Forbes, October 27, 2016.
- ^ a b c John Walters, "Jack's of New London: Where (almost) everybody knows your name," Kearsarge Magazine, Summer 2007, pp. 73-74.
- ^ Nicole Russin-McFarland, "Food Network Featured Andrew Gruel: His Story and How the Slapfish Chain is Set to Conquer the Globe (Minus the 'Austin Powers' Sharks With Laser Beams," Archived 2014-12-12 at the Wayback Machine The Comeback, December 3, 2014.
- ^ a b "Try Amazing Sustainable Seafood at SlapFish". Christine Lynn Williamson. Locale Magazine. 2014-08-25. Archived from the original on 2015-05-22. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
- ^ "Chef Andrew Gruel raises funds for restaurant workforce struggling because of pandemic". ABC. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Los Angeles chef, restaurant owner raises over $160,000 for others struggling in industry". Good Morning America. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ "Slapfish Restaurant founder starts COVID-19 relief fund to help industry". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ a b Valdespino, Anne. "NBC Nightly News features restaurateur Andrew Gruel of Slapfish tonight". The Orange County Register. Retrieved Mar 3, 2021.
- ^ "Q&A with chef Andrew Gruel". Greer's. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ Michelle Woo, "Slapfish To Be Featured On The Cooking Channel's Eat Street Tonight," OC Weekly, August 21, 2012.
- ^ "Grill up seafood! Surf 'n' turf burgers and shrimp cubano," Today, July 30, 2014.
- ^ "Slapfish execs star in reality TV show," Fast Casual, July 15, 2015.
- ^ "About the SoCal Restaurant Show," socalrestaurantshow.com. Accessed June 19, 2016.