March 31, 2022
Guy Fieri is once again returning to his hometown of Ferndale, California for a good cause. On April 9 the celebrity TV chef will be in town to sign copies of the Ferndale Museum’s recently released cookbook, for which he wrote the introduction.
In honor of the storied history between Ferndale and the Mayor of Flavortown, here are five reasons we love Guy Fieri.
Fieri Credits Ferndale with Giving Him His Start
It’s no secret that Fieri got his start in the food industry right here in Ferndale — and despite his ever-growing celebrity status, Fieri’s Humboldt hometown remains close to his heart.
A foodie from a young age, 10-year-old Guy became enamored with Bavarian pretzels and convinced his dad to help him start his own pretzel cart. Soon Fieri was slinging the salt-studded snacks from The Awesome Pretzel Co. at local events.
It wasn’t long before Fieri was making the rounds as an employee at local food establishments, learning the secret recipe for Italian sausage at historic Ferndale Meat Co. and eventually getting his first real kitchen job at the Hotel Ivanhoe Restaurant (formerly Roman’s).
Photo courtesy of Caroline Titus and the Ferndale Enterprise archives. Use in any manner is prohibited without expressed permission of owner.
Today, Guy’s Awesome Pretzel Cart lives on as a nonprofit that helps Ferndale kids learn about cooking and running a business, just one of the many ways in which Fieri has contributed to the community.
He Generously Gives Back to the Community
Growing up in this small rural town near the redwoods instilled Fieri with a fierce sense of community and appreciation for small businesses and their hardworking employees.
Over the years he’s performed an astounding amount of philanthropic work, from partnering many times with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to serving thousands of meals to hospital workers during the pandemic and firefighters and fire evacuees during the devastating California wildfires.
As co-creator of the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, he helped raise millions of dollars for restaurant workers left jobless as the food service industry struggled.
Here in Ferndale, Fieri once honored his 8th-grade teacher at Ferndale Elementary School, Fran Moriarty Fischer, as part of the California Lottery's “Thank A Teacher” program, gifting her with a cruise to anywhere in the world she wanted to go.
Photo credit Caroline Titus. Use of photo in any manner is prohibited without expressed permission of owner.
He’s a Fixture at Ferndale’s Fair
Ask anyone what the highlight of summer is in Ferndale, and they’ll point you to the historic Humboldt County Fair, a good old-fashioned tradition featuring horse racing, livestock auctions, carnival rides, and fair food galore.
Photo credit: Caroline Titus. Use in any manner is prohibited without expressed permission of owner.
Photo credit: Brian Christensen from the Ferndale Enterprise archives. Use in any manner is prohibited without expressed permission of owner.
For years Guy has attended the fair as host of the Humboldt County Fair Surf & Turf BBQ competition. His motivation? Simply to shine the spotlight on the beloved local event, drawing enough visitors to ensure the county fair can continue to delight locals and travelers for years to come.
He’s Featured Ferndale on TV
Ferndale was honored with the so-called "Triple-D effect” in 2014 when Guy visited local restaurants for “Guys Hometown Tour,” a special hour-long edition of his Food Network hit show, “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.”
Both above photos courtesy of Caroline Titus. Use of photos in any manner is prohibited without expressed permission of owner.
Since then, featured business Humboldt Sweets has moved on to much success in Las Vegas, but you can still get Ferndale Meat Co.’s famous house-made sausage and find Ferndale Elementary students behind the stand of The Awesome Pretzel Co.
He’s Committed to Keeping Ferndale Authentic
It’s not just the architecture that makes Ferndale special, but the authenticity — and Fieri is helping to keep it that way.
Far from a town of souvenir shops, downtown Ferndale California is full of vibrant independent businesses that serve locals as well as visitors, from its blacksmith and butcher shops to an artisan coffee shop-maker workshop and two-story general store. In between are galleries of local artists, acclaimed restaurants, book sellers, and more.
When the building that houses Ferndale Meat Co. went up for sale, jeopardizing the meat market, Fieri bought it to save to the longtime local business. Soon after he purchased the historic bank building next door, now home to the local newspaper and Humboldt’s Hometown Store.
Guy Fieri with Ferndale Meat Co. co-owners Curt Terribilini (center with apron) and Curt’s sister, Pixie Sutherland (right). On the left is Patty Terribilini (Curt’s younger sister). Photo credit to Caroline Titus. Use of photo in any manner is prohibited without expressed permission of owner.
Love Guy Fieri as much as we do? Make sure to visit the Hometown Store’s Flavortown - Home of Guy Fieri shop, a mecca of memorabilia from Guy-branded salsa and barbecue sauce to spiky-haired novelty visors.
Of course, if you’d rather meet Fieri face to face, this is your chance. Be at Ferndale Museum at 10:30 a.m. on April 9 to hang out with the historic hamlet’s hometown hero in person! Pick up your copy of “Sweet Memories of Ferndale: Celebrating with Food & Love” at the Ferndale Museum bookstore, or online at FerndaleMuseum.com