Bobby Flay, Food Network to part ways after 27 years

It looks like celebrity chef Bobby Flay may be getting ready to hang up his apron at Food Network.

Flay, who has been one of the cable channel's biggest stars for the past 27 years, is expected to leave Food Network when his contract expires at the end of the year, Variety reports. The entertainment trade publication reported that sources close to the situation said that Food Network had ended negotiations with Flay on a new contract.

Neither Flay nor Food Network responded to Newsday's requests for a comment.

Since Food Network launched in 1994, Flay has been a familiar face on a number of it series, starting with his first outing, "Grillin' and Chillin'." Other shows he's appeared on include "Iron Chef America," "Worst Cooks in America" and "The Next Food Network Star." Since 2013, he's starred in "Beat Bobby Flay," a weekly series in which he faces off with another chef to see who can prepare a better version of the competitor's signature dish.

Thanks to his television success, Flay has also authored more than a dozen cookbooks and has become a successful entrepreneur. Among his ventures has been the restaurant chain Bobby's Burger Palace, which opened its first location at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove in 2008. The eatery was shuttered last year after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. A second Long Island location at Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City opened in 2011 and closed two years ago.

In 2015, Flay became the first TV chef to be recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.