Guy Fieri to host livestream celebrating restaurant workers

As of April, Guy Fieri has raised $25 million for restaurant workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Food & Wine.

Now, the Sonoma County celebrity chef is celebrating the restaurant industry with a prime-time special “Guy’s Restaurant Reboot” airing on multiple streaming platforms June 12.

Fieri already has raised $300,000 in grant money that will be given to 11 restaurant owners during the broadcast, according to Food & Wine Magazine.

There won’t be any fundraising during the special, which is meant to celebrate restaurant workers who have persevered through the pandemic.

“This is about bringing celebrities, entertainers, chefs, and restaurants together, all with the message of trying to inspire and promote the industry,” he told Food & Wine. “It’s not a telethon. No one is calling in, and we’re not asking for money (because) we’ve already raised three-hundred grand.”

Fieri is co-hosting the event with chef Antonia Lofaso, and nine other celebrity chefs will join the two for a roundtable discussion in a segment called “Behind The Counter Conversations.”

Other celebrity guests include singer Kane Brown, the NFL’s Rob Gronkowski, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, model Adriana Lima and rapper Wale. Diplo and Old Dominion also are slated to perform, Fieri recently tweeted.

“Guy’s Restaurant Reboot” will stream for free at 4 p.m. PDT on Fieri’s Facebook page and 20 other platforms, including LiveXLive, TikTok, Twitter, Twitch and YouTube. It will also be shown on guysrestaurantreboot.com.

“You know, so many people work in the restaurant industry in multiple jobs, second jobs, single moms, single parents, students, retirees. And the restaurant industry is massively important to our communities,” Fieri told CBS News in April.