By Peggy Laizure
Guy Fieri, Food Network star, was at The Diner in Norman Wednesday filming a segment for "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives."
Mark Amspacher, owner of The Diner, 213 E. Main St., made a batch of his two-time state champion chili for Fieri. The chili has taken the Oklahoma state award twice and then competed in the nationals.
Amspacher was a butcher in Norman and became more interested in food and cooking, he said, and went to work as a manager at The Diner. He came to work one day about 1992 and the door was locked.
"The guys who hired me forgot to pay their taxes," Amspacher said.
An attorney that ate breakfast at the diner almost every day called Amspacher and told him he would do the legal work if Amspacher would buy the diner and open the doors.
The Diner hasn't changed much over the years, Amspacher said, and he tries to keep it looking the way it did.
Vinyl booths (10) with Formica table tops and 10 stools line the Formica counter for a total of 50 seats.
Amspacher's chili was love at first bite for Fieri and the platinum blonde, spiked-haired food guru had a hard time believing a beef and bean burrito was only $4.99.
"The chili was going on long before the diner," Amspacher said. "My dad and granddad invented this recipe."
Although Fieri has been in Oklahoma before, this was his first time in Norman, he said.
"We were here about a year and a half ago and had a nice time," he said. "Everyone is so friendly and I said we had to come back."
The Diner's customers also said he should come back.
"We received e-mails from 11 viewers suggesting we go there," said Allison Page, vice president of programming for the Food Network. "So we checked it out and decided it was perfect for Guy to visit."
Fieri collaborates with his executive producer to decide where they tape shows, subject to network sign-off, Page said.
Fieri appeared on the "The Next Food Network Star," a reality competition show where finalists compete to win their own cooking show on Food Network. He won the contest and has been on "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" since April 2007. He also is the host of two other shows, "Ultimate Recipe Showdown" and "Guy's Big Bite."
He's no stranger to the kitchen. Fieri owns three Italian restaurants, Johnny Garlic's in California and two Tex Wasabi's, a southern barbecue and California sushi restaurant.
He began his food career at the age of 10, selling soft pretzels from a three-wheeled bicycle cart he built with his father.
His experience is what makes his shows work, he said. While they work, he is aware of what is going on and can talk with the cooks.
He enjoyed talking with Amspacher.
"He's hysterical," Fieri said. "Just phenomenal, a true character. And those tie dye shirts."
Amspacher has "a tie-dye party every summer," he said.
"You can't screw it up and it hides stains," Fieri said.
For all Fieri knows, Amspacher might be wearing a blueberry and chili milk shake, he said.
The Diner is open 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, unless the fishing bug calls Amspacher. His gear stays in the truck and there is a "great lake about 20 miles from there."
The Diner will be included with two other pieces, Fieri said, and should air sometime in two to six months.
