He's tough, humongous, athletic, muscular and speaks with a thick accent. No, I'm not talking about Arnold; I'm talking about that guy who's dominated the Food Network channel lately. Chef Robert Irvine, star of Dinner: Impossible, Worst Cooks in America, Restaurant: Impossible and Restaurant Express, served us up a fantastic interview. While I've been following him on Twitter for some time, I caught several Schwarzenegger-related tweets so I knew this guy was a fan. I knew this bodybuilder chef had some Arnold stories that needed to be told. So pull up a seat and prepare to dine. As an exclusive to TAFs, he exposes his best secret ingredient: heavy doses of Ahnuld!
TheArnoldFans: Wasn't there some earlier talk of you teaming up with Arnold on a crusade to bring healthier foods to the schools and to eliminate their junk food? Is this something you're working on with Schwarzenegger?
Robert Irvine: "Yep, that is our 2014 goal. We tried to do it at the end of last year but Arnold's schedule and my schedule were kind of crazy. This year, we want to get with Arnold and change how our school system works and to get involved on the amazing program that Arnold does. I have to tell you, a lot of people don't know, because he's the humble giant, but there are great things he does for kids and underprivileged schools. We want to be a part of that because it fits with our brand of message of making people healthy and helping people less fortunate than us. That's why we partnered with Eric, who is an amazing trainer. It's funny because Eric trains Arnold's son (Patrick). So there's a lot of great things happening here. We're trying to create a line of all natural products. We're looking to get with Arnold in the next four or five weeks."
TheArnoldFans: Arnold had a successful restaurant called "Schatzi" before he traded it in for his Governor duties. Would you ever consider going into the restaurant business with Schwarzenegger?
Robert Irvine: "Absolutely. I'd do that in a heartbeat because I know it would be successful. The one thing I do well is run restaurants and make them successful and the one thing Arnold does is bring people together on a big level. When you put two of those power houses together..."
TheArnoldFans: I've seen a couple “Restaurant: Impossible” episodes. Since you have experience on helping restaurants become successful, do you think if you could go back in time, you could have saved Planet Hollywood? Where did Planet Hollywood go wrong and what should they have done?
Robert Irvine: "Funny enough, I met Robert Earl. They went larger than life and it went very quickly. In large chains, you have to have someone run that and be careful with that and I know an awful amount of people who used to work at Planet Hollywood. When I used to work at Caesars Palace, there was a Planet Hollywood in Caesars and that's where I met Robert Earl. It was a great concept. I just don't think it was delivered on a very... well, it was very inconsistent. So I would have put systems in place which would have stopped the inconsistency. But if you think of Planet Hollywoods and then you think of very successful chains, you think of The Cheesecake Factory, which is amazingly successful with huge menus and a great product. That's what Planet Hollywood could have been if held on with a tight leash, I think."
TheArnoldFans: You've made it on TV. Would you like to break into acting on the big screen?
Robert Irvine: "I would love to. I've done some acting and in a series. I just finished "Melissa and Joey" on ABC Family, I've done "Body of Proof" and I really enjoy it. I would love to do a BIG movie. They wouldn't even have to pay me. Just let me do it. I just like experiences and it's a grand thing to do. Absolutely, I'd love to do more acting or a movie."
TheArnoldFans: Do you think you'd make a good Terminator?
Robert Irvine: "I don't know about Terminator. There's only one who can do that and that was the big guy, Arnold. As far as an action hero, I was in the military so I can do all the field stuff. I think I would be a good Superman-type-dude. I just like to have fun. Whatever it is, it has to be fun."
TheArnoldFans: Men’s Fitness magazine named you one of the 25 Fittest Guys in America. You're becoming a fitness icon so will you be attending Arnold's annual Arnold Classic in Ohio this year?
Robert Irvine: "I actually will. We launched my protein bars this September at Mr. Olympia. We will be with Fit Crunch and Europa. We'll bring @EricTheTrainer, bless him, he just finished training me. It's amazing when you find someone who has a very different vision that you and can craft their body the way it's supposed to look and Eric the Trainer is that man: an amazing human being."
TheArnoldFans: Who would win in a fight, you or @EricTheTrainer?
Robert Irvine: "I think I would because he's too nice. He's real nice and positive. Me, I'll just go straight for the throat."
TheArnoldFans: Are you planning to expand on your Fit Crunch line? Will there be other bars?
Robert Irvine: "Yes, we'll have brand new Caramel bars some point in the next two months. We've got a brand new paleo and gluten-free one that is about ready to go, which are absolutely amazing. You know, being a chef, the first thing I think about is the quality of the food that I give people, whether it be in a restaurant or in a bar and there is nobody on this planet that can touch the bars that we do. The reason is, a lot of people can put their name on a product, but I own half of that company. I'm fully vested in that being successful because I use that product on the road. We have a 16 gram bar and a 30 gram bar. I want people to enjoy it. It doesn't taste like a protein bar. It tastes like a Snickers bar."
*I tried the Fit Crunch bars and they taste excellent indeed! A real product for fitness heroes!
TheArnoldFans: How often do you work out and have you yet tried the Arnold Series supplements?
Robert Irvine: "I've got to tell you, I work out six days a week and if you talk about the Arnold supplements, then YES, I've got one in front of me right now which I love. I love it all, the Creatine, The Nitrate formula, the Sleep Aid. I'm on the road over 345 days a year so I take as much protein supplements, pills and potions...but the ones with quality. There are a lot of imitations out there. You really have to think about your regiment that you do and what you put into your body. Because at the end of the day, you are what you eat."
TheArnoldFans: I understand you'll be co-authoring a fitness and nutrition book. Who is your partner on this book and when can people pick this up?
Robert Irvine: "I have a very knowledgeable fitness expert, who works out in New York City, who's name is Matt. I won't tell you his last name now but when you read it, you'll say, 'oh my goodness, that guy!' The working title is called "Fit Fuel" and this is for families, not only for guys and girls that hit the gym on a regular basis, but for people who want to change their lifestyle. We're getting the bonding aspect of food family and fitness. Eric and myself, In February, joined the South Beach Wine and Food Festival and we get a whole weekend of fitness at the zoo with kids and adults. Children are our future. Families want to get fit and healthy and they want to change their lifestyle - they just don't know how to do it. So they look for us and for you, Randy, who has such a great following (of TheArnoldFans.com), to give them that information to make those changes."
Robert aims for the 2nd or 3rd quarter of this year for the book release. Expect book signings near you.
TheArnoldFans: Finally, what are your top three Arnold movies?
Robert Irvine: "You got to go with Terminator, that's for sure! I think anything that he's done action-wise, I just get inspired by him because he's such a great actor. I loved True Lies too. That was a great movie.
TheArnoldFans: When did you become an Arnold fan?
Robert Irvine: "I've been a huge Arnold fan for many years, not only of his movies but when I was a kid growing up. I was 11 years old and I had Muscle & Fitness magazines in England and I would read that religiously. I read all that information that Arnold was giving out and all the exercises he would do and I bought my first set of weights when I was 11 years old. Then, through the military, I kept with it (training). For people who want to stay fit, Arnold is the role model for that."
TheArnoldFans: So we can all agree Arnold is a great role model. He does have a fantastic following.
"Getting to Arnold is like getting to the Pope; everyone wants to surround him, touch and feel and speak to him. It sounds like I'm a geek for Arnold but I just think he's a good guy. Some people might disagree but people make mistakes. Even I made mistakes and that's why we're human. You have to just get up and move on but if you think about ALL the things that he does and all the charities that he touches and all the children and people that he touches, we should never waiver of supporting him. That's really a testament to his character. If I sound like an Arnold fan, I am."
Thank you, Chef Robert. That was a wonderful meal. We especially enjoyed the main course: the idea of you and Arnold working together to better our school's nutrition! Delicious. Now, we're stuffed.
Now we better get to the gym. Your protein bars are fantastic so we'll be back for more of those. Fans, try them yourself. Get ya ass to www.fitcrunchbars.com. You can also follow Robert Irvine on the Food Network, on twitter @RobertIrvine or at his website chefirvine.com. See you at the Arnold Classic in Ohio, Robert!
