Andrew Gruel

{{Short description|American chef, television personality, and politician}}

{{Infobox chef

| name = Andrew Gruel

| image = Andrew Gruel 2016 (cropped).jpg

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date ={{Birth date and age|1980|7|12}}

| birth_place = Bridgewater, New Jersey

| style = Seafood, chicken, vegan

| education = Bates College
Johnson & Wales University

| spouse = {{Marriage|Lauren Gruel|2013}}

| children = 4

| restaurants = Big Parm
Two Birds
Butterleaf
Calico Fish House

| television =

| prevrests =

| awards =

| website = {{URL|http://www.chefgruel.com/|chefgruel.com}}

}}

Andrew Gruel (born July 12, 1980) is an American chef, television personality, and politician based in Orange County, California. He appeared as a judge on Food Network's Food Truck Face Off and as a host of FYI's Say It to My Face!, and is the founder of Slapfish,{{cite web |title=Andrew Gruel of Slapfish restaurant on how the seafood chain has adjusted during the coronavirus pandemic |date=17 April 2020 |url=https://www.nrn.com/fast-casual/andrew-gruel-slapfish-restaurant-how-seafood-chain-has-adjusted-during-coronavirus |publisher=Nation's Restaurant News |access-date=18 January 2021}} a seafood restaurant franchise that he launched in 2012 and sold to Mac Haik Enterprises in 2022.{{cite web |last1=Ruggless |first1=Ron |title=Founders sell Slapfish interest to Mac Haik investment group |url=https://www.nrn.com/regional-chains/founders-sell-slapfish-interest-mac-haik-investment-group |website=Nation's Restaurant News |date=6 July 2022 |access-date=Jul 6, 2022}} He is the founder, CEO and executive chef of Calico Fish House, a casual seafood restaurant in Huntington Beach, California. He has been a member of the Huntington Beach City Council since March 18, 2025, when he was appointed to fill a vacant seat on the council.{{cite news|url=https://www.ocregister.com/2025/03/19/chef-andrew-gruel-selected-as-new-huntington-beach-councilmember/|title=Chef Andrew Gruel selected as new Huntington Beach councilmember|newspaper=The Orange County Register|date=March 19, 2025|last=Slaten|first=Michael}}{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2025-03-19/andrew-gruel-appointed-to-huntington-beach-city-council-after-police-clear-council-chambers|title=Celebrity chef appointed to Huntington Beach City Council after police clear council chambers|newspaper=Los Angeles Times/Daily Pilot|date=March 19, 2025|last=Szabo|first=Matt}}

Early life and education

Gruel was born and raised in Bridgewater, New JerseyAnthony Clark Carpio, [https://web.archive.org/web/20160813045300/http://www.latimes.com/tn-hbi-me-0109-slapfish-profile-20140108-story.html "Slapfish set to jump into bigger pond,"] Los Angeles Times, January 8, 2014. and graduated from the Pingry School in 1998.[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/229434493/ "School Achievers; Bridgewater"], Courier News, July 21, 1999. Accessed November 22, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Andrew Gruel, a freshman at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, was among 21 students who participated in the college's Steel Pan Ensemble spring performance... Gruel is a 1998 graduate of Pingry School and the son of Frederick and Susan Gruel." He said that his affinity towards cooking started at an early age, when he would fake sick to stay home from school and watch cooking shows on public-access television.{{cite news |title=Featured Chef of the Month, Andrew Gruel of Slapfish! |url=http://foodenthusiastmag.com/featured-chef-of-the-month-andrew-gruel-of-slapfish/ |work=Tony Reverditto |publisher=Food Enthusiast Magazine |date=2015-03-15 |access-date=2015-05-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519123730/http://foodenthusiastmag.com/featured-chef-of-the-month-andrew-gruel-of-slapfish/ |archive-date=2015-05-19 |url-status=usurped }} While attending Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, he worked in lobster restaurants in the area.Bret Thorn, [http://nrn.com/chef-insights/slapfish-co-founder-lets-make-seafood-sexy-again "Slapfish co-founder: 'Let’s make seafood sexy again',"] Nation's Restaurant News, July 23, 2014.Susan Adams, [https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestreptalks/2016/10/27/started-as-a-food-truck-slapfish-is-trying-to-be-the-chipotle-of-seafood/#577f53537389 "Started As A Food Truck, Slapfish Is Trying To Be The 'Chipotle Of Seafood',"] Forbes, October 27, 2016. He received his culinary degree from Johnson & Wales University's College of Culinary Arts.John Walters, [http://www.kearsargemagazine.com/images/pdf/summer_jacks.pdf "Jack's of New London: Where (almost) everybody knows your name,"] Kearsarge Magazine, Summer 2007, pp. 73-74.

Career

=Cooking=

Gruel began his career working in fine dining restaurants, hotels and diners in New Jersey, as a cook at the Ritz Carlton in BostonNicole Russin-McFarland, [http://www.thecomeback.co.uk/?p=2754 "Food Network Featured Andrew Gruel: His Story and How the Slapfish Chain is Set to Conquer the Globe (Minus the 'Austin Powers' Sharks With Laser Beams,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141212051713/http://www.thecomeback.co.uk/?p=2754 |date=2014-12-12 }} The Comeback, December 3, 2014. and at Jack's of New London in New London, New Hampshire. He left the East Coast in 2009 to work as director of Seafood for the Future, a nonprofit program at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California.{{cite news |title=Try Amazing Sustainable Seafood at SlapFish |url=http://localemagazine.com/slapfish/ |work=Christine Lynn Williamson |publisher=Locale Magazine |date=2014-08-25 |access-date=2015-05-15 |archive-date=2015-05-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522110504/http://localemagazine.com/slapfish/ |url-status=dead }}

After the COVID-19 pandemic forced many restaurants to shut down, Gruel started a fund in December 2020 to raise money for out-of-work restaurant industry employees, raising over $230,000 in the first three weeks.{{cite web |title=Chef Andrew Gruel raises funds for restaurant workforce struggling because of pandemic |date=5 January 2021 |url=https://abc7.com/finance/socal-chef-raising-funds-for-out-of-work-restaurant-employees/9359665/ |publisher=ABC |access-date=18 January 2021}}{{cite web |title=Los Angeles chef, restaurant owner raises over $160,000 for others struggling in industry |url=https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/food/story/los-angeles-chef-restaurant-owner-raises-150000-struggling-74953711 |publisher=Good Morning America |access-date=18 January 2021}}{{cite web |title=Slapfish Restaurant founder starts COVID-19 relief fund to help industry |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/video/slapfish-restaurant-founder-starts-covid-204246803.html |publisher=Yahoo Finance |access-date=18 January 2021}} The fund, called 86 Restaurant Struggle, is a nonprofit charity that helps struggling and unemployed restaurant workers.{{cite web |last1=Valdespino |first1=Anne |title=NBC Nightly News features restaurateur Andrew Gruel of Slapfish tonight |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2021/03/03/nbc-nightly-news-features-restaurateur-andrew-gruel-of-slapfish-tonight/ |website=The Orange County Register |access-date=Mar 3, 2021}}

=Television=

File:Andrew Gruel by Gage Skidmore.jpg

Gruel's first television appearance was on the BBC show The Endless Feast in 2007. He served as a judge on the Food Channel's Food Truck Face Off and Chopped Junior,{{cite web |title=Q&A with chef Andrew Gruel |url=http://www.greersoc.com/index.php/blogs/daily-dose/getting_to_know_slapfish_chef_and_founder_andrew_gruel |publisher=Greer's |access-date=18 January 2021}} and also appeared on Eat St. on the Cooking Channel,Michelle Woo, [http://www.ocweekly.com/restaurants/slapfish-to-be-featured-on-the-cooking-channels-eat-street-tonight-6610056 "Slapfish To Be Featured On The Cooking Channel's Eat Street Tonight,"] OC Weekly, August 21, 2012. Today on NBC,[http://www.today.com/food/grill-seafood-surf-n-turf-burgers-shrimp-cubano-1D79976234 "Grill up seafood! Surf 'n' turf burgers and shrimp cubano,"] Today, July 30, 2014. and On the Rocks on the Food Network. In 2015, Gruel starred as a host on season one of the reality television show Say It To My Face![http://www.fastcasual.com/news/slapfish-execs-star-in-reality-tv-show/ "Slapfish execs star in reality TV show,"] Fast Casual, July 15, 2015. Since 2020, he has been a frequent guest on various national news programs.

=Radio=

Gruel hosted a culinary radio show called Cooking with Gruel in 2015. He co-hosts the weekly The SoCal Restaurant Show on KLAA, which launched in 2012.[http://socalrestaurantshow.com/about-socal-restaurant-show/ "About the SoCal Restaurant Show,"] socalrestaurantshow.com. Accessed June 19, 2016.

=City council=

On March 18, 2025, Gruel was appointed to fill a vacant seat on the Huntington Beach City Council that was previously held by Tony Strickland, who was elected to the California State Senate.

Television appearances

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Series ! Network ! Notes
style="text-align:center;"\|2007 \| The Endless Feast \| BBC \| Guest
style="text-align:center;"\|2012 \| Eat St. \| Cooking Channel \| Guest
style="text-align:center;"\|2013 \| On the Rocks \| Food Network \| Consulting chef
rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"\|2014 \| Food Truck Face Off \| Food Network \| Judge (season 1, 5 episodes)
Today \| NBC \| Guest
style="text-align:center;"\|2015 \| Say It To My Face! \| FYI \| Host (season 1, 15 episodes)
style="text-align:center;"\|2016 \| Chopped Junior \| Food Network \| Guest (season 3, episode 3)
style="text-align:center;"\|2016-20 \| Home & Family \| Hallmark Channel \| Guest (8 episodes)
rowspan=4 style="text-align:center;"\|2020 \| Food Paradise \| Food Network \| Guest
The Issue Is \| Fox \| Guest
Justice with Judge Jeanine \| Fox News \| Guest
The Ingraham Angle \| Fox News \| Guest
style="text-align:center;"\|2020–21 \| Fox & Friends \| Fox News \| Guest (3 episodes)
style="text-align:center;"\|2020–22 \| Tucker Carlson Tonight \| Fox News \| Guest (3 episodes)
rowspan=4 style="text-align:center;"\|2021 - 2024 \| The Chris Salcedo Show \| Newsmax TV \| Guest
Fox & Friends First \| Fox News \| Guest
Gutfeld \| Fox \| Guest often
NBC Nightly News \| NBC \| Guest
style="text-align:center;"\|2022 \| Jesse Watters Primetime \| Fox News \| Guest (8 episodes)

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Series

! Network

! Notes

style="text-align:center;"|2007

| The Endless Feast

| BBC

| Guest

style="text-align:center;"|2012

| Eat St.

| Cooking Channel