Guy Fieri show Best Bite in Town features Fort Myers, Florida writer

They say to never meet your heroes. But Annabelle Tometich met one of hers, celebrity chef Guy Fieri, and she’s happy to report: He’s just as awesome in person as he is on TV.

Tometich even shared some food with Fieri while they were filming his new cooking show, “Best Bite In Town.”

“You know, I am a consummate sharer of food, just from the restaurant critic days,” says the former News-Press/Naples Daily News food writer and critic. “I have no problem sharing food. And he was kind of saying the same thing.

“He was, like, ‘The rule of this is you always share food with Guy.’ And I’m like, “Yeah, happy to! Please. Whatever you want.'”

‘Best Bite In Town’ filmed in Port St. Lucie, Florida

The Food Network filmed the episode last year in Port St. Lucie. Tometich was one of three judges who sampled dishes from area restaurants and then offered their thoughts.

“It was wonderful,” says Tometich, author of the critically praised new memoir “The Mango Tree.” “It was a cool day. We had a good time.”

The episode airs at 9 p.m. Friday, May 31, on Food Network.

This is Tometich’s second time judging on a Food Network TV show. She previously appeared on “Big Restaurant Bet” in 2022. That episode was filmed at Luminary Hotel in downtown Fort Myers.

For “Best Bite In Town,” a producer emailed Tometich after finding her online somewhere (Tometich isn’t sure where). At first, Tometich thought the email was spam, but it turned out to be the real deal.

“They were just looking for people with food knowledge in South Florida,” she says.

On Friday’s episode, Fieri summons show host Noah Cappe to Port St. Lucie, where acclaimed chefs Joe Sasto and Aarti Sequeira split up, choose two area restaurants and bring back their favorite dishes, according to a Food Channel publicist. Then a panel of judges sample the food ― prepared in a nearby kitchen by the restaurants’ chefs ― and crown the winner.

They filmed the episode outdoors in Port St. Lucie’s Tradition Square. Tometich was joined by New Jersey’s Josh Capon and Ocala’s Rashad Jones, according to the Food Network publicist.

Would Guy Fieri show up for ‘Best Bite In Town’ filming?

Tometich ― a longtime fan of both Fieri and the Food Network ― hoped she’d get to meet her culinary hero during the show’s filming. But no one seemed to know if Fieri would be showing up in person, she says. He’s the show’s producer, not its host.

“Then I get to the set,” Tometich says, “and he’s impossible to miss because he’s just a flare of white hair and this personality that matches. And one of his bulldogs, his little Frenchies, was with him.

“It was just, like, everything you hoped Guy Fieri to be is exactly what Guy Fieri is. And I was like, ‘YES!’ (laughs) This is fantastic. This is the stuff of my ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’ dreams.”

Fieri was very hands-on, Tometich says. He introduced himself to everybody, helped them work on their lines and even posed for a photo with Tometich.

“He was very involved with everything,” Tometich says. “And it was just fascinating to be like, ‘Well, yeah, Guy, whatever you say. Yes.'”  

As for the meal? It was downright delicious.

“The food was outstanding,” Tometich says.

Learn more about “Best Bite In Town” at foodnetwork.com/shows/best-bite-in-town.

Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 (for tickets to shows, call the venue) or email him at crunnells@gannett.com. Follow or message him on social media: Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), X (formerly Twitter) (@charlesrunnells), Threads (@crunnells1) and Instagram (@crunnells1).