Chef George Hirsch has always remembered having a passion for cooking. A passion that began at the age of five, while cooking on the family camp outings or in the home kitchen, it was always more than just a pastime. It would be the beginning of Chef Hirsch's future profession.

Perhaps it's his Italian heritage that makes him want to feed people. Unlike many of today's young and energetic chefs, Hirsch began in the kitchen washing dishes. Then he took the big step: enrolling at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York -- often called the "Harvard" of cooking schools. He graduated with honors in 1980, worked his way up the culinary ranks and was in charge of his own kitchen by his early twenties. Today, Chef Hirsch gives a television audience of millions the inspiration to cook imaginative recipes.

As a chef, Hirsch has received tremendous acclaim. He is a Certified Executive Chef and Culinary Educator. The American Culinary Federation inducted him into the Academy of Chefs, the most prestigious honor society of chefs in the United States. He was the Culinary Director of the Culinary Arts Center at New York Institute of Technology, a fully accredited, college-level culinary school. One of his most rewarding experiences is as co-founder and Chairman of the Chef and Child Foundation, a national program with more than 20,000 American chefs dedicated to fighting hunger and emphasizing nutrition among the young. Chef Hirsch is also the recipient of many awards and honors including the 1996 Humanitarian of the Year Award from the American Culinary Federation.

In spite of his outstanding accomplishments, Chef Hirsch gives novice cooks effortless and exciting recipes. In his three hugely successful seasons on public television, he has shown his viewers how to celebrate cooking. He is a major contributor to improving the quality of family life by involving all members in sharing the excitement of cooking. With his down-to-earth demeanor, Chef Hirsch shows his viewers how to make entertaining with food a delightful experience.

In 1994, Chef Hirsch created "Grilling with Chef George Hirsch," the most popular new cooking series ever on public television. He produces and hosts the 26-part series shot entirely on location. Chef Hirsch uses the locations as the backdrop to his classroom -- a classroom for millions on his national television program.

The Spring of 1997 brings us Chef Hirsch's fourth year on public television. Viewers can expect a unique twist to the fundamentals of cooking in "George Hirsch's Know Your Fire." Shot on location in Opryland USA, Chef Hirsch combines simple subjects presented in a fun manner with celebrities and live audiences.

Chef Hirsch continues to entertain and educate the American television audience through his programs and cookbooks. Chef Hirsch is the author of four cookbooks - Grilling with Chef George Hirsch; Gather 'Round the Grill; Adventures in Grilling, and his newest book Know Your Fire, published by Putnam. Know Your Fire is a complete reference book on the fundamentals of cooking. In Chef Hirsch's style, he covers all the basic subjects of cooking and entertaining with easy-to-understand techniques and recipes.

Check Out George Hirsh's website at http://www.chefghirsch.com