The Grub Guy — Legion of Dudes

Scott Conant knows the restaurant business like the back of his cutting board. The chef turned restaurateur has founded top shelf spots like L'Impero, Alto, and Scarpetta. Conant has also been a frequent guest judge of 'Iron Chef', and a fixture on the show 'Chopped.' He can take one smell of a dish, and know whether it's fine or trash.

You'd be hard pressed to find a cooler dude than Anthony Bourdain in the food world. After working at Brasserie Les Halles, Bourdain decided to write Kitchen Confidential: Adventure in the Culinary Underbelly, which detailed all the nitty gritty--and sometimes disgusting--idiosyncrasies of the restaurant world. The result? A little show called 'No Reservations' that sends him around the world to eat, drink, and schmooze with the locals.

Bobby Flay is a man's man foodie: Flay loves his meat, and he also loves his heat. The celebrity chef has about 47 shows on the Food Network devoted to steaks, burgers, steaks, grilling, steaks, hot peppers, and probably another one about steaks. Flay also owns Mesa Grill, Bar Americain, Bobby Flay Steak, and Bobby Flay's Burger Palace. Did I mention he likes steak?

Even celebrities don't necessary want or need fine dining or a rare-cooked steak--dudes sometimes just want a sandwich. And if that's the case, Jeff Mauro is your guy. Mauro won season seven of the 'The Next Food Network Star' based on his undying passion for sammies. His show 'Sandwich King' on Food Network is all about making kick ass sandwiches. Who wouldn't want a friend like that?

Like Bourdain, Adam Richman is livin' the dream. For four seasons, Richman was paid to travel around the country, in pursuit of the most outrageous food-related competitions--and then try to best them. Richman was forced to retire 'Man vs. Food' due to health concerns, but hey, how many fifteen pound pastrami sandwiches or 100 yard pizzas does one man really need to eat to prove himself?

David Chang is a food genius. He took ramen, a cheap, typical Japanese dish, and turned it into a restaurant dynasty. Chang's first restaurant, Momofuku Noodle Bar, took off almost immediately when he opened it in 2004. Since then, Chang has broken ribbon on eleven other restaurants in the same vein, including Milk Bar, which have five locations in New York City. Despite his success, Chang admits that he'd rather eat fast food than anything else.

Sometimes you don't always know food is your true calling. For Brad Farmerie, the executive chef of PUBLIC restaurant, it didn't come right away. Farmerie went to Penn State to get a degree in mechanical engineering, but dropped out when he realized cooking was his real passion. The Michelin star chef traveled the world to expand his pallet and knowledge, and opened the popular, sexy SoHo restaurant with a menu inspired by his travels.

It must feel pretty cool to operate one of the most popular restaurants in both San Francisco and New York City. Bowien started Mission Chinese Food in SF back in 2011, but the re-invented chinese sit-down was so roaringly popular, that the South Korean chef was practically begged to open shop in NYC too. Due to his killer dishes and success, Bowien was awarded with the prestigious--and very coveted--James Beard award for "Rising Star Chef" in May 2013.

Unlike anyone else on this list, Jason Wang is easily the least well known. He doesn't operate a lavish restaurant, doesn't have a cable television show, and as of yet, hasn't taken home a prestigious chef award. That said, almost everyone on this list has their picture taken with Wang, and taped to the walls of Xi'an Famous Foods, Wang's hole-in-the-wall Chinese shop located in the East Village, Chinatown, Flushing, and now Midtown West and Williamsburg. Wang and his father arguably produce the best traditional--and shocking inexpensive--Chinese noodle dishes in New York City.

Chris Cosentino is arguably the most adventurous chef in the world. Unlike most cooks, who define "meat" as the prime cuts, Cosentino prefers to handle the other stuff. What "other stuff," might you ask? We're talkin' the heart, liver, lungs, tails, feet, head, brains, and tongue. His breadth of cooking knowledge really knocks most other chefs out of the park. Plus, if you're seeking someone's advice on food, wouldn't you want them to know what cow testicles tastes like first?