Alton Brown

Alton Brown

Alton Brown (Alton Crawford Brown Jr.) was born on July 30th, 1962 and is currently 63 years old. Alton Brown was born in Los Angeles, California, USA. Brown attended the University of Georgia and the New England Culinary Institute.

Alton Brown is an American food show presenter, TV personality, cinematographer, voice actor, food scientist, and author. He created and hosted Good Eats, the Food Network television show, and was the main commentator and host of Iron Chef America and Feasting on Asphalt.

His first job as an adult was working in music videos and commercials as a director and cinematographer. He shot a video for R.E.M., the Athens-based band, and worked on Spike Lee’s School Daze as a camera operator.

During this time, Alton Brown loved to watch cooking shows but never liked their format and content. There was a dearth in the market, and it was this that made him start thinking of making his show. He intended to make a show that would be more compelling and informative.

In 1997, the Brown family moved to Atlanta, where they penned and shot two of the first episodes of Good Eats. It was a very different type of show compared to traditional cooking shows. It combined cooking instruction with humorous skits and discussions on the chemistry of cooking.

The Food Network purchased the show in 1998 and aired the first episode in 1999. In 2005, he was hired to commentate on Iron Chef America, the Food Network series. In 2006, he starred in Feasting on Asphalt, the documentary miniseries in which he traveled across the U.S. looking for local food and history.

Brown frequently contributes to magazines such as Men’s Health and Bon Appétit. In 2004, he won the Bon Appétit American Food and Entertaining Awards’ Cooking Teacher of the Year. He is also a recipient of the University of Georgia George Foster Peabody Award.

He currently lives with his family in Marietta.

Good Eats: The Early Years is a work that Alton Brown published in 2009. In this work, he combines two volumes that provide insights into his award-winning show Good Eats. From baby back ribs to caramel sauce, every episode is present as you get more than 140 recipes that come with food science, behind-the-scenes photos, and explanations of techniques.

In his second work, Good Eats 2: The Middle Years, Alton Brown covers several seasons as he explores topics such as wheat products, crab, and meat. Yet again, he combines humor with scientific explanations on the chemistry of cooking in addition to cooking tips, trivia, and behind-the-scenes photographs.

Alton Brown’s Good Eats 3: The Later Years covers the latter season of the Good Eats show. It provides an entertaining and detailed look at culinary history, food science, and recipes. But in addition to all that is the signature humor from Brown, who also throws in explanations on why he cooks the way he cooks.

Alton Brown: Awards & Accolades

Brown's book, Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations won the Audie Award, Best Short Stories or Collections, in 2026.

Alton Brown books have also been nominated for multiple awards, Good Eats 3: The Later Years was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Food and Cookbooks, in 2011. EveryDayCook was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Food and Cookbooks, in 2016. Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations was nominated for the Audie Award, Best Narration by the Author, in 2026.

Related Authors

Fans of Alton Brown also enjoy these authors:

1. Dean Koontz, author of the Odd Thomas Series.
2. Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher Series.
3. James Patterson, author of the Alex Cross Series.
4. Jeffery Deaver, author of the Lincoln Rhyme Series.
5. Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.

Alton Brown: F.A.Q