Food Network’s Tyler Florence Reveals the First Thing He Does When He Gets Home from a Long Trip

The chef and Food Network host is often on the road for his show ‘The Great Food Truck Race’

Tyler Florence is a professional traveler, which makes coming home twice as sweet.

The chef spends a lot of time on the road visiting his various restaurants or shooting The Great Food Truck Race for Food Network. His show, airing its 17th season this summer, follows nine food trucks as they take on new challenges in various cities across the country for a grand prize.

Because he often visits such small towns for it, Florence says returning to San Francisco, where he’s lived since 2007, after each shoot can be challenging.

“I prefer to not get stranded at an airport when I fly, so it becomes a logistical thing where it just makes more sense just to stay on the road,” he told PEOPLE while filming during the South Beach Wine & Food Festival on Friday.

Tyler Florence filming The Great Food Truck Race. COURTESY OF FOOD NETWORK

So naturally, the production crew has become like family. “I’ve been doing it for over a decade, so we’re all great friends,” he says. “I clock out from reality, and I go on this epic road trip with my friends, and we shoot a little TV on the way — that’s the way we see it. It’s just awesome.”

Florence shares two teenage kids, Hayden, 16, and Dorothy, 15, with his wife Tolan Clark. He also has an older son, Miles, 27, from a previous marriage. So what’s the first thing he does when he returns to them?

“Kiss my wife, for sure,” he says. “And dump my clothes out.”

Florence even has a go-to meal his first night home. “I’ll be home on Monday and I bet you my wife is making her famous stroganoff dish. I bet you that’s what I’m having for dinner on Monday,” he says.

Tyler Florence with wife Tolan Clark. TYLER FLORENCE/INSTAGRAM

“My wife is a great cook, she’s an amazing cook,” he adds. “She’s got about maybe 15 dishes under her belt that I think are just spectacular. And she cooks most of the time.”

When his youngest kids are on school breaks, they’ll accompany their dad on work trips. They’ve also appeared on The Great Food Truck Race. When it comes to personal family vacations, you might think the itinerary is low-key — but Florence hasn’t lost his appetite for adventure.

“Unless you’re in my mindset, I’m kind of tough to travel with,” he says with a laugh. “Because my wife is like, ‘We’re going to go to the beach and read a book.” I’m like, ‘Can I go into town and go to the farmer’s market? Can I go to three restaurants today?’ She’s like, ‘Can you just quiet your monkey mind?'”

“I can’t,” he admits, “because I just think life is short, and I just want to eat it all. I just want to eat all of it.”