Hunter Fieri is rolling out on his own.
The eldest son of Guy Fieri, who has appeared on his dad's shows Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Guy's Grocery Games and more, debuted his first solo project late last year. Hunter, 25, traveled to a farm in North Dakota to film a mini-documentery on how ZENB makes their yellow pea pasta for a partnership he has with the plant-based brand.
"It's my first time really going out there by myself and believing in something and getting after it," he tells PEOPLE of the easy-to-watch, 12-minute documentary called "What Plants Can Do."
Guy and Hunter are inseparable on the Food Network star's shows, so naturally, there was some hesitation to go at this alone.
"I was very nervous," Hunter admits. "I didn't know what to look for. I didn't know what to do in the sense of how do I watch over myself while also playing the role of the star of the documentary? But I just took what I learned from my dad and from his manager and from all the friends and mentors that've helped me along the way. And I just remembered what I was taught and I put everything I had forward."
Though they share similar facial hair, the Universy of Nevada, Las Vegas graduate says his dad's biggest piece of advice is "to be myself." He adds: "Always listen, be smart, and apply what you've learned. And he always told me, 'You can't be just Guy Fieri's son. If you really want to take over this world, you got to be Hunter Fieri,' and that's just what I think about."
But being "Guy Fieri's son" has its perks of course, and Hunter doesn't take them for granted.
"I get so many opportunities to learn from other people and I get to experience some amazing places and experiences. I can't complain at all. It is amazing," he says.
Outside of work, the father-son duo are often fishing, hiking or cooking at the family's ranch in Northern California. (His younger brother Ryder, 16, an aspiring NBA player, prefers to bond over sports games.)
"He's a great father," says Hunter. "He's taught me so much and he continues to teach me every day. He doesn't act like a celebrity. He's just a family man."
Hunter plans to take all his dad's lessons and continue growing his solo career. "I really want to start doing my own TV. I want to get into that realm of walking outside of my dad's shadow," he says. "We're working our way towards that. I'm excited that the ball is rolling and it's getting bigger.