PHOTO COURTESY OF JEREMY RAYMER

For restaurateur Kelly O’Conner, appearing on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” is a big deal. And now it’s a big mural on the side of her Strip District building.

Kelly O’s Diner on 24th Street is now the Gateway to Flavortown.

Artist Jeremy Raymer spent months on the 1,000-square-foot project that features celebrity chef and Triple-D host Guy Fieri. The spiky-haired foodie is grinning from ear to ear with the Pittsburgh skyline reflected in his wraparound shades.

According to O’Conner, the mural received enthusiastic approval from the star, who featured several local businesses on the long-running series that highlights mom-and-pop eateries across the United States. The Emmy-nominated host has a place of his own — Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar — at Live! Casino in Westmoreland Mall. Perhaps he’ll visit again when O’Conner opens O’Zone Bar & Grill, an upscale sports bar with scratch-made dishes, in Warrendale.

In addition to being a fan of Kelly O’s food, Raymer says he’s watched every episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” “Guy’s Grocery Games” and “Tournament of Champions.” Cooking is one of his passions; so much so that he considered going to culinary school. He ended up earning a biomechanical engineering degree at the University of Pittsburgh.

His latest work came with a side of sentimentality.

It was in that very Strip District parking lot that Raymer got his start in the mural business. He decided to do live painting during a Neighborhood Flea event. The owner of Stack’d was driving by and hired him to put his creative touch on the walls of the Oakland burger joint. He’s been in high demand ever since.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

After a productive 2024 that includes a McKnight Road Batman and Skeletor in a Lawrenceville alleyway, Raymer is gearing up for more projects at Pittsburgh International Airport and Pitt’s Honors Engineering College. He’s planning to paint a historical figure in Uptown and another giant tribute to a horror icon.