Rap and food dovetailed even before Biggie Smalls was pining for “a T-bone steak, cheese eggs and Welch’s grape”; the two have since become cultural touchstones. Action Bronson is positioned right where they converge.

Born Ariyan Arslani to an American Jewish mother and an Albanian Muslim father, he grew up in Flushing, Queens, listening to the rapper Nas and watching “Molto Mario.”

He dropped out of high school, sold drugs, did a stint in culinary school and then spent several years working in kitchens throughout the city, including his father’s bar and restaurant in Forest Hills, Queens. For Food Network viewers of his generation, cooking represented not just a way to earn a modest but steady living, but also a potential path to stardom.

“I’d see all these guys with head chef jobs on TV becoming stars,” he said. “I didn’t know it was possible, but I knew I wanted it.”

A late bloomer in the rap game, he was in his mid-20s when he started writing lyrics and recording with his friends at the studio. In 2011, he released his first album, “Dr. Lecter,” under the alias Action Bronson, named in part for the actor Charles Bronson, star of the “Death Wish” movies he watched with his grandfather.

His output has been prolific: two more albums, two EPs, four mixtapes and dozens of guest verses. He has toured with Eminem and collaborated with the Alchemist, a respected producer; his most recent album, “Mr. Wonderful,” debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart. While not quite radio famous, his music is rollicking and distinctive, admired by ever-widening critical circles.

From the beginning, gastronomy figured prominently in his music. His first album included tracks titled “Jerk Chicken,” “Shiraz” and “Brunch.” His lyrics have plenty of rap’s trademark swagger, and his brand of braggadocio is often culinary. Women don’t love him for his Benz, but because they “saw me plate some melon and prosciutt’.” Instead of diamond-encrusted chains, he boasts of “seasonal vegetables lookin’ exceptional.”