Food Network host Bobby Flay spends date night cooking Carbone's Spicy Vodka Pasta with girlfriend Christina Perez

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Bobby Flay understands how to create a good stay-at-home dinner. The Food Network star is dating Christina Perez, a freelance writer who covers travel, design, style, and well-being.

Perez also assists with creative direction, editorial production, and brand ideas for businesses in hospitality, fashion, beauty, and wellness. She also writes and creates A Friend Indeed, a Substack weekly that explores what it genuinely means to live well.

When Faly couldn't get a table at the famed NYC restaurant Carbone, he brought the Italian hotspot to her, documenting their cooking date in a new TikTok video.

The 58-year-old TV personality prepared the Italian meal in Christina's New York City kitchen. Bobby asked her what she "felt like eating" after she informed him she was hungry. "I really want that spicy rigatoni from Carbone [an Italian restaurant in New York]," Christina expressed to Bobby. Bobby then called Carbone's owner, Mario Carbone, and requested that he reserve a table for him and Christina.

Mario couldn't get them in until February 2024. He was able to bring over a couple of jars of spicy vodka sauce from his namesake pasta sauce brand, though, so Bobby could prepare the pasta himself. Bobby made up a pot of rigatoni pasta after the sauce was delivered to Christina's house, showing his wife and viewers how he cooked it step-by-step. "Oh my God, this looks so good," Christina said as Bobby plated their meal.

He sprinkled their pasta with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Bobby's work as one of the world's most recognized chefs keeps him busy, yet he still finds time for his love, Christina. The Food Network celebrity met Christina through mutual acquaintances, and the couple made their romance public in November 2021 after dating secretly for over a year. "She's so lovely." Bobby told PEOPLE in December 2021, "I'm really happy to have met her. My life is so crazy hectic, and she's always the light at the end of the day for me."

Bobby had three prior marriages and has a daughter, Sophie Flay, with his second wife, Kate Connelly, whom he married from 1995 until 1998.

Bobby and Christina have enjoyed many wonderful moments since their relationship began. They've made public appearances and been seen on date evenings, including one in June 2023 when the two went arm-in-arm on their way to a nearby bar.

Early life

Christina is originally from the Midwest and studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, as well as liberal arts at the New School for General Studies.

Career

Christina formerly worked as an editor at PopSugar, Lucky, Glamour, and Vogue, among others. According to her LinkedIn page, she is presently a freelance writer with bylines in Harper's Bazaar, Architectural Digest, GQ, and Condé Nast Traveler.

Her work focuses on "the intersection of travel, design, style, food, wellbeing, and intentional modern living."

Christina was the Senior Director of Content and Creative at Miss Grass, a cannabis lifestyle business that offers "sustainably grown and terpene-rich" THC and CBD products, in addition to her job as a writer and editor. The corporation also attempts to support a variety of causes and frequently contributes a percentage of its profits to charity organizations. After two years at the firm, she stepped down as director in April 2022.

Christina has traveled extensively and has visited several countries and vacation places. Christina was a full-time model before moving into the media profession, and she would travel between Tokyo, Paris, and Milan for work, according to her website. She now chronicles her trips through her writing and on social media.

She and Bobby also regularly travel together. Christina shared images during their vacation to Italy in September 2021, shortly before the couple went public, including a snapshot of her and Bobby eating focaccia sandwiches in Rome.

When they initially started dating, the couple kept their relationship private. Mutual friends acquainted them around a year before they made their public debut at the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Bobby spoke with PEOPLE about his romance with Christina a month later. "We were at an art gallery opening, and I walked over to two friends, and I was like, 'What are you guys talking about?' They were like, 'We're talking about you! It's so nice to see you so happy,'" he remarked.

Why did Bobby Flay lose his Michelin star?

Bobby's Michelin Star was revoked in 2015. Some say that it was because his cuisine did not satisfy Michelin's rigorous standards, while others feel it was due to political motivation. Whatever the cause, it was a big setback for Bobby's career.

Bobby's Michelin Star was stolen in 2009. Because Michelin did not produce a Las Vegas Star Edition in 2010 or 2011, it was unable to recreate it.

Bobby is hardly the only celebrity without a Michelin star. His original Mesa Grill restaurant in Las Vegas gained one Michelin star in 2008, but it was downgraded to two stars in the 2010 Michelin Guide.

What dish is Bobby Flay known for?

Bobby is well-known in the culinary world for his dynamic meals that emphasize grilled everything, particularly meats grilled with glazes, relishes, and spicy sauces, all notably imbued with the flavors and heat of the Southwest.

Is Bobby Flay the richest chef?

Robert William "Bobby" Flay was born on December 10, 1964, in New York City to an affluent upper-class couple. He is of Irish origin and was educated in denominational schools with a Catholic curriculum.

With a net worth of $US60 million, Bobby is tied for ninth place on the list with Ina Garten. The American chef is the owner and executive chef of numerous successful restaurants and franchises, including Amalfi, Bobby's Burgers, and Bobby's Burger Palace.

Are Bobby Flay and Gordon Ramsay friends?

Gordon Ramsay and Bobby's apparent feud became public in 2013 when the chef spoke with Men's Journal. He mentioned Bobby when bragging about his ability to whip up food on the fly.

"That's why I laugh when they say, 'Let's see if he's a real chef. Let's get him up against Bobby Flay on 'Iron Chef.” I'm like, 'F*****g do me a favor ... come on.' I've forgotten more than he's known!" Gordon bragged.

Bobby didn't take more than a day or two to reply to Gordon's tweets. "@gordonramsay01...disappointed but noted. Let's settle this like men, in the kitchen! No words, just knives. Show up or shut up," he wrote. Gordon appeared to embrace the challenge at the moment. "1hr cook off you've got a 45min Head start!!!!! DONE!" he wrote, quoting Bobby's message.

Bobby later told Eater Vegas that his Twitter response to Gordon was "mostly in good fun." "He said something about me in a magazine," he explained. "I thought it was a little bit of a cheap shot." Bobby saw this as a chance to "do something positive" rather than "make something dumb and negative out of this." He proposed organizing a charity event at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, where they both owned restaurants. Gordon, on the other hand, apparently determined at that time that he "wasn't interested," as Bobby added. That wasn't the end of their amicable feud.

During a Vegas Uncork'd event in 2016, the concept of a Gordon and Bobby battle surfaced once more. Gordon stated on Instagram that he has idolized Bobby for years and that they were finally having a charity cook-off. According to Us Weekly, Gordon said, "I do love the guy. I just can't wait to beat his a**." Unfortunately, no face-off occurred at the time, but Bobby addressed it during Uncork'd in 2017. He told FoodBeast, "Only if it's a Pay-Per-View event." Bobby said, "I don't know. Gordon's going to cheat anyway, so it doesn't matter."

Gordon even went live on Facebook from Bobby's Caesars Palace restaurant, indicating that the cook-off was finally happening. Bobby wasn't present, but Gordon had a nice time signing Bobby's cookbook for a friend and hanging out together. Gordon subsequently informed Quora that the war was really in the works. The 'Hell's Kitchen' star allegedly gave Bobby "a ten-minute head start and an extra sous chef," but Bobby's agency allegedly pulled out a day later.

Gordon revealed to Celebrity Page in 2019 that Bobby would be joining him for the premiere of 'Hell's Kitchen' Season 19, which was shot in Las Vegas for the first time. When asked about it, Bobby played along, but the combat never took place.