When the Food Network star, 58, could not find a reservation with his girlfriendChristina Pérez, 42, at iconic New York City restaurant Carbone, he brought the Italian hot spot to her, sharing their cooking date in a newTikTok video.
“On the recipe on the jar, there’s no Parmigiano Reggiano cheese,” Flay told Pérez, who sounded surprised: “What?”
“So, like every recipe, you can make it your own,” he continued. “So, I’m going to add just a little Parmigiano Reggiano. I just can’t help myself.”
As he grated the cheese onto the pasta, Flay joked that he’s the “guy” (the waiter who grates cheese onto your pasta at Italian restaurants) tonight “because we couldn’t get a table at Carbone.”
“Yeah, you’re the guy. Yum,” Pérez added, as the couple’sPomeranian pup Allspicewatched them from below.
“Alright, babe,” Flay said as he plated up the pasta and added a bit more Parmigiano Reggiano. “Want a little more cheese?” he asked Pérez, who replied, “Obviously.”
“Thank you, honey,” Pérez said, panning the camera down to show off the spicy, rich dish. “Buon appetito. Grazie.”
By the sound of Flay’s caption, there are lots more stay-at-home pasta dates in the couple’s future.
“Thanks [Mario Carbone]… Now Christina and I can have spicy rigatoni vodka from [Carbone] anytime we want,” he wrote.
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Flay and Pérez first went public with their relationship in November 2021 after a year of dating. In May, the chef chatted with PEOPLE — andpraised his girlfriend of nearly three years.
“I’m so proud of her,” he told PEOPLE. “And everybody says she’s just such a great writer and has such a soothing touch with her pen. She’s a special lady.”
The Food Network star also shared that Pérez helped him put together his vision forhis Las Vegas restaurant, Brasserie B.
“Christina has spectacular style and she’s just one of these people that just gets it. She understands style and class and if something doesn’t seem right to her, she’ll tell me,” he said. “Christina’s definitely one of the first people that gets a peek at anything that I do in terms of a new restaurant, whether it’s the decor, she has a lot to say about that for sure. And of course, the menu. She loves that.”
Pérez has alsoreceived a stamp of approvalfrom her boyfriend’s daughter,Sophie Flay.
“Christina’s so sweet and she’s also a fellow journalist, so it’s really cool to be able to learn from her too,” Sophie, aABC7community journalist, told PEOPLE last August of Pérez, who has written for publications includingGlamourandVogue.
“Her and my dad have such a sweet relationship,” she continued. “It’s been really so lovely having her around.”
Her chef dad chimed in: “They’re friends, which is really great. And I always feel like Christina can be somebody that Sophie can talk to about anything. It’s really nice.”
source: people.com
