The celebrity chef also dished on having a lot on his plate in and out of the kitchen.
One of the big reasons why Bobby Flay's considered a great entertainer is that he's got the hostess with the mostest by his side, his girlfriend Christina Perez.
While giving ET's Cassie DiLaura a tour of the Food Network's new test kitchen smack in the middle of Manhattan, the 57-year-old celebrity chef opened up about having his hands full in and out of the kitchen this holiday season. Luckily for him, Flay's got the perfect partner to keep things joyous amid all the required preparation.
"First of all, she makes the plates look absolutely beautiful," he tells ET. "She's really into making sure that the tablescape is gorgeous and that the house looks festive and beautiful."
Flay, who went public with his romance in November 2021 at the Breeders' Cup where his horse, Pizza Bianca, won the Juvenile Fillies Turf, said he and Perez have done a fantastic job splitting the duties evenly to make it all sing.
"It's a 50-50 job for sure," he says. "I take care of the food and Christina takes care of making everything look amazing."
Back in August, Flay gushed about Perez when she spoke to ET's Rachel Smith as he and his daughter, Sophie Flay, dished about their Food Network series, Bobby and Sophie on the Coast.
"I'm a very, very lucky person," Flay said. "Christina, she's just a light in my life. She's so sweet. She's so smart. She just enhances everything that I'm able to participate in with her. I mean, she's fantastic."
As for who takes care of the cleaning after everyone's long gone, that's a whole other matter.
"I'm definitely not doing it," Flay quipped. "I"m too tired at that point. I wake up the very next morning and I have dishes and pots and pans everywhere. I can never get my island to be clean. Like, there's always streaks of olive oil or something from the night before."
Flay's one caveat when he hosts a dinner gathering? Dessert or wine's on you!
"When I'm cooking for the holidays I don't make dessert and I don't get wine, so if you're a guest you get asked to either bring a white bottle or a bottle of red or a certain dessert," he says. "It might be a fruit dessert or might be a pumpkin pie, whatever it is, I just cook all the savory food."
In addition to playing host for the holidays, Flay's busting up a sweat as host of Beat Bobby Flay (Holiday Throwdown), airing now on Food Network. He also plays a tough food critic in the new holiday movie, One Delicious Christmas, streaming now on Discovery +. The film also stars Vanessa Marano and Alex Mallari Jr.
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