Chef Bobby Flay has legions of fans eagerly following his every career move. However, he’s been notoriously tight-lipped about his love life since divorcing his third wife. And why do people even care, you may ask? Well, let’s just say the culinary community is a bit starved for conventionally attractive men.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure that Guy Fieri and Gordon Ramsay hit the spot for some people, but I think others will appreciate a person like Flay — the average height, red-headed chef with a thick New York accent and the heartthrob smile.
So when Flay stepped out at the 2021 Breeders’ Cup with a stunning new girlfriend on his arm, the foodie world went wild trying to figure out who she was. Turns out the mystery woman was Christina Pérez, a 43-year-old writer and editor with an impressive resume.
Pérez hails from the Midwest and studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and liberal arts at The New School, before finding her niche in lifestyle and travel writing. Her bylines have graced the pages of top publications like Vogue, GQ, Condé Nast Traveler, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar. She previously worked as an editor at Glamour, Lucky, and PopSugar.
These days, Pérez focuses on “the intersection of travel, design, style, food, wellbeing and intentional modern living” through her freelance work and the recent launch of her lifestyle newsletter “A Friend Indeed.” The well-traveled writer has an enviable Instagram full of pics from dreamy locales like Italy, the Maldives, and Barbados. She also spent two years as Senior Content and Creative Director for cannabis brand Miss Grass.
It’s no surprise then that the adventurous, health-conscious Pérez has inspired her celebrity chef boyfriend to embrace vegetarian cooking. She’s even teaching the longtime meat master to cut back on animal protein. The doting Flay has also praised her impeccable style, admitting the fashionista has a huge influence on everything from his menu concepts to restaurant decor.
It seems Flay has finally found his perfect partner in crime after a handful of rocky romantic relationships. The twice-divorced chef has been married not once, not twice, but three times before. I guess fourth time’s the charm in Flay’s case.
First was his marriage to fellow chef Debra Ponzek in the early 90s, then to Kate Connelly with whom he shares adult daughter Sophie, and most famously to actress Stephanie March that ended in a messy split in 2015.
Despite his checkered relationship history, Flay appears pretty smitten with Pérez.
“She’s so lovely. 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 Flay
The loved-up couple have fully embraced the jet-setting life, splitting their time between globetrotting to hot spots like Italy’s Amalfi Coast and London, and hosting lavish dinner parties stateside. When they’re not gallivanting across continents, Pérez and Flay cozy up at home, with her flexing her entertaining skills on “the tablescape” while he handles the gourmet grub.
So could wedding bells be ringing for the happy couple anytime soon? When asked about potential marriage plans, Flay joked,
“I’ve done it a lot. I’ve practiced that a lot. For now, I like it exactly the way it is.” Fair enough, my dude.
Bobby Flay
I guess Flay is all “marriaged out” for this lifetime. One thing’s for sure though. This pairing of a celebrity chef and lifestyle influencer is a modern love story made for the Instagram era. We’re all rooting for Bobby and Christina, and can’t wait to see what’s next for these two!
