Bobby Flay's Daughter Sophie Says It's Been 'So Lovely' Getting to Know His Girlfriend Christina Pérez - PEOPLE

Ana Calderone is the Digital Food Editor for PEOPLE. In her nine years at the brand, she's appeared as a judge on Beat Bobby Flay, traveled on the road with the late Anthony Bourdain, and hosted cooking segments for the Food Network Kitchen app. When she's not leading PEOPLE's coverage of celebrity chefs and food news, she's often baking up cake content on TikTok @ana_calderone.
Bobby Flay couldn't be happier that the two most important women in his life get along.
Bobby, 57, and his daughter Sophie Flay — who teamed up on their new Food Network show Bobby and Sophie on the Coast — spoke to PEOPLE in this week's issue about their bond, and the ones they have with each other's partner.
Bobby first went public with his girlfriend, writer Christina Pérez, in Nov. 2021, and Sophie, 26, an ABC7 community journalist, says it's been "awesome" getting to know her.
"Christina's so sweet and she's also a fellow journalist, so it's really cool to be able to learn from her too," says Sophie of Pérez, 40, who has written for Glamour, Vogue, and Lucky and more. "Her and my dad have such a sweet relationship. It's been really so lovely having her around."
Adds Bobby: "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."
Sophie is in her own serious relationship with entrepreneur Jesse Baer. So does Dad approve?
"He's a very good kid," says Bobby. "I'm not the stereotypical, 'You better take care of my daughter.' She's an adult. I root for the person that she's dating. I want him to succeed in this relationship, for both their sakes."
It doesn't hurt that Baer is "incredibly polite and respectful and really smart," adds Bobby.
Family time for the group includes "lots of food," says Bobby. "And horse racing," adds Sophie.
(Bobby and Pérez made their debut at the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championship at Del Mar Racetrack in California, where Flay's horse Pizza Bianca finished first.)
"We like getting dressed up [for the races]. We like having fun moments, experiences, and that's one of the ways we do it," says Bobby. "And race days always involve dinner after or breakfast before. I love cooking for my friends and my family. It's really the way that I show my adoration to people. It's truly my love language."
While Sophie is "slowly learning" her way around the kitchen, Pérez loves to cook, says Bobby. "She's a very good cook. She cooks healthier than I do. She loves tofu and beans. She cooks lots of vegetables. It's influenced my cooking a lot because she doesn't eat meat. She eats fish. So I cook a lot of vegetables and fish. And she's like, 'My favorite meals are when you make a lot of vegetable and salad dishes.'"
"I'm a really good taste tester," Sophie adds of her own contribution. And she certaintly flexes that skill on Bobby and Sophie on the Coast. For three, one-hour episodes the father-daughter duo visit Los Angeles hot spots like Tartine, Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles, and Bobby's favorite stop on the show: Jitlada.
"The one meal I keep thinking about is Jitlada because Jazz's flavors are so explosive and so incredibly well balanced," he says of chef Jazz Singsanong.
But no matter what they're eating, filming the show "doesn't feel like work," says Sophie. "It just feels like fun."
Bobby and Sophie on the Coast airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Food Network and streaming now on discovery+.
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