NEED TO KNOW
Bobby Flay and Brooke Williamson have a working relationship that began long before the pair began dating this year.
The chefs both appear on the new season of BBQ Brawl — Flay as a team captain and Williamson as a judge — and the Beat Bobby Flay star weighed in on what it’s been like taking their relationship from professional to personal.
“Well, first of all, I’ve been friends with Brooke forever,” he tells PEOPLE. “I mean, she and I have been friends for a long time and so we shot this show before we started actually officially dating. So it has always kind of been the same for me.”
“She’s been on the show basically since the inception,” he adds of the culinary competition, which premiered in 2019. “So it’s always been fun to kind of have her around because we’ve been friends, but now going forward, it’s a little bit different. So we’ll see what that brings.”
Flay went on to reflect on the two Food Network stars’ similarities.
Courtesy Food Network
“I love working with Brooke,” he says. “We have a lot in common. We’re very lucky. We’re both chefs. We both have kids. We’re both parents.”
Williamson has a son, Hudson, from her previous marriage to Nick Roberts, and Flay has a daughter, Sophie Flay, from his marriage to Kate Connelly.
The duo, who went public with their relationship in March, also work together on Bobby’s Triple Threat, and Williamson has competed on Beat Bobby Flay.
“We are both in the restaurant business,” he continues. “We have tons to talk about in terms of the things that we love to do besides just go and have dinner every once in a while. So it’s been really great. And one of the things I really like about being in a relationship with Brooke is that she’s great to bounce things off of. Like we ask each other’s opinion about things that we’re doing food wise or restaurant wise or business wise, all the time. So it’s really nice to have kind of a best friend that you’re dating that can also be helpful answering the questions that you have.”
Courtesy Food Network
Flay also shared plenty of praise for the series’ other judges, Rodney Scott and Carson Kressley.
“Rodney brings those barbecue chops to the table,” he says. “When the contenders or the contestants see him, it’s like they’re in awe of him because of how successful he’s been in the barbecue world. So it’s nice to have his credentials as part of the judging panel.”
Kressley, he adds, is “hysterical and he brings levity to the show.”
“But Carson has great taste, not just in his clothes, but also the way he tastes food,” Flay adds. “I mean, he really knows what he’s talking about. He’s not a professional chef, of course, but he’s that person that really appreciates things that are good and if it’s not, he’ll be able to tell you. Carson has been an amazing piece of the show. I think the Carson dimension is a huge reason why the show is so successful.”
This season saw the addition of new captains Maneet Chauhan and Antonia Lofaso, who bring “serious renewed energy” to the show, Flay says.
“When I asked them to do this, they prepared themselves so incredibly well for so long prior to shooting this,” he recalls. “I mean, they did tons of research. They were practicing, cooking, all this sort of live-fire cooking, and they really brought their own sort of energy and attitude and obviously flavors to it. And I will say that they kept me on my toes the entire time.”
