Amalfi Las Vegas, Salt Hank's with Jimmy V, Crab Louie with Brooke Williamson

Summary

Bobby on the Beat: “Amalfi Las Vegas, Salt Hank's with Jimmy V, Crab Louie with Brooke Williamson”

Host: Bobby Flay
Guests: Brooke Williamson, Jimmy V
Date: December 1, 2025

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Overview

In this lively and intimate episode, Bobby Flay sits down with his partner and renowned chef Brooke Williamson for a candid conversation about their culinary journeys, evolving relationship, and honest thoughts on food trends, TV cooking competitions, and running restaurants. The episode also features a vibrant on-site review from “America’s food critic” Jimmy V, who braves the line at the viral Salt Hank’s for New York’s most buzzed-about French dip. Throughout, Bobby and Brooke’s banter brings listeners behind the kitchen (and personal life) doors for warmth, wit, and wisdom about the joy—and grind—of the food world.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Brooke Williamson’s Culinary and TV Journey

[00:46 - 06:00]

• Top Chef vs Food Network:

  • Brooke reflects on her two stints as a Top Chef competitor (winning once) and contrasts the intensity of isolation and drama on Top Chef with the different headspace of Food Network competitions.
  • Quote:
    • “Top Chef...they really kind of put you in this bubble...my nerves were at their highest probably in my entire life.” – Brooke [01:30]
  • Bobby shares the difference for him:
    • “I love being able to put on my chef coat, and it’s like my shield from the world.” – Bobby [06:07]

• On Cooking and Performing:

  • Brooke admits she feels “terrible stage fright” when performing but finds comfort in cooking—even on camera.
  • “If I am cooking and doing what feels comfortable, I actually don’t even notice the cameras.” – Brooke [01:53]

• Approach to Cooking Challenges:

  • Brooke focuses on what she wants to eat, not just impressing judges:
    • “I don’t think about the judge, really. I think about making good food.” – Brooke [03:20]
  • She visualizes dishes completely before starting, stressing the importance of presentation and seasonality.

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2. Brooke’s Chef Resume and Restaurant Evolution

[04:10 - 06:00]

• Brooke details her ascent from executive chef at Boxer in Los Angeles to multiple restaurant openings—Amuse Cafe, Beechwood, The Triple, Playa Provisions, and more—with a note on her flexibility and focus on seasonal, produce-driven menus.
• Quote:
  • “The menu at Playa Provisions is forever changing because...it’s really apparent what season it is with produce. That’s kind of how my brain works.” – Brooke [09:30]

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3. Inside Bobby’s Amalfi: Menu Development

[06:38 - 08:32]

• Bobby gives a mouth-watering, behind-the-scenes walk-through of five Amalfi Las Vegas dishes:

  • Casa Franco & arugula salad (prosecco vinegar-honey dressing)
  • Mezze rigatone with tomato cream, sausage, Calabrian chile
  • Roasted baby eggplant with mascarpone, ricotta, oregano pesto
  • Delicata squash with roasted skin, brown butter, pine nuts, fried sage
  • Pumpkin agnolotti with ricotta, pumpkin puree, brown butter, pine nuts, sage

• Quote:

  • “Once I’m standing at the stove, I feel like in a sporting event.” – Bobby [09:00]

• Brooke appreciates the way Bobby comes alive when talking about food:

  • “You have that energy at home, at events—you come alive just talking about food.” – Brooke [09:04]

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4. Classic Meets Modern: Bobby’s Crab Louie for Brooke

[10:21 - 12:35]

• Bobby crafts a “dressed up” Crab Louie salad for Brooke, honoring her love of old-school classics. His version features Dungeness crab, a homemade Thousand Island dressing, and a high-low lettuce mix:
  • “Just let it kind of like fall from the clouds.” – Bobby [11:13]
  • Brooke gives her approval, praising the texture, crunchy iceberg, and mustardy dressing:
    • “This is a dream come true salad.” – Brooke [12:30]

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5. Their Relationship: Origin Story and Setting the Record Straight

[12:37 - 19:14]

• First Meeting:

  • They reminisce about judging together on "Supermarket Stakeout," initial impressions, and their shared food instincts.
  • “When you’re on the same page with somebody, it feels like an instant connection.” – Brooke [15:05]

• Slow-Burning Romance:

  • Bobby describes how friendship blossomed into love:
    • “I got to know you really well as a friend, first and foremost. And then...it very slowly, very slowly started to develop.” – Bobby [17:45]

• On Commitment:

  • Bobby gifted Brooke a diamond ring, clarifying rumors:
    • “We’re not engaged, but we’re committed. Is that fair?” – Bobby [19:14]
  • Brooke: “That was really sweet. And yes.” [19:14]

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6. The Power of Food, Travel, and Learning Together

[19:44 - 20:28]

• Bobby and Brooke discuss their ongoing curiosity, love for travel, and how food continues to bond them:
  • “I’m enjoying my food...as it pertains to you. I love talking about food with you, going to eat with you, cooking with you. I learn from you all the time.” – Bobby [19:57]

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7. Introducing Jimmy V: America’s Food Critic at Salt Hank’s

[20:32 - 24:14]

• Bobby sets up Jimmy V’s segment as a new recurring feature:

  • “He’s the everyman when it comes to food...He’s not going to like every single thing.” – Bobby [21:11]

• Salt Hank’s Review: [21:17 - 24:14]

  • Jimmy delivers an exuberant, honest review of the viral French dip:
    • “The jus is crazy good...the bread is crunchy. I understand why people wait in line...drop the effing mic, this is great!” – Jimmy V [22:29]
    • “No joke—every single thing...is excellent. You’re throwing darts at the bullseye.” – Jimmy V [23:06]
    • “It’s addictive. You dunk, you eat, you dunk, you eat. It’s crazy.” – Jimmy V [23:55]
  • Interview with Salt Hanks’ owner on the impulsive beginnings of the shop.

• Bobby and Brooke affirm the hype, with Brooke suggesting she only wanted more horseradish but agreeing on “top notch” quality.

  • “When you have that much volume, sometimes quality’s hard to keep up with. I felt like the quality was really top notch.” – Brooke [25:05]

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8. Social Media, Virality, and Changing the Chef Game

[25:41 - 26:21]

• Discussion on the shift from getting discovered by networks to building followings through social media:
  • “He didn’t grow up in the generation of ‘hopefully a network will see me and put me on TV.’ He did it himself...He delivers.” – Bobby [25:41]
  • “There’s something to be said for social media...where you make people crave it and that’s all they can think about.” – Brooke [26:04]

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9. Personal Touches and Preview of “Date Night with Brooke”

[26:35 - 28:27]

• Bobby proposes a new feature: “Date Night with Brooke,” inviting cameras into their personal adventures—be it cooking, travel, or dance classes.

  • Brooke is enthusiastic:
    • “People don’t actually see what happens in your personal life. I think we have a lot of fun together, and I'd love to show people what we do.” – Brooke [27:34]

• Brooke plugs her Instagram and restaurant, along with upcoming seasons of “Barbecue Brawl” and “Triple Threat.”

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Memorable Quotes

• “I have terrible stage fright...but if I am cooking and I’m doing what feels comfortable to me, I don’t even notice the cameras.” – Brooke Williamson [01:53]
• “I don’t think you can just sort of step onto TV and expect to be respected in that realm unless you’ve been through it.” – Brooke Williamson [05:46]
• “Restaurants really kind of is the place where I feel like it saved my life in many ways.” – Bobby Flay [06:07]
• “You have that energy at home, at events—you come alive even just talking about food.” – Brooke Williamson [09:04]
• “This is a dream come true salad.” – Brooke Williamson [12:30]
• “You and I have had this conversation, like, marriage is not a thing that interests us...we’re life partners, that’s the most important thing.” – Bobby Flay [18:27]
• “No joke—every single thing from the bread to the onions to the cheese to the jus to these little crispy bits. Everything is excellent.” – Jimmy V [23:06]

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Notable Moments with Timestamps

• Brooke describes Top Chef’s isolating pressure [01:30]
• Bobby explains his “chef coat as shield” [06:07]
• Brooke talks about seasonal creativity at Playa Provisions [09:30]
• Bobby prepares Crab Louie, with playful “fell from the clouds” lettuce [11:13]
• Brooke recalls the first meeting and “instant connection” with Bobby [15:05]
• Bobby gives Brooke a diamond ring—commitment, not engagement [18:19]
• Jimmy V’s ecstatic review of Salt Hank’s viral French dip [22:29, 23:55]
• Brooke advocates for honest depiction of their off-camera fun, introducing date night segment [27:34]

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Summary

This episode is a delicious, heartwarming mix of chef talk, relationship realness, and viral food culture. From behind-the-scenes menu development at Amalfi Las Vegas and spirited debates on food TV, to laughter-filled recollections of romance and honest food reviews, Bobby and Brooke serve up both inspiration and intimacy. The addition of everyman food critic Jimmy V brings a fresh voice, while the couple’s plans to share more of their off-screen life hint at a new chapter for the show.

If you love chefs who keep it real, food that’s craveable, and a glimpse into what makes culinary power couples tick, this episode is for you.

Transcript

[Bobby Flay]

When did you first have a crush on me?

[Brooke Williamson]

That's why it's nice having me around.

[Bobby Flay]

Well, one of the reasons for.

[Brooke Williamson]

Sure. Yeah. I'll give you that perspective from the other side. Okay.

[Bobby Flay]

Are you blushing? You covered all the things I wanted to cover it. No, it's short. It's sweet.

[Narrator]

Bobby on the Beat.

[Bobby Flay]

Hey, everybody. Welcome to Bobby on the Beat. This is our second episode, a very, very exciting episode. We are going to be talking to Brooke Williamson, an amazing chef, amazing person. Also happens to be my girlfriend, life partner, something along those lines. We want to get a little sense of, of who Brooke really is. I can't wait. All right, Brooke, so here's a question I've always actually wanted to ask you. And I think we've kind of touched on it before a little bit. Which is Top Chef, right?

[Brooke Williamson]

Yeah.

[Bobby Flay]

Top Chef has been a very, very popular show for a long time. You did it twice as a competitor. One time you actually won the entire thing. What's the difference between Top Chef and cooking on Food Network?

[Brooke Williamson]

Top Chef versus the shows that I've done on Food Network specifically. Obviously competition shows, right? Um, they, they're completely different beasts, right? Top Chef, you live in a house with all the contestants. It's almost like they take you out of your real life and put you into this mind screwing scenario where the only thing that matters is winning. And I'm not saying that I don't feel that way about the other competition shows. Um, but. But I am in a very different head space when I compete on Food Network.

[Bobby Flay]

Was Top Chef more sort of dramatic in a sense? Did it have more reality to it?

[Brooke Williamson]

Oh, for sure. You know, we didn't have any contact with the outside world. We didn't have phones, we didn't have Internet. I mean, they really kind of put you in this bubble. Yeah, it was actually really my first experience with being on TV at all. You know, my nerves were at their highest probably in my entire life.

[Bobby Flay]

Do you like the TV part of it? Been a very accomplished, you know, chef and cook. Like, obviously that's important to you, but what about the TV part?

[Brooke Williamson]

When I'm cooking, I'm doing what I inherently do, so it doesn't feel like I'm performing. I actually have, you know, this about me. I have terrible stage fright. I'm terrified of getting up in front of a crowd and speaking and performing. I have since found that if I am cooking and I'm doing what feels comfortable to me, I actually don't even notice the cameras. Yeah, that's Very different than, say, doing, like, a live TV segment. Live news still terrifies me.

[Bobby Flay]

Okay, so let's talk about triple threat, because obviously, that's the show that. That you do that's most important to me, because I picked you.

[Brooke Williamson]

I love this subject.

[Bobby Flay]

Yeah, you do love this subject.

[Brooke Williamson]

I do. I love this show.

[Bobby Flay]

Okay.

[Brooke Williamson]

I really do.

[Bobby Flay]

Well, I love the show too, because it shows how good of chefs and cooks that you guys are. But I will say that I get to see the behind the scenes of when you guys are given the ingredients and you're given the competitor, and you.

[Brooke Williamson]

Get to see us at our craziest.

[Bobby Flay]

I do get to see you at your craziest. I've had to pick you up off the floor a few times. It's okay. So when you see, like, eggs and bacon, like, what. Like, what happens to your head? Where do you go?

[Brooke Williamson]

I mean, I think my. My head first goes to, like, how do I want to eat eggs and bacon together?

[Bobby Flay]

You think about how you're going to eat it.

[Brooke Williamson]

I mean, that's the first thing that comes to my head is, like, what can I do with these? That sound delicious.

[Bobby Flay]

That's interesting because, I mean, like, you take that for granted because that's the way you think about it. But, like, I might think to myself, what is it? How am I going to impress this judge?

[Brooke Williamson]

I don't think about the judge, really. I think about making good food.

[Bobby Flay]

Yeah, no, you do a great job. Do you have a checklist in your head in terms of, like, colors and textures and flavors?

[Brooke Williamson]

You got to think about all of those things at once. I also think about presentation sort of at the forefront. I need to visualize a dish completed before I start it for it to really make sense in my head.

[Bobby Flay]

How old were you when you first started cooking professionally?

[Brooke Williamson]

Professionally? 17.

[Bobby Flay]

17.

[Brooke Williamson]

So 16. 17.

[Bobby Flay]

So college wasn't a thing.

[Brooke Williamson]

College became a thing because I felt like I didn't have enough of a direction to explain it to my parents. So I went to one year of University of Colorado.

[Bobby Flay]

But you got through high school.

[Brooke Williamson]

I got through high school.

[Bobby Flay]

You beat me by. By two years. Exactly. Congratulations.

[Brooke Williamson]

I always knew what I wanted to do, so. So I felt like I was wasting time by going to college.

[Bobby Flay]

I want you to list for me all the restaurants that you have owned and been the chef of, et cetera.

[Brooke Williamson]

Well, my first executive chef position was at a place called Boxer in Los Angeles. And then I moved to a place in Brentwood called Zach's, where I was the executive chef there. I left There and started a catering company with. With my ex husband, Nick sort of exploded and. And we looked for a catering kitchen and sort of stumbled upon a location that would have been a great restaurant. So we opened our first restaurant. It was called Amuse Cafe in Venice. And then we opened Beechwood, also in Venice. And then I think that's when I did Top Chef. That opened a sort of a door of enormous possibilities. We then opened a place called the Triple in Playa del Rey and then took over this space in Playa del Rey, which is still there. Playa Provisions. Yeah. Which is 8,000 square feet. And I never would have been able to sort of have the guts to do that unless I knew that we would have the business and we had the business.

[Bobby Flay]

I mean, you're a young person, and that's still a very thick resume. I mean, I'm not finished.

[Brooke Williamson]

Oh, we open.

[Bobby Flay]

Sorry.

[Brooke Williamson]

Then we opened a Hawaiian, like, poke restaurant, as people do. Yeah. In Playa Vista, which actually is still one of my favorites.

[Bobby Flay]

I know you miss that one.

[Brooke Williamson]

I really miss that one.

[Bobby Flay]

Yeah.

[Brooke Williamson]

And then we open an ice cream shop. I think that's it.

[Bobby Flay]

I think, like, when people see chefs on television, they don't realize often what the background is. And I think that your actual, like, chef resume is very, very, very thick.

[Brooke Williamson]

Well, I think that's important to sort of legitimize my TV presence. I need to have something to back that up. And I don't think you can just sort of step onto TV and expect to be respected in that realm unless you've sort of been through it.

[Bobby Flay]

Yeah. I mean, I get asked all the time, what is my favorite thing that I do in my work life in terms of food? Is it television? Is it the restaurants? Is it writing cookbooks? This and that? For me, it's the restaurants. It always has been. I love being able to put on my chef coat, and it's like my shield from the world. Restaurants really kind of is the place where I feel like it saved my life in many ways. And to this day, even though I do a lot of other things, the restaurants are still the most important thing to me. And so I'm going to show you a little behind the scenes of how I change dishes in my restaurant in Malfi. I want you to watch this, and then I'm curious as to how you go about it.

[Narrator]

Bobby on the beat.

[Bobby Flay]

What's up, guys? Just five dishes to kind of go over with you, some changes, and then a couple of details in terms of the men menu itself. Salad is The Casa Franco and arugula salad. It's very, very powerful. Delicious. It has a lot of character to it. It's hard to get. It's hard to source. The dressing is made with prosecco vinegar and honey. This is a new pasta. So this is mezze rigatone, which means half rigatoni. So it's a smaller rigatoni. We make it here, obviously extruding it. So it's basically tomato sauce with a little bit of cream, some Calabrian chile in there as well. So it's a tiny bit spicy. And then Italian sausage, like sweet Italian sausage. You'll get that sort of Italian sausage flavor in there running through it. And then some fried parsley on top. Can anybody tell me what the vodka does? Very hot flavor.

[Brooke Williamson]

Correct.

[Bobby Flay]

It emulsifies the cream and tomato together. You won't taste it. The roasted eggplant is a whole baby eggplant. After we roast it whole, we slice it, we open it up, we cut up the eggplant, almost like creamy smaller pieces. Then there's a mixture of mascarpone cheese, ricotta cheese, and parmigiano Reggiano. It's kind of mixed in with the eggplant. And then there's oregano pesto on top. It also has it's fresh oregano and also fresh parsley. And then the idea is to take the crostini and slather it on top of the toast. It's great for the table. And then the delicata squash. This is a beautiful squash dish. We take the squash and we slice it raw and then roast it in the oven into those pieces. Still has the skin on. The skin on is very edible. Let's. This is the pumpkin angerotti. Inside it has ricotta and pumpkin puree, Roasted pumpkin puree with those pumpkin spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice. There's some honey in there as well. Then it's wrapped in the fresh pasta. Of course, the simplest, most delicious sauce in the world. Brown butter, toasted pine nuts, and some fried sage. If you'll notice, zucchini is off the menu. Bring it back when it gets a little warmer. This feels very summery to me, and. And this feels very fall and winter. Thank you. Have a good night.

[Narrator]

Bobby on the beat.

[Brooke Williamson]

I have so much to say.

[Bobby Flay]

Well, I'm sure you do. I mean, and.

[Brooke Williamson]

And.

[Bobby Flay]

And I think that chefs approach this kind of thing very differently. I just. When I am talking to the staff about the food, first of all, I cook it for them, and I make them taste it. Of course, But I give them only a handful of things to think about. I don't tell them every single ingredient in a dish because they'll lose it. It doesn't. Yeah, it really doesn't matter. What I'm doing is giving them the salesmanship for the table. Once I'm standing at the stove, I feel like in a sporting event, you.

[Brooke Williamson]

Also have that energy at the stove. Regardless of where you are, you have that energy at home. You have that energy, like at events you really like. You come alive even just talking about food. And you're that way sort of across the board, which is really inspiring and lovely to see.

[Bobby Flay]

Does that turn you on? Just kidding.

[Brooke Williamson]

Are you.

[Bobby Flay]

So, so how do you do this?

[Brooke Williamson]

The menu, apply provisions is forever changing because it's a, you know, we're in Los Angeles. The seasons, they don't, they don't scream at you from a seasonal sense, weather wise. Right. But it's really apparent what season it is with produce. And that's kind of how my, my brain works. Anyway, I build dishes based upon the produce that's in season.

[Bobby Flay]

I have to say, like, when I see you do something that you're inspired by, by something that I cook or, or taught you or something like that, it, like, it. It is so unbelievably nice. And like, it's like, it kind of pulls at my heartstrings when I see that. Because as you know how important food is to me and how important you are to me, like, when I see those things kind of mesh together, it's, it's, it's quite something.

[Brooke Williamson]

I'm speechless.

[Bobby Flay]

Yeah. Anyway, I made you a dish.

[Brooke Williamson]

You did.

[Bobby Flay]

In getting to know you a little bit better over the last few years, one of the things I really love about you is you understand food trends really well. And so you're always on the sort of on the tippity top of that. But also, you love old school stuff.

[Brooke Williamson]

I do.

[Bobby Flay]

And one of the things you love is a crab Louis salad, which is literally like the classic.

[Brooke Williamson]

Give me a classic.

[Bobby Flay]

So I made you like a little kind of dressed up version of it, and I'm going to show you how I made it.

[Narrator]

Bobby on the beat.

[Bobby Flay]

Crab Louis. Something old that's new again. Let's start. We're gonna start off by making the dressing kind of like homemade Thousand island kind of mayonnaise, ketchup, cornichons, a little lemon juice, salt and pepper, finished with some avocado oil. Put that on the side. Then we're gonna slice up some avocados. Some cherry tomatoes, and let's get some fresh chives in there as well. We got some hard boiled eggs. Let's make this salad, slather that thousand island dressing on the bottom of the plate platter. Then we're going to put the greens on top. We have some Casa Franco and some iceberg. So we got the high, low lettuce with some red endive and some yellow endive. Put that on top of the dressing. Just let it kind of like fall from the clouds. And we're going to put the avocados, the eggs, and the tomatoes down. A little bit of dressing right on top of the greens. And then that beautiful Dungeness crab from the west coast because it's Brook's favorite. And then we're going to mix up this salad, but not for this video.

[Narrator]

Bobby on the beat.

[Bobby Flay]

How is.

[Brooke Williamson]

Was real good.

[Bobby Flay]

I want to give a shout out to iceberg let. Iceberg lettuce has really taken a beating over the last few decades. But there's something about iceberg that to me is very satisfying.

[Brooke Williamson]

This high, low lettuce situation that also, you said fell from the clouds, Right? And like, you need some height. Yeah, that's. That's. That was kind of cheffy of you, but, like, in a really cute way. Shout out to Iceberg because iceberg gives you all of that satisfying crunch, gives you the flavor of this yummy dressing. I love a thousand island slash Russian dressing. I love that you left the cornichon sort of big and chunky, and so you get those bites of pickle in there. But I also love Castle Franco. And you want to slather a salad like this with the dressing, because it's about the dressing and it's about the crab. And this is. This is a dream come true salad.

[Bobby Flay]

Oh, I love that. So it's satisfying.

[Brooke Williamson]

It's so satisfying.

[Bobby Flay]

Enough about the crab salad.

[Brooke Williamson]

Enough about the crab.

[Bobby Flay]

When did you first have a crush on me?

[Brooke Williamson]

When did I first have a. You want it? Are you okay? No.

[Bobby Flay]

I want to know when. When was the first moment?

[Brooke Williamson]

I can't do this. I'm tapping out, guys.

[Bobby Flay]

Okay, fine. You don't have to answer the question. When I first met you was on the set of one of Alex Guana Shelli's shows. Supermarket stakeout.

[Brooke Williamson]

Is it hot in here?

[Bobby Flay]

Yes. We're turning up the heat.

[Brooke Williamson]

Okay. We were in the middle of Arizona.

[Bobby Flay]

In a supermarket parking lot. We were both asked to judge an episode, and we didn't know each other.

[Brooke Williamson]

No.

[Bobby Flay]

I didn't even know who was who else was going to be there? I remember I had a blazer on. I was trying to just be judge.

[Brooke Williamson]

Like, official.

[Bobby Flay]

Exactly. They were like, oh, Brooke Williamson. And I was like, I didn't really know exactly who you were. I had. I had heard your name. But to be frank, I was not. I was never a Top Chef watcher. We sat down, and you spend the whole day together when you're judging a show like that. Some of these shows go on for hours and hours and hours and hours, and so there's a lot of downtime. And so I got to talk to you, and I was really impressed by you. Like, I was impressed by your food knowledge. I was impressed by your resume. We talked about your son and your family life and stuff like that. And I was like, it's always nice to meet somebody new. And you're, like, surprised that, like, you have a. Some kind of connection with them in some. In some way.

[Brooke Williamson]

Yeah. I'll give you that perspective from the other side. I showed up in Arizona. I didn't really know much about the show. I had already won Tournament of Champions, and I think the network kind of wanted to show my face a lot more. And I showed up to set, and.

[Bobby Flay]

I thought you were one of the Housewives.

[Brooke Williamson]

Oh, thanks. And I showed up to set. I walked up to my trailer, and my trailer said BW on the outside, and the trailer next to mine said bf. And then one of the producers came in to give me a briefing of what was about to happen. And I was like, who's the other judge with me? And they were like, oh, it's Bobby Flay. And quite honestly, I watched you on TV many, many, many years ago, but I kind of hadn't paid a lot of attention to you over. Over the years. No offense.

[Bobby Flay]

How dare you?

[Brooke Williamson]

So I didn't really know that much about you. I didn't know anything, like, sort of historically about you. And we met. I was like, oh, that's kind of a big deal, right? And we. They put us in a car to get us to set together. And I was in the front seat. You got in the back seat. And you were like, you're like, you won Tournament of Champions, right? I was like, yeah. And we chatted for a minute.

[Bobby Flay]

I must have googled you.

[Brooke Williamson]

You, I think you were currently Googling me. We just reading and we. We spent the day together. And I kind of didn't expect a lot out of you. I knew you were, you know, had been around for a long time, and. And you were a known name around the block. Been around the block a few times, but I didn't kind of didn't expect you to pay a lot of attention to me. And, um, you really, you. You gave me so much sort of feedback to work with. And I felt like as we were talking about what we were eating and we were judging food together, I felt like we were really aligned on. On what we liked and didn't like about the dishes, which seems like a small thing, but when you recognize little things about something that you kind of don't expect other people to recognize and you're on the same page with somebody, it feels like an. Sort of an instant connection. And then we went and had dinner and. And you were so easy to talk to and so easy to get to know and. And then I didn't see you for a year.

[Bobby Flay]

No. Well, because then Covet hit.

[Brooke Williamson]

Yeah.

[Bobby Flay]

And then we didn't really talk to each other or anything.

[Brooke Williamson]

And then I remember so very specifically.

[Bobby Flay]

Can't wait to hear this.

[Brooke Williamson]

I wrote an op ed for the LA Times. That's right. About the restaurant industry during COVID And I remember I was standing on the patio of my restaurant and you FaceTimed me out of nowhere. I hadn't spoken to you in like a year. And that's how you called to tell me that you really respected what I wrote. And you, you read my article and you thought I did a great job at representing the industry from. With my voice and. But you FaceTime me for that. And I remember I, like, sat down. I was like, what? And I really, really appreciated that call that you acknowledged that.

[Bobby Flay]

All right, well, let's fast forward to today.

[Brooke Williamson]

Okay.

[Bobby Flay]

Nobody knows. Needs to know every single detail. But the bottom line is that we're now together, which we kind of talked about back in March, that we decided that we were going to be a couple. You know, it just seemed like the more time that we spent together, things were starting to feel a little bit different between us, which for me personally was the first time. That's really the first time that that's happened in my prior relationships. Usually I met somebody new and then it just turned into a relationship, and then it kind of ran its course one way or the other. But I got to know you really well as a friend, first and foremost. And then it slow. It's sort of very slowly, very slowly started to develop into some other thing. And then at some point, we kind of looked at each other and we're.

[Brooke Williamson]

Like, all right, so what you're saying is this is different.

[Bobby Flay]

It is Very. I feel very different. I mean, and. And, you know, there's all this, like, chatter. I mean, people listen. We live in the social media world where everything is. Everything has a picture attached to it.

[Brooke Williamson]

Right.

[Bobby Flay]

And so there's been all these articles written about, like, are they. Are they engaged now?

[Brooke Williamson]

I hadn't heard.

[Bobby Flay]

Oh, yeah. And. And, and, and look, for me, I think it's important to set the record straight for you because I. I have so much respect for you and I want you to be treated that way. It's really important to me, and I love having you in my life. I did give you a ring.

[Brooke Williamson]

This little thing.

[Bobby Flay]

Yes. And it is a diamond ring. Ladies like diamonds.

[Brooke Williamson]

I mean, it's not. It's not nothing.

[Bobby Flay]

No, no. But it's also. It's. You and I have had this conversation, like, marriage is not a thing that interests us. And it's. Okay. I mean, first of all, I've tried it a few times, and so I'm good where I am now. And I wanted to give that to you because I wanted to show my commitment to you in general. And, like, I told somebody on the Elvis Duran show that it was a friendship ring, and they laughed at me like I was 14 years old.

[Brooke Williamson]

Like, you give these to all your friends.

[Bobby Flay]

Exactly. I mean, we're. We're life partners, like, and that, to me, that's the most important thing. Having you in my life has. Has really been a special thing. I mean, for. For me, for my friends, my family, for all of it. Like, you're. You're spectacular. And so I'm lucky to have you. And so, yeah, we're not engaged, but we're committed. Is that fair?

[Brooke Williamson]

That was really sweet. And yes.

[Bobby Flay]

See, this is the brook I love. It's like, you know, the speechless one.

[Brooke Williamson]

I mean, likewise. Okay, cool.

[Bobby Flay]

I just want to get that out of the way because I think it's always important, especially when there is a narrative that you speak, your own narrative.

[Brooke Williamson]

Like all of those articles, they really have nothing to do with us. Only we know what we have, so it's. That's the most important thing.

[Bobby Flay]

You and I have a lot in common.

[Brooke Williamson]

Yeah. But I also think that you open my eyes to other things every single day. I'm never going to run out of things to talk to you about. Like I said, you have this passion talking about food, but I love that.

[Bobby Flay]

We can talk about food all the time. And we, obviously, we have a lot of other interests as well. We love to travel together and all kinds of things. I'm really enjoying life. I'm enjoying life, but I'm learning. But I'm enjoying my food. Like, my relationship with food as it. As it pertains to you. Like, I love talking about food with you. I love going to eat with you. I love cooking with you. I learn stuff from you all the time. Are you blushing? You covered all the things I wanted to cover it. No, it's short, it's sweet.

[Brooke Williamson]

And is this why you made no notes? About what you were going to talk to me?

[Narrator]

You have no idea.

[Bobby Flay]

My notes are.

[Brooke Williamson]

You don't know me.

[Bobby Flay]

Okay, okay, but listen, this was an important conversation, but we have a way more important one. We're going to introduce to the world America's food critic. You know him, Jimmy V. Jimmy is.

[Brooke Williamson]

One of my favorite people on earth. He's inherently hysterically funny and thoughtful and knowledgeable about food, but not from a chef's perspective.

[Bobby Flay]

He knows what he's talking about. That's number one. He's not a professional chef, but, like, I think he misses calling. Like, I've been cooking with Jimmy for. For years, and he always helps out, and he's good. Jimmy has agreed to go to some viral places and. And be the. Be the critic. He's the. He's the everyman when it comes to food. So let's see how he does.

[Brooke Williamson]

I can't wait to see this.

[Narrator]

Bobby on the Beat.

[Jimmy V]

Jimmy V. America's food critic. I'm really excited to be going to Saltanks for the first time. Another viral sensation that's famous for the French dip. This has a line around the freaking block, but I'm really, really excited to taste it. It better be good. Come on, let's go. I'm not big into waiting in lines for anything. Candidly, when it's really quality good food, sometimes you have to wait. How many times have you been here?

[Bobby Flay]

This is my first time, actually.

[Jimmy V]

Maiden voyage.

[Bobby Flay]

First time, maiden voyage.

[Jimmy V]

The French dip.

[Bobby Flay]

That's exactly why I'm here.

[Jimmy V]

Okay. Jimmy V. Doesn't wait on lines for anybody.

[Brooke Williamson]

I'm Quinn.

[Jimmy V]

Hi, Quinn.

[Bobby Flay]

Jimmy.

[Brooke Williamson]

Nice to meet you.

[Jimmy V]

Pleasure, Pleasure. The French dip, I guess that's the. The classic, right? First impressions. You see the bread right away. Everybody is cranking at their own stations. They have the meat going. I mean, I'm really, really excited. Wow, look at this. Now. This is exciting. I could tell right now the bread is freaking perfect. Look at this. Oh, the juice is oozing out of this. You can almost hear the crunch. And I have to go in. Sorry. I'M gonna dip and rip. Oh, my God.

[Bobby Flay]

Perfect.

[Jimmy V]

The jus is crazy good. The onions are nice and sweet. The bread is crunchy. I understand why people wait in line to get in here to eat this. It is unbelievable. Going in for another bite naked. Seriously, drop the effing mic. This is great. I was told to be brutally honest about every food that I'm going to be tasting. No joking. Every single thing from the bread to the onions, to the cheese, to the jus, to the. To these little crispy bits. Everything is excellent. I'm just so impressed they thought of every detail. They're just doing a few things, but they're doing every single thing.

[Bobby Flay]

Perfect.

[Jimmy V]

You're throwing darts at the bullseye.

[Salt Hanks Owner]

Congratulations.

[Jimmy V]

This, you could bathe in it. How many of these do you actually eat during the week?

[Salt Hanks Owner]

Every single day.

[Jimmy V]

Every day.

[Salt Hanks Owner]

Yeah, absolutely. It's still my favorite sandwich in the entire world.

[Jimmy V]

So were you in the business at all or. This was like, let me do something crazy and start up a French dip place.

[Salt Hanks Owner]

It was like a one day decision making process of like. My buddy called me, he's like, we have this lease. It's perfect. Build out for a sandwich shop. Do you want to fucking do it? We have one day to decide.

[Jimmy V]

So you had the really intense business instead. Oh, God, fuck it. I'm just gonna do it.

[Salt Hanks Owner]

Thank God it worked out. And I really, I cannot be more grateful for all these beautiful patrons.

[Jimmy V]

It's gotta be mind blowing to me, right?

[Salt Hanks Owner]

It is mind boggling.

[Jimmy V]

Well, good. Pinch yourself.

[Bobby Flay]

It's real.

[Jimmy V]

And congratulations because you deserve it.

[Salt Hanks Owner]

Thank you so much, sir.

[Jimmy V]

No joke coming back into this. That's the best part. It is addictive. You dunk, you eat, you dunk, you eat. It's crazy. It's addictive.

[Bobby Flay]

It's great.

[Jimmy V]

All time, great list. No two ways about it. Sets the bar for a French dip. Jimmy V. America's food critic. See you on the next one.

[Narrator]

Bobby on the Beat.

[Brooke Williamson]

I mean, I was so curious to know what. What he thought of that place.

[Bobby Flay]

So first of all, Salt Hank, Internet sensation, specifically for making sandwiches on social media for sure. And, and so he opened up this place called Salt Hanks on. It's in, it's in New York City on Bleecker Street. And he serves one thing. He serves. He served French dip sandwiches with, with French fries or these like shoestring potatoes. And that's basically the whole story. The line is down the block every single day. We want to send Jimmy into these places that are viral. He's not Going to like every. Every single thing. I can promise you. He's a very opinionated guy. So when he says, this is one of the all time greats, he means it. You and I ate there.

[Brooke Williamson]

Yeah, two months ago. I thought it was fantastic. Also, I was really happy to be eating there with you because I didn't have to wait in line either. We just walked right in.

[Bobby Flay]

What do you mean? We waited online.

[Brooke Williamson]

What is going on here? There's a table, actually. We sat at the table that Jimmy was sitting at. And you could see what was going on in the kitchen. You could see how much food was coming out of that kitchen. And I think that when you have that much volume, sometimes quality is hard to keep up with. And I felt like the quality was really top notch, really satisfying. I could really only eat half. I think you ate the whole thing. I did, but I wanted a little bit more horseradish.

[Bobby Flay]

I hear you.

[Brooke Williamson]

Because I felt like it's rich. It's rich. And that horseradish kind of could cut it a little bit better. But. But otherwise I'm just kind of nitpicking because it was really a satisfying sandwich.

[Bobby Flay]

Oh, yeah, no, it's excellent. And I, and I love people like, like salt. Hank. Young guy became popular on social media, which is where everybody's becoming popular these days. It's like, it's amazing. It's like he didn't grow up in the generation of, like, hopefully a network will see me and put me on tv. He did it himself. He created a buzz around who he was. And. And you know what's great? He delivers.

[Brooke Williamson]

Yeah. And does it so well. And there's something really to be said for social media, sort of getting an idea or pushing a product in a really organic way where you make people crave it and then that's all they can think about. And he's done that so well.

[Bobby Flay]

I think we've given everybody enough.

[Brooke Williamson]

Wait, we're done?

[Bobby Flay]

Yeah, we're done. You like this, don'.

[Brooke Williamson]

I want to keep going. I mean, I mean, I could have another glass of wine. I could sit here all day.

[Bobby Flay]

Exactly. Well, we can do that. We can shut the cameras off and we can have the.

[Brooke Williamson]

We can keep doing this.

[Bobby Flay]

Yes, exactly. Well, thank you for being here and talking to me and being candid and being the sweetest woman in the whole wide world.

[Brooke Williamson]

I mean, or else where else could I possibly want to be? This has been so much fun. I love you to death and thank you for having me.

[Bobby Flay]

And then one of the things that I hope that you'll agree to participate in is. I want to have something called date night with Brooke. It's not always going to be a date, meaning, like, just stuff that we do together as.

[Brooke Williamson]

Can we take more dance classes as a couple?

[Bobby Flay]

Oh, yes, we did do the dance.

[Brooke Williamson]

You.

[Bobby Flay]

One of the things I love about our relationship is that you and I do stuff like that. Like, we set our sights to do things. Like, one of the things we want to do is learn how to speak Italian. It's never probably going to happen. We're going to try.

[Brooke Williamson]

We have to sign up for the app.

[Bobby Flay]

I know, but we have to make. We have to make the effort. We'll just have to go spend a lot more time in Italy.

[Brooke Williamson]

Okay.

[Bobby Flay]

And do. And do.

[Brooke Williamson]

That sounds great.

[Bobby Flay]

And so, yes, we're gonna. We're gonna do it. We're gonna have sort of the date night with Brooke and Bobby kind of thing. It could be anything from actually cooking together, going on a date, going to eat, you know, in a restaurant, maybe going and doing some stuff in New York.

[Brooke Williamson]

A little peek into the personal life. I love that, because also, people don't get much of a peek into your personal life. I feel like you. You've done a really good job of separating your personal. I mean, at least. At least from your perspective.

[Bobby Flay]

Choose your words carefully.

[Brooke Williamson]

People like to talk about your personal life, but people don't actually see what happens in your personal life. And. And I think we have a lot of fun together, and I'd love to show people what we do. Perfect.

[Bobby Flay]

All right, Brooke, so where can people find you? Besides at my house?

[Brooke Williamson]

Sort of. Everything that I want to promote or I'm doing, I promote on my Instagram, which is at ChefbrookW. You know, I've got Playa Provisions and Playa Del Rey. We have an upcoming season of barbecue brawl on the horizon and another season of Triple Threat, which I'm thrilled about.

[Bobby Flay]

So.

[Brooke Williamson]

Good. So lots of places to find me, aside from at your house.

[Bobby Flay]

Awesome. All right, well, thanks for being here. So next week, I'm gonna have Chef Leah Cohen from Pig and Cow, one of my favorite restaurants in New York and actually one of my favorite people. And I'm looking forward to listen to Leah talk about her Southeast Asian upbringing and all her amazing food.

[Brooke Williamson]

And.

[Bobby Flay]

And the one thing about Leah is that whenever she judges me on anything, usually on Beat Bobby Flay, she always says the exact same thing. I need more acid. So I will bring some limes to the party. And don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, Bobby on the Beat podcast, and of course, on Instagram as well. Make sure you subscribe so you know exactly when the next episode is coming up. But I'll get, I'll tell you right now, it's coming up next Monday, every Monday at 8:00 in the morning. It's live. So you can watch us on YouTube, of course, Bobby on the Beat podcast. And if you want to listen to us anywhere, you get your favorite podcast.

[Narrator]

Bobby on the Beat.