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Bobby on the Beat. Hey, everybody. Welcome to Bobby on the Beat. Thank you so much for listening. We're about six or seven weeks into this, and we're having the best time. We're getting such great listenership and viewership. All my co hosts and guests have been amazing. It's been a fun place to kind of have like, a little bit of voice about my personal life, what's going on professionally, this and that. If you noticed on the Golden Globes this past week. First of all, shout out to Nikki Glaser for totally killing it two years in a row. Full disclosure, Nikki and I have been good friends for a long time. I sent her a text. I said, who's going to follow you after this? I mean, she's just been unbelievable as the host the last two years. The Golden Globes. She just kills it. She comes so well prepared. Listen, if you're sitting in the front row of the Golden Globes, you're fair game. And Nikki totally took full advantage of that in the very, very best way. I bring up the Golden Globes because first time ever, they have podcast awards. I have to congratulate Amy Poehler for winning the best podcast of the year. She obviously has gotten such great guests, and it's really nice to see podcasts get, you know, national attention in that way, you know, on one of Hollywood's biggest stages. I thought it was really actually ironic because actually, Nikki brought it up during the Golden Globes, and she was like, you know, welcome to Hollywood, where we haven't shot anything here for the last 10 years. And it's really true. It's like, nothing gets shot in Hollywood anymore anyway. I think California needs to start thinking about that. Bring Hollywood back to where it was so everything doesn't start getting shot everywhere else in the world. It's kind of crazy anyway. That's just my feeling about what's going on out there. A couple of things I want to. I've been thinking about this week. Iceberg lettuce. Like, everybody else has been thinking about iceberg lettuce this week. I just wanted to, like, give a little backup to iceberg, because iceberg is, like. Is always the. The. The lettuce that gets picked over.
B
What are you.
A
What are you looking at me for? Like that?
C
You're like, I want to give a shout out to iceberg lettuce, because I know everyone's been thinking about iceberg lettuce this week.
A
Next time you see iceberg in the store, just, you know, stop by and say hi.
B
It's.
A
It's such a great. It's such a. It's such a great lettuce, man. I mean, seriously, I'm giving it up for iceberg. I'm on the iceberg committee. My co host today is the incomparable Brooke Williamson. Thank you so much, Chef Brooke Williamson.
C
Wait, you got something on.
A
Thank you. Also my life partner. That's why she's doing this right now. Thank you very much. What's going on, Brooke?
C
What's happening?
A
So nice to have you again. Thanks for having me. You're my first repeat co host.
C
I love that.
A
You're welcome anytime.
C
Thank you. Feels appropriate.
A
Yeah. So. So does it?
C
It does.
A
Okay. Well, I mean, you know, we do work together, actually. We're working this week together.
C
Yes.
A
On Triple Threat, which is why my.
C
Makeup looks so done today.
A
Yes. You look beautiful, as usual.
B
We are.
A
We are shooting. Is it season five?
C
Season five of season five.
A
We're shooting 12 episodes of Triple Threat. If you haven't watched the show, you got to check it out. Brooke is one of the. The house chef, so to speak. And Michael Voltaggio and Aisha Nargio. You guys are the titans of Triple Threat.
C
I love that. I just got home from work, and I get to, like, sit down to a podcast and a bowl of pasta.
A
No. Well, I feed people on my podcast, so I love it. You just wrote your first cookbook a couple years ago.
C
About a year and a half ago, yeah.
A
Are you gonna write another one?
C
I think people underestimate how much work it really is. I don't know how you've written so many, honestly.
A
We had a judge on Melissa Clark from the New York Times this week, and we kind of grew up in the business. She's written 45 cookbooks, and I'm thinking myself, how is that even.
C
Yeah, how do you even do that?
A
Like, that's more than one a year in your adult life.
C
Yeah.
A
I mean, it's kind of crazy.
C
I actually don't understand.
A
She's so prolific. And here's a couple of cookbooks I've been checking out lately. If you didn't check out my podcast last week, please check it out. If you like Italy at all and you're interested in Rome, Katy Parla is my girl. She is the American girl in Rome, as we like to call her. And she wrote her latest cookbook about Rome, about where to eat there, what to do there. She is such a. An amazing resource. So I love her book. We haven't been to Rome together, have we?
C
No.
A
All right, that's Definitely going to happen.
C
We're going to do that, like this year.
A
The other book that I'm checking out lately is the King Cookbook. King is a restaurant owned by three women who are cooking simple, beautiful food. Mostly kind of like, I would say south of France and Italy. Lots of beautiful pastas and lots of.
C
Kind of rusty seafood, like straightforward. I actually went to their, their friends and family with Jonathan Waxman.
A
Kind of reminds me of the kind of food that you cook, actually.
C
Oh, okay.
A
Yeah, like very pristine, beautiful food.
C
Well, thank you.
A
Okay, so that, that's the. Those are the two books I'm reading this week. I have actually made a change in my publishing life, which I'm incredibly excited about. I was at Clarkson Potter for a very long time. Very, very classic cookbook publisher. Did tons and tons of books with them. And the publishing industry has had its challenges, like any industry. And I just felt like I wanted to do something different. And I found a group of people that, in my opinion, are doing something different and doing something that makes sense for today, especially for somebody like me. Like, I've always bet on myself in anything that I do in any business, in any restaurant. You know, Lawrence and I, my business partner for 35 years, we've never had investors, ever. We always went to the bank and signed our name on the dotted line and took a same.
C
It's a huge risk.
A
Took a risk on us. Now that said, I have partners in Las Vegas. My partners at Caesar's palace have been amazing partners for 20 years. That's a different business model in the publishing industry. I found a group of people who started a company called Author's Equity, started by a couple of people. One of them who I've gotten to know lately is Madeline McIntosh, a stalwart in the, in the publishing industry. You stay, you say her name and she's got the gravitas. Basically, it's a profit share model. If your book does well, everybody does well, you know, as opposed to just getting a big advance and hoping for the best. And I really like this model because it makes everybody work harder for the same result.
C
My publisher gave me a one year goal to hit. That was what I thought was virtually impossible. It was like a reach. And we actually hit it in December.
A
Yeah.
C
And we hit the one year goal and it was like, it was like I could hear the bells and whistles going off. It was like, yeah, because it's on you. And I've proven that, like, I could sell a book. Right.
A
And that's an unusual thing to be Able to do so.
C
So the next book is this more in the chapter one vein or.
A
Yeah, I'm not going backwards.
C
Okay.
A
So I'm doing a book, you know this about me. I'm obsessed with it, with Italy. Like, not just the food, the people, the place, the culture, the language.
C
The three hour coffee.
A
The three hour coffee. And so this book is going to be. Be about Italy. I wouldn't say like I am the. The expert of all experts when it comes to Italian food, but I am. I'm obsessed with it and I'm. And I'm a student of it.
C
So it's the American's perception of Italy.
A
It's an American che obsession with a country.
C
Obsession.
A
Yes, with it. With Italy. And so it's going to be a very beautiful book. It's going to have, you know, 100 full page pictures of dishes of Italian food, some of which are classic, some of which are things that I have kind of messed with. Some of the things from my restaurant.
C
I read your preliminary table of contents and I was drooling.
A
Really?
D
Yes.
A
Okay, good. I'm going to use the same designer from chapter one, Sue Barber. I'm going to use the same photographer from chapter one, Johnny Miller, who is.
C
He's amazing.
A
Absolutely amazing. The one thing I will tell you is that I write every. I write every word. I know people don't think that about me. I love to write. It's something and, and Emily helped shape it. And when she sees a sentence that literally makes no sense, she will tell me and she'll fix it.
C
I mean, for someone who didn't graduate high school, you're actually a pretty phenomenal writer.
A
Thank you.
C
You are. You have a way about getting your point across on paper. That's. That's quite poetic.
A
Do you mean that from reading my books? From the love letters?
C
From reading your texts?
A
I will keep those quiet. Anyway, so I just wanted to announce that because I love working with these guys. I think this is going to be a really fun collaboration. They've been in this business for a long time. They're just, they just have a new business model which I absolutely love. It's time. Shout out. Author's equity. We love that.
C
Can't wait.
A
I did make you something to eat today.
C
Do I get to eat now?
A
This is actually an Italian dish. It's. I'm so excited. Bucatini and matriciana. One of the classic dishes.
C
I've been asking for this all week.
A
One of the classic four pastas of Rome. Let me show you how I Made it, Bobby. On the beat. Okay, bucatini alla matciana. We're going to start with some guanciale, some onions, and some garlic. We're going to actually render off the fat of the. Of the guanciale. That's the pork jowl. Good flavor, very classic of Rome. And we're going to save the guanciale, the crispy parts for later, but leave the guanciale fat in the pan and. And with the onions, with the garlic, we're going to throw some tomato over it and let that cook for about 35 minutes. You know, we want the tomatoes to cook, but we still want them to be nice and bright. Then we're going to add a little Calabria chili pepper, a little bit of sugar, a little bit of salt. We're going to make some bucatini, do the bucatini dance, and then let the bucatini cook for about eight or nine minutes. It's kind of a thicker, you know, sort of noodle, a tiny bit chewy, but that's the way it is. We're going to add the bucatini and a little bit of the pasta water to the tomato sauce with all that flavor in there. We're going to finish with a little butter. Pecorino, not parmigiano. Pecorino is the classic in Rome. You won't find a lot of herbs in this pasta, but we're going to brighten it up with some parsley. We're going to plate it with the tomato, with all that delicious sauce, and then a little extra pecorino on top. A little parsley leaves, of course, and that crunchy, crispy guanciale to go on top. And then you beg your girlfriend to taste it. Um, yeah, I think she likes it. Bobby on the beat. How is it?
C
It's all over me.
A
Do you like it?
C
So good you don't do leftovers?
A
Not really. You know what happens with leftovers to me? Like, I cook for a lot of my family and friends, as you know, and a lot of times I cook for, you know, lots of people, and I'll make a bunch of dishes, and there'll be a lot of stuff left over, and I'll be like, okay, don't save that, because nobody's going to eat it. And then everybody says, no, don't throw it away. I'm gonna eat it tomorrow morning. I'm gonna eat it in the middle of the night, or I'm gonna eat it. And you know what happens? I wind up throwing it out three Days later.
C
No, I know.
A
Every single time.
C
Also, you're the only person on the planet who, like, cooks three meals a day.
A
You.
C
The problem is, is that there's never a meal where there's, like, a void because you're like, oh, there's some avocados on the counter. Let's make guacamole. There's some masa in the pantry. Let's make chiliquiles.
A
Like, yeah, we do that.
C
I walked in from work the other night. You had gotten off, like, an hour before me. I left set. An hour later, I walked in the door, and you were literally making fresh tortillas and had, like, a taco bar lined up with, like, chicken thighs and two different masas. Pickled vegetables. You were pressing fresh masa tortillas, and you were like, I'm not happy with the texture of this blue corn. Let's see what this blue corn is.
A
I found red corn.
C
You had seven different types of masa in your pantry.
A
Shout out masienda, good masa, harina.
C
I mean, but very few people do that, like, when they get home after a long day. Put together a full taco bar. I'm just saying, there's always something happening in your kitchen.
A
That's right.
C
The leftovers just don't get eaten.
A
I know.
C
Aisha said to me today. She was like, he, like, cooks all the time, huh? And I was like, yeah, he does. I was like, no, he wakes up and talks about food. He talks about food all day. It's wild.
A
I know. But, you know, I have to say, like, since we've been dating, I love it because I love to be able to cook for you. And just as importantly, I love cooking with you, which is always a nice thing.
C
We had a really good dinner on the other night. Golden Globes night.
A
Right? We made. You made short ribs. I made some palenta. I had the way easier job. And you made a salad, too. I made a salad and some, like, a caso Franco. You wanted casa Franco. So we had castle Franco.
C
And I don't think either one of us were actually very hungry, so. Thank God your daughter and her boyfriend lives here.
A
Yeah, Right. Sophie and Trevor have been hanging out at my house because they're. They're waiting for their apartment to be ready. I love it because I get to feed everybody. All right, so speaking of our life together, so I gave you a ring as a sign of commitment.
C
What did I call you the other day?
A
My romantic partner.
C
My romantic partner.
A
Yeah, exactly. We're a permanent couple. Let's put it that way.
C
Oh, I like that sounds so permanent couple.
A
But I did give you a ring in London, actually, which was a little.
C
Bit confusing in the moment. I mean, imagine opening, like, a little blue box with a giant diamond ring inside and.
A
On a park bench.
C
On a park bench. On a. On a. Like in the regions park. In the. In the Japanese garden. Yeah, it was a perfect day.
A
I know. You opened it. You were like. I was like, is this real?
C
No, actually, what I exactly said was, what the is this?
A
I thought there'd be something interesting to tell about the story because a lot of people ask about your ring.
C
Like, not just People magazine.
A
One of the things that people that really know me know, and most people don't know, is that my family has been in the diamond business for a long time. It's kind of a funny time right now in the diamond and jewelry world. I'll get to that in a second. But my grandfather, Willie Flay started a diamond business in the Diamond Exchange, which was Bowery and Canal Street. My grandfather died, you know, many years ago, 25 years ago, and he gave the business to my cousin Billy. So everybody knows my cousin Billy as cousin Billy, cousin Billy, his cousin Billy. Everybody who I know goes to Billy when they need something in that. In that world. Because that world is scary. If you don't know somebody and if you see what's going on on 47th street right now, these guys are, like, acting crazy. I mean, people are threatening each other's lives, screaming and yelling and this and that. It's like they're getting tons of, like, attention for social media. But, like, when it comes right down to it, and you're looking for an engagement ring to give to a person you want to marry, like, this is, like, first of all, serious investment. You want to be given, you know, value, and you want to. You want to be able to trust the person. So, like, that's why my cousin Billy is like. I think he's, like, in the best position ever. Obviously, your ring came from him. It was a process. I didn't call him up and be like, hey, give me. I need a ring. Like, we went through it for, like, weeks and weeks and weeks.
C
Did he ask you what it was for?
A
Of course. No, he didn't ask me what it was for.
C
What did you say to him?
A
I said, I need a ring.
C
For what?
A
And you have to understand something. I've been married three times, so I've gotten a few rings from him, and for a while, I was banned from buying rings.
C
Was he, like, all Right, that's enough.
A
Oh, no, no. I got cut off. I got cut off from the diamond rings. Obviously he had, he had met you and I said to him, I was like, I need a ring. There was no hesitation. He's like, come down. So I visited him because I wanted to show people out there what it's like to buy a ring like this.
C
I went and met him to get this sized and walked out with these.
A
That's what happens.
C
I get it. He's great.
A
Let's. Let's watch Billy again. Bobby on the beat. Brooks ring has gotten a lot of attention, both on her finger and also like just in the media and stuff like that. And people always ask me, where'd you get it from? How do you go about it? I think it's a really cool process. I've been lucky to have you and obviously our grandfather and my wife. The trust factor is huge in this business, right?
B
Yeah.
A
When somebody comes to, what do you say to them? Do you ask for price first or do you ask for like, stone?
B
I think I go first with shape.
A
What's the most popular these days?
B
Right now, round is still probably the most popular.
A
Once you decide, like what shape stone you want, like, what else do they.
B
Have to think about once you do the shape? What I try to find out from them is what size stone they're looking for. Now this is where it gets a little funny.
A
Right.
B
Typically whoever's making the purchase has an idea, maybe looked online what size and what price range they're in. The person receiving it may have a little bit different of a feedback. Ultimately, it's the budget and cali dollars and cents carry every day.
A
Carat is the weight. Right.
B
Carat is the physical weight of the diamond. Okay. So some people like to show like a bigger diamond, lesser quality.
A
Right.
B
Some people like the smaller. So that's really the variable. You don't know until the customer comes in. Exactly. Yeah, yeah.
A
You have any stones here?
B
I do.
A
Let's look at them.
B
Cut of the diamond. Em is emerald cut.
A
Okay.
B
E is the color. D is the best. So there's a very, what we call high color diamond. E color and VS2 is the clarity, which is the purity or impurities within the diamond.
A
Okay.
B
Open this up and you've got 205. Emerald cut. E color, VS2. Clarity. Crazy. These things, good things come in small packages. I know this is usually presetting. You want to look at the diamonds? Sure. Fast forward a little bit to, let's say when you were in front of me. Typically, it's very difficult for the average layperson to tell us something. Exactly. What do I see? Then I say, well, that's good because she can't see anything. Then I pinpoint where the imperfection is because I really want them to know. It's like a house. I want them to walk in and see what's inside.
A
There's been a lot of chatter about lamb diamonds all over the place. Place. What's your opinion?
B
Funny you mentioned that. Broad spectrum. It's probably the biggest innovation in the industry since I'm. Since I'm in the business. You want to go to the bare bones. The ftc, Federal Trade Commission says they're not fake. They're not natural, but they're not fake. They are the same actual chemical composition. Let me show you a lab grown diamond. In comparison, the same exact diamond weight as the emerald cut. It's a different cut, but just to give you an idea, you get a laugh when we talk about price.
A
Right? Exactly. I want to hear about this.
B
This diamond here is $17,000 to the customer. To the customer. Okay. This diamond here is $1,200.
D
What?
B
When guys say to me, what do you think about lab? The person you're giving it to? That's the person that matters. If they're okay with it, I'm okay with it. And you should be okay with it.
A
Right. It's allowing lots of people to kind of get into the jewelry game settings.
B
Settings. Okay. It's almost like a wedding dress. Very personal.
A
Yep.
B
This is a white gold setting.
A
Yep.
B
It's obviously not the finished product, but it gives you a visual. Pop it into yellow. You went with the yellow bottom. Correct.
A
Because she likes yellow gold.
B
That's considered a solitaire. Now, do you want diamonds in the setting? It's called a halo, but you have to like this look.
A
That's cool.
B
Yeah. To me, this kind of makes it. It's more about the ring than the diamond. You're trying to make it look like a jewelry piece as opposed to an engage ring.
A
I just love the stone so much. I didn't want anything.
B
You know, your stone needed no help. That's in a plain pave setting.
A
Yeah.
B
So these three still that we're building up in as far as very simple, a little bit less simple, and now something like this.
A
Dude, you're the best.
B
Anytime.
A
Hopefully I won't be back for another one.
B
No, I'm gonna say you're done at this point. Stick the fork in you. Exactly.
A
Peace, Bobby. On the beat.
B
It's gorgeous.
A
How'd I do?
C
It's perfect.
A
Okay, good.
C
Absolutely perfect.
A
You're happy with it?
C
I'm very happy with it.
A
All right, good. Billy's the best, so, like, if you need a diamond, go check him out. He will take great care of you. Totally triple threat this season. How do you feel like it's going? We can't give out, give away too much.
C
Yeah, of course. It's been a roller coaster of emotion. I mean, per usual, you know, like, you win some, you lose some, you take some really personally. I mean, I gotta say, Aisha, Michael and I, all, we. We take these fights, these battles incredibly personally, especially when we, like, throw it all out there and think we've done a phenomenal job. And sometimes it just doesn't hit. But there are some really talented chefs coming in. I mean, yesterday was wild. Obviously, I can't talk about it, but that was wild. We know probably 80 of the chefs that walk through the door. I mean, most of them are terrifying. And it's been. It's been a lot of fun. There have been some tears. I take it really personally, especially when I feel like I've made really good food, and it just doesn't resonate with the judge. It's frustrating.
A
Here's my feeling. It's like. And you and I talk about this all the time because, you know, there's winning and there's losing, and I don't really care about losing. I really don't.
C
Well, because you've proven yourself. You've proven, like, everything that you need to prove you have.
A
But still, no matter what you like.
C
You can also out cook most people on this planet.
A
Let me ask you this, Jimmy V. If he was judging you on Triple Threat, how do you think he would judge you?
C
I think he likes my food. I think he's kind of like one of those straightforward, I want to understand what I'm eating kind of guys. On New Year's Day, I made, like, a Moroccan braised chicken with couscous.
A
Oh, that was delicious.
C
And he. He. And also I made a Dubai chocolate cake on New Year's Eve.
B
I know.
A
He made so much. We did make a lot of good food over so much food.
C
And he. He said he's, like, not really a sweets guy. He's not really like, a chocolate guy specifically. And he dug into that Dubai chocolate cake like his life depended on it.
A
We made paella on New Year's Eve. We made steaks. I mean, we had so much great. We had those beautiful prawns and the plancha. Such Great food.
C
All we did was eat.
A
It was eat. Of course. Of course. But anyway, speaking of Jimmy V. So we sent him out to Sun Del north, which is a burrito place. Hey, listen, Jimmy will try anything, so let's see what he thinks. Bobby on the beat.
E
Jimmy V. America's food critic. Outside of Son Del Norf, it's a burrito shop, East Village. I went to college out in Tucson, Arizona, so I experienced real burrito burritos.
C
Sorry.
E
For those that eat Taco Bell, one of the things that they say is no rice. So they don't put any filler inside the burrito. I want each component that needs to be done properly. Let's go check it out. But don't drink the water. First impressions. It just seems like it's going to be authentic and real.
D
Jimmy V. Anisha. Nice to meet you.
E
Nice to meet you, too.
D
We are trying to bring what is the authentic Mexican burrito from the north of Mexico. What people are the most amazed about is, like, it has no rice. That for us, is the authentic way.
E
Because that's too much filler in there.
D
It is too much filler. We prefer to go more protein forward. We sell about 7,000 burritos weekly, which our stores are very small. We have two stores. We have one on the Lower east side, and we have on the West Village. I'll hook you up with every day now with these.
E
All your recipes.
D
They're all my recipes.
E
So you're a chef, but I'm the.
D
Chef and the owner.
E
Found the little seat makes me feel like a little kid with a real big belly. Five burritos. Line them up. Oh, it's so soft going in. Bite number one. Oh, that would have been bad. That is the real deal, not getting this at one of those fast food places. Tortilla is perfect. It's light. There's little grill marks on it. The meat, everything's flavored perfectly. We have four more to go. Say a prayer for me. We're going in whole for this one. Again, it's perfectly on the griddle. They toasted it, so I like it. You know, you have a little bit more texture this way. Beans just smack you right in the head. This is a very soft burrito through and through, so there's not a ton of texture on the inside of it. But this is the real McGilla when it comes to the beans, too. I got to put it down. Here's the carne asada, and I think the pronunciation is asada. Something I remember from being in the Salvador Dali Spanish honor society when I was in high school that I got kicked out of, by the way. Nice chunks of meat. Some guac in there. Onion. Gonna go in for a natural bite.
C
That I'm gonna dip.
E
The meat is seasoned really well. There's nothing not to like about it, and there's everything to like about it on top and see what happens now. Nice. Good flavor. It's got a nice little bite to it. Red, which is, I guess, more of a Christmasy thing. If I did them both at the same time. Everything is fresh and delicious. It's hard to go three for three. So far, they're three for three. Paul, the ambulance. They just do a really good job on the. On the griddle. In Italian, they call this Vienna Gavon, and I think I've mastered that right about now. Everything looks delish, and we're going to see if it matches the description that I'm looking at, and it does. Not a surprise. This one has more peppers, and it not spicy. I don't know the peppers that are in there. Maybe poblanos. I'm not sure. They're excellent. Look at the crowd. Everything's backed up. And I have my own tasting section over here. This one is the most intriguing one to me. This is a vegan version of a chorizo, but it's made with cauliflower. Looks like chorizo. Let's give it a shot. I would probably lean towards the others. When you come to a burrito place, you have to try the chips. We're going to dip and rip. Worth the bite. And now we didn't even have to go over the border to get real, authentic burritos. These burritos are serious, serious, serious. I love them. Got to give me a hug. Come here.
D
Oh, thank you so much.
A
That means a lot. Awesome. Siesta time, Bobby on the beat. I mean, if you get a hug from Jimmy V. That means that he likes the food.
C
He legit refers to himself as AFC now. Afc Jimmy V. Exactly.
A
He's food critic. Now we've ruined him. One of Jimmy's great party tricks is he is our connection to, like, twice a year getting a table at Rao's, which is, like the impossible table of.
C
The world, and he knows everyone.
A
If you think you can get a reservation at Rao's, you're wrong. I don't care who you are. It doesn't work that way. People own the tables, and that's just the way it is. And Jimmy's like, you know, we got a.
C
We got a text set a few days ago. Like, what are you guys up to tonight?
A
Exactly?
C
Table at Rose. Four. Four people, eight o'.
A
Clock. Let's do it.
C
Also, I love that those burritos are grilled. Some of them are. And some of them aren't. Like, the. The bean and cheese one was not.
A
We definitely go there. I'm thinking, like, the day after, like, a long night of cocktailing.
C
Yeah. So like a hangover.
A
Yeah.
C
Those things are giant, though. And there's no rice in them.
A
Which, shockingly, value wise, the vegan one was his least favorite.
C
Shocking.
A
I know. He's like, I think I'm gonna go with the other one. Oh, you don't like the cauliflower, Jimmy?
C
Cauliflower, cauliflower, chorizo.
A
All right, well, if you see Jimmy V, you know, in your local neighborhood.
C
If you recognize him, say hi.
A
Say hi.
C
E signs autographs and takes pictures.
B
Yeah.
A
Brooke, thanks for joining me today.
C
Thanks for having me.
A
I love you very much. You are the best. See you next time, everybody. Thanks for watching YouTube anywhere you would listen to podcasts. Check us out. Bobby on the Beat. Thanks so much for being loyal listeners. I really appreciate it. Cheers. Nice ring. Bobby on the Beat.
Episode Title: Brooke's Diamond Ring, Son del North with Jimmy V, Bucatini Amatriciana with Brooke Williamson
Host: Bobby Flay
Co-Host: Brooke Williamson
Date: January 19, 2026
In this engaging episode of Bobby on the Beat, chef Bobby Flay welcomes back Brooke Williamson—chef, co-host, and his life partner—for a lively, personal conversation traversing the professional and the intimate. Topics range from the Golden Globes and the dawn of podcast awards to nostalgia for iceberg lettuce, cookbook writing, personal tales of culinary excess, a deep dive into diamond-buying with “Cousin Billy,” and a mouthwatering burrito review with resident food critic Jimmy V. The episode interweaves stories of family, love, and food, offering listeners a behind-the-scenes look at both the culinary world and Bobby’s personal life.
"Welcome to Hollywood, where we haven't shot anything here for the last 10 years. And it's really true." —Bobby Flay [00:30]
“Iceberg lettuce. Like, everybody else has been thinking about iceberg lettuce this week.” —Bobby Flay [01:44]
“You're my first repeat co-host.” —Bobby Flay [02:20]
"People underestimate how much work it really is. I don't know how you've written so many, honestly." —Brooke Williamson [03:09]
“I’ve always bet on myself in anything that I do…It makes everybody work harder for the same result.” —Bobby Flay [05:00]
“It’s an American chef’s obsession with a country.” —Bobby Flay [07:02]
“You're actually a pretty phenomenal writer. You have a way about getting your point across on paper that's quite poetic.” —Brooke Williamson [07:54]
“One of the classic four pastas of Rome.” —Bobby Flay [08:34]
“You're the only person on the planet who cooks three meals a day.” —Brooke Williamson [10:30]
“There’s always something happening in your kitchen.” —Brooke Williamson [11:22]
“I mean, imagine opening, like, a little blue box with a giant diamond ring inside and…on a park bench. In the Japanese garden.” —Brooke Williamson [12:40] “No, actually, what I exactly said was, ‘What the f--- is this?’” —Brooke Williamson [13:00]
“Everybody who I know goes to Billy when they need something in that world. Because that world is scary.” —Bobby Flay [13:20]
“Broad spectrum. It’s probably the biggest innovation in the industry… FTC…they are the same actual chemical composition.” —Billy [17:02]
"This diamond here is $17,000…This diamond here is $1,200." —Billy [17:25]
“Hopefully, I won’t be back for another one.” —Bobby Flay [18:25]
“No, I'm gonna say you're done at this point. Stick the fork in you.” —Billy [18:26]
“It's perfect. Absolutely perfect.” —Brooke Williamson [18:33]
"You win some, you lose some, you take some really personally…there are some really talented chefs coming in." —Brooke Williamson [18:47]
“You can also out-cook most people on this planet.” —Brooke Williamson [19:52]
"For those that eat Taco Bell, one of the things that they say is no rice. So they don’t put any filler inside the burrito." —Jimmy V [21:04]
“This is the real McGilla when it comes to the beans, too.” —Jimmy V [22:57] “Everything is fresh and delicious. It’s hard to go three for three. So far, they’re three for three. Call the ambulance.” —Jimmy V [23:13] "These burritos are serious, serious, serious. I love them." —Jimmy V [24:13]
“Shockingly, value wise, the vegan one was his least favorite.” —Bobby Flay [25:21]
“He wakes up and talks about food. He talks about food all day. It’s wild.” —Brooke Williamson [11:32]
“I wind up throwing it out three days later.” —Bobby Flay [10:28]
“No, actually, what I exactly said was, ‘What the f--- is this?’” —Brooke Williamson [13:00]
“Next time you see iceberg in the store, just, you know, stop by and say hi. It's such a great lettuce, man. Seriously, I'm giving it up for iceberg. I'm on the iceberg committee.” —Bobby Flay [01:53]
“Nice to see podcasts get national attention in that way, on one of Hollywood’s biggest stages.” —Bobby Flay [01:22]
“For someone who didn’t graduate high school, you’re actually a pretty phenomenal writer.” —Brooke Williamson [07:54]
“My publisher gave me a one-year goal to hit that was what I thought was virtually impossible…it was like I could hear the bells and whistles going off.” —Brooke Williamson [06:04]
“Beans just smack you right in the head. This is a very soft burrito through and through…this is the real McGilla when it comes to the beans, too.” —Jimmy V [22:57]
“If you think you can get a reservation at Rao’s, you’re wrong. I don’t care who you are. It doesn’t work that way.” —Bobby Flay [24:47]
| Segment | Timestamps | |-------------------------------------------|-------------------| | Golden Globes, Iceberg Lettuce | 00:00–02:00 | | Triple Threat, Cookbook Writing | 02:12–04:38 | | Bobby’s New Publishing Venture | 04:32–08:24 | | Bucatini Amatriciana Cooking Demo | 08:24–10:00 | | Home Cooking Rituals | 10:00–12:26 | | Brooke’s Diamond Ring Story & Billy | 12:26–18:37 | | Triple Threat Recap/Behind-the-Scenes | 18:37–20:17 | | Jimmy V at Son Del North | 20:52–24:26 | | Banter about Jimmy V & Rao’s, Wrap-Up | 24:26–end |
Warm, funny, conversational, and inviting, with affectionate teasing and genuine affection between Bobby and Brooke. The episode seamlessly intertwines industry insight with playful, everyday stories, balancing personal glimpses with professional advice and culinary expertise.
This episode offers a hearty dose of what has quickly defined Bobby on the Beat: playful banter, real talk about the culinary world (and all its side-businesses!), family legacy, and the love and chaos that make Bobby Flay’s kitchen—and life—so dynamic. Whether listeners are eager for behind-the-scenes anecdotes, practical advice about cookbooks or diamonds, delicious food deep-dives, or simply some good-humored fun, this episode delivers.
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