Bobby on the Beat: Scarlett Johansson Today Show, Toastieland with Jimmy V, Bacon Crunchburger with Damaris Phillips

Host: Bobby Flay
Co-Host: Damaris Phillips
Date: December 29, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Bobby Flay welcomes chef and Food Network star Damaris Phillips as his co-host. Together, they offer listeners a blend of behind-the-scenes culinary stories, reflections on their careers and the modern food scene, along with plenty of laughs and personal anecdotes. The episode features a recount of Bobby’s recent Today Show cooking segment with Scarlett Johansson, a field review of Toastieland’s grilled cheeses by Jimmy V, and an in-depth look at Bobby’s signature Bacon Crunchburger. The conversation touches on food as comfort and connection, the evolution of restaurant culture, social media in food, and navigating personal and professional changes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Damaris Phillips: Food Network Journey & Personality

• Origin Story & Unique Energy

  • Damaris discusses her beginnings on Food Network, her playful, quirky persona, and growing up in a funeral home, which shaped her perspective on comfort and food.
  • “You get one shot at this life. And then I also learned through the funeral home that food comforts people. And so for me, it was easy to combine all of those things—to be like, I just want to bring comfort to humans and I want people to have fun.” (Damaris, 02:26)

• On Being a Self-Starter and Fitting Into Modern Media

  • Bobby praises Damaris’s self-starting attitude and her ability to adapt with original ideas.
  • “You're a very good self-starter. You always have original ideas, which I love...Which separates you from the rest in many ways.” (Bobby, 01:39)

• View on Fancy Food

  • “I don't actually like to go to Michelin starred restaurants. I find them boring...Food can be delicious, but also very sort of attainable.” (Damaris & Bobby, 03:00–03:17)
  • Both agree that delicious, comforting, and accessible food trumps formality.

Kentucky Derby Traditions & Party Planning

• Annual Kentucky Derby Breakfast

  • Bobby and Damaris share their long-running tradition of making early morning breakfast for 120–130 people on Derby Day, focusing on Southern flavors and community.
  • “You have your crew of people that you bring every year, which is so wonderful...I like the bourbon, I like the food, I like the people, I like the horses. I like the Maris Phillips.” (Bobby, 03:52–04:13)

• New Year’s Eve Party Theme Planning

  • Damaris insists on a fancy, vintage-themed black tie event, painting an “Old New York, 1955” vibe and dismissing casualwear for the occasion.
  • “You're going to have a casual New Year's Eve party? Gross. No...Can you imagine how sexy everybody would look in, like, tuxedos? Old New York, New York, 1955.” (Damaris, 04:53–05:12)

Bobby’s Today Show with Scarlett Johansson: Behind the Scenes

• Scarlett’s Involvement & Menu Inspiration

  • Scarlett Johansson specifically requested hors d’oeuvres instead of a main course, inspiring Bobby to create playful, elegant appetizers.
  • “Scarlett Johansson texted me...asked me to be on the show to cook...She’s like, ‘I want tasty hors d’oeuvres.’” (Bobby, 05:25–05:44)

• Menu Details:

  • Crab Meatball Fra Diavolo with Calabrian chilies
  • Goat cheese & bacon croquette with piquillo pepper hot sauce
  • Deviled eggs with smoked salmon and honey mustard horseradish sauce
  • Red curry chicken wings (for Scarlett)
  • “Deviled eggs kind of dressed up. Deviled eggs are a cool holiday thing. And if you know, you know, Scarlet loves chick...we made some red curry chicken wings for Scarlet.” (Bobby, 05:56–06:58)

• Appetizer Discussion and Preferences

  • Damaris and Bobby talk air fryers, party snacks, and their mutual love for snacking and caviar for New Year’s Eve.
  • “I love to only snack.” (Damaris, 08:29)

Personal Sides: Cats, Family, and Food at Home

• Damaris’s Cat Family

  • Damaris humorously lists her six cats by their elaborate names, poking fun at Bobby’s simpler-named pets.
  • “So we'll start with Cleo Pearl. Mr. Burt Fancy Wallace...Troubalina Poppyseed and Abracadaniel Striped Tiger.” (Damaris, 09:10)

• Blending Diets at Home

  • Damaris talks about her vegetarian husband, and how she developed “Southern Girl Meets Vegetarian Boy” to celebrate their differences at the table.
  • “He genuinely loves animals so much that it pains him. But the truth of meat, what we're really searching for is the fat...Nobody wants just plain vegetables...Now, you're like, yeah, when they're super fatty and fried, and they have like a sticky sweet sauce...” (Damaris, 12:48–13:13)

Signature Recipes & Food Critiques

Bacon Crunchburger Demo

• Step-by-Step with Bobby (10:53–11:13)
  • Homemade chipotle-roasted red pepper mayo (“fry sauce”)
  • Juicy griddled patties, American cheese, crispy bacon, brioche bun
  • “Some thin, crisp potato chips. That’s what makes it crunchified.”
  • “Oh, yes. We're making my favorite, the Bacon Crunch burger. Yes, it is trademarked...Some of that sauce. Put the burger on top. A couple of slices of very crispy bacon and some thin, crisp potato chips. That's what makes it crunchified. And there you go. Bacon crunch burger. It's satisfying.” (Bobby, 10:53–11:13)

Toastieland Grilled Cheese Review with Jimmy V (13:49–16:34)

• On-Site Review Vibes

  • “Bryant Park and the holidays. It's complete insanity...We found it. Here it is. Toasty Land. Thank God.” (Jimmy V, 13:49)
  • Orders the famous “rainbow grilled cheese,” a pepperoni grilled cheese, and a mac-&-cheese version.

• Reaction Summary

  • “Here we go. Try this one out first. I don’t know about the blue grilled cheese...Pretty good. I think it has like a butter garlicky taste. Maybe on the bread. The colors give no flavor at all...The pepperoni was a good bite...Not my jam at all [on the drink]...The pepperoni would be my number one.” (Jimmy V, 15:36–16:25)

• Conclusion:

  • Fun, colorful, suitable for the location and crowd, but maybe not worth the long wait for him.
  • “I don't know if this is gonna make any list of mine, but it's a good grilled cheese sandwich. Pretty cool concept...am I standing in line to have a grilled cheese? Maybe not. However, these are really good and the people are super nice.” (Jimmy V, 16:34)

• Damaris’s Take:

  • “I think we should start sending Jimmy out a little drunk...knowing him, I think he was like, meh, it's okay.” (Damaris, 17:08)

Grilled Cheese Tips

• Technique:
  • Both Bobby and Damaris use mayonnaise instead of butter on the exterior of their grilled cheese:
  • “Mayonnaise.” (Bobby, 17:36)
  • “Yes. Yes. You do. Bobby Flay, do you? I put mayonnaise. I'm not crazy.” (Damaris, 17:37–17:42)
  • “People are like, how does that work? I'm like, it's mayonnaise.” (Bobby, 17:42)

Social Media, Thrift Store Appliances, and Community

• Damaris’ Social Media Approach:
  • Finds quirky gadgets at thrift stores and incorporates them into quick, accessible content, building community through relatability and playfulness.
  • “People want to be part of a community and they want to be able to...to play along.” (Damaris, 17:56–18:25)

Reflections & Aspirations

New Year’s Resolutions

• Damaris’s Ritual:

  • Writes 13 intentions for the year, burns one nightly, and carries the last as her focus for the coming year.
  • “Yes, on the solstice, I write 13 intentions to the world, and I write them as though they've already happened. And then every day between now and New Year's Day, I burn one...on the last day, I'll open it, and that will be the intention that I have to work for.” (Damaris, 18:29–18:51)

• Bobby’s Goal:

  • Singular focus: “I want to open a restaurant in New York City.” (Bobby, 19:14–19:16)

• Damaris’s Pitch:

  • Concept for Bobby: one-seating, 1950s social club–style supper club with dinner and entertainment.
  • “I think it's time for you to bring back the 1950s, like, social club, dinner and entertainment, Coca Cabana kind of vibe...There's nothing more heartbreaking than being at a restaurant and watching people be on their phones. So how about you give them something that takes them away from their phone so when they leave, they talk about the food, but they also are like, I just had an experience. I was alive.” (Damaris, 19:49–20:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You get one shot at this life...I just want to bring comfort to humans and I want people to have fun.” — Damaris Phillips (02:26)
• “You're a very good self-starter...Which separates you from the rest in many ways.” — Bobby Flay (01:39)
• “I don't actually like to go to Michelin starred restaurants. I find them boring.” — Damaris Phillips (03:00)
• “You're going to have a casual New Year's Eve party? Gross. No.” — Damaris Phillips (04:53)
• “Scarlett Johansson texted me...She’s like, ‘I want tasty hors d’oeuvres.’” — Bobby Flay (05:25)
• “Grilled cheese is a masterpiece of a sandwich.” — Damaris Phillips (13:27)
• “People want to be part of a community...[social media] is a way that people can play along.” — Damaris Phillips (17:56)
• “I want to open a restaurant in New York City.” — Bobby Flay (19:14)

Segment Timestamps

• Damaris Phillips’s career journey & Food Network reflections: 00:36–02:19
• Food as comfort/role of upbringing: 02:19–02:49
• Thoughts on fancy food & inclusivity: 03:00–03:38
• Derby Day breakfast & Kentucky traditions: 03:41–04:23
• New Year's Eve party planning: 04:32–05:25
• Today Show segment with Scarlett Johansson: 05:25–06:58
• Appetizers, air fryers, caviar, black eyed peas: 07:11–09:04
• Cats and family anecdotes: 09:07–09:49
• Bacon Crunchburger demo: 10:53–11:13
• Navigating family meals with a vegetarian spouse: 11:31–13:24
• Grilled cheeses & Toastieland review with Jimmy V: 13:49–16:34
• Grilled cheese techniques (mayonnaise vs butter): 17:36–17:45
• Damaris's social media philosophy: 17:56–18:25
• New Year’s resolutions and aspirations: 18:25–20:38
• Finding/contacting Damaris, podcasts, and wrap-up: 21:04–21:24

Where to Find Damaris

• Instagram: @chefDPhillips
• YouTube
• Podcast: “That’s Fun” with Nikki Dinky

Tone & Style

The episode maintains a friendly, irreverent, and often comical tone, replicating the lively banter between old friends. Bobby’s more straightforward, matter-of-fact style is matched by Damaris’s whimsical and energetic presence. The episode mixes heartfelt insights with lighthearted debates, making it approachable and relatable to a broad audience.