Brooke Williamson Admits That Bobby Flay Giving Her a Diamond Ring Was ‘Confusing’: ‘What the F— Is This?’

Bobby Flay and his girlfriend, fellow chef Brooke Williamson, sparked engagement rumors when he posted a photo of a diamond ring in October. At the time, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that they were not engaged, but Williamson recently admitted it was “a little bit confusing” when she received the jewelry.

“I gave you a ring as a sign of commitment,” the Beat Bobby Flay star told the Top Chef alum, 47, in the Monday, Jan. 19, episode of his podcast, Bobby on the Beat. “We’re a permanent couple, let’s put it that way.”

The 61-year-old turned to his cousin Billy to help design the ring, who took over his grandfather Willie’s diamond business when he died. Flay called getting the ring “a process” and explained that it took “weeks and weeks and weeks.”

Flay spoke to his cousin in a clip included in the podcast, discussing what the process of designing a ring looks like. At the end of the segment, the celebrity chef thanked his cousin and said, “Hopefully, I won’t be back for another one.”

Billy replied lightheartedly, “No, I’m going to say you’re done at this point, stick the fork in there.”

This wasn’t the Food Network star’s first time being kicked out of the family jewelry store, Flay explained.

“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 from him,” Flay joked. “I got cut off from the diamond rings.”

On Williamson’s side of things, the gift gave her pause at first.

“This was a little bit confusing in the moment,” she revealed. “I mean, imagine opening like a little blue box with a giant diamond ring inside, on a park bench on a beautiful day in London in the Japanese garden.”

“I know,” Flay replied. “You opened it, and you were like, ‘Is this real?’”

The author of the Sun-Kissed Cooking cookbook corrected him, “No, actually what I exactly said was, ‘What the f— is this?'” causing the pair to burst into laughter.

Flay posted a photo on his Instagram Stories on Oct. 14 that showed Williamson’s hand in her jean pocket and a big diamond ring sticking out. Over timageoto, Flay wrote, “it’s casual.”

At the time, a source close to the couple confirmed to PEOPLE that there was no engagement.

“It was a gift from Bobby,” the source told PEOPLE of the ring. “I’ve never seen them happier, and they are fully committed to one another.”

Days after the photo was shared, Williamson told PEOPLE, “There’s not a huge story” behind the ring while catching up at the New York City Wine and Food Festival on Oct. 18.

“He’s a very generous, wonderful, romantic man, and it was a really thoughtful gift, and that’s what it is,” she explained.

Flay and Williamson, who both star in Bobby’s Triple Threat, publicly revealed their relationship in March 2025.

Flay has spoken about how their working relationship is affected by their personal relationship, telling PEOPLE in June, “I love working with Brooke. We have a lot in common. We’re very lucky. We’re both chefs. We both have kids. We’re both parents.”

Flay continued, saying Williamson has been his friend “forever.” “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,” he said, referring to being on the set of BBQ Brawl.