Bobby Flay Is No Stranger To Hiding Engagement Rings In Food

You've seen the scene on TV. You may have even seen it in real life: a couple is enjoying a romantic dinner at a restaurant, when, all of a sudden, one party gets down on one knee, with a ring in hand to propose. Cue the happy tears, applause, and happily ever after. In another variation, the proposer enlists the restaurant's help in hiding the engagement ring in the food for their other half to discover. In romantic restaurants like New York's River Café and One if by Land, Two if by Sea, this is a pretty regular occurrence, and it's usually the pastry chef who gets tasked with hiding the engagement ring in the dessert (via Bon Appétit), but sometimes, even famous chefs get involved.

It seems that Bobby Flay is no stranger to helping happy couples out with their engagements. In an episode of the Always Hungry Podcast with iHeartRadio, which he co-hosts with his daughter, Sophie, the celebrity chef commented how, over the years that it was open, Mesa Grill was the scene of many significant moments in couples' relationships, including engagements, anniversaries, and even divorces. At one point, he asks, "Do you have any idea how many engagement rings I've hidden in desserts in my life?"

Although he never gives an exact number for just how many engagement rings he's helped hide in desserts over the years, Bobby Flay states in the podcast that it "happens all the time." Apparently, he doesn't always get much advance notice either, as the person planning the proposal will often ask to see him just before the deed to say, "I'm getting engaged tonight, can you hide this in the food?" Happy to help, the chef will agree, but with an important warning — "just don't let her eat it," which is fair warning since apparently it does happen on occasion that someone accidentally ends up swallowing an engagement ring that's been hidden in food (via Today).

So how does he do it? Flay notes that he makes it quite obvious that there's an engagement ring involved, so there's no need to dig around to find the ring, or worse, any risk of the ring being swallowed. One example he gives is to simply place the ring on top of a slice of chocolate cake. The hiding spot may be fairly obvious, but it's unlikely any of the happily engaged couples complained (or even noticed, for that matter). Mesa Grill may no longer be open, but Amalfi has taken its place in Las Vegas, with several items on its dessert menu that would fit an engagement ring just fine.