Bobby Flay Is Excited to Take His Daughter Sophie to the Paris Olympics: 'Dad, I'm Your Plus One,' She Insisted

Bobby Flay is planning a European summer.

The Beat Bobby Flay host, who recently partnered with Pepsi on a new commercial, tells PEOPLE about his summer plans. "I think I'm going to go back to Italy for a week," says Flay. "And I am going to the Paris Olympics — with my daughter, Sophie," he adds with excitement.

Sophie Flay, 28, works as a community journalist in Los Angeles for ABC7. She often pops up as a guest on Bobby's Food Network shows and has even cohosted a few alongside her dad.

"I got invited to Paris and Sophie was like, 'Yeah, I'm your plus one,'" recalls Bobby. "She's worked the Olympics. When she was an intern at USC she worked for NBC, so she went to South Korea and she went to Rio. She considers herself my Olympic expert."

Coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris begins on NBC and Peacock July 26.

Bobby's girlfriend Christina Pérez will gracefully sit this one out, says Bobby. "Sophie was like... she got right in there. She's like, 'Dad, I'm your plus one. That's it,'" he laughs.

Bobby is ever the proud father. "Sophie's doing a great job," he says of his daughter's career. "Listen, I'm her dad, so I'm proud as can be. She just keeps getting better and moving up the ranks at ABC and making herself an asset, which is always the goal."

Bobby is only in Los Angeles part-time (he shoots his Food Network shows like Beat Bobby Flay in New York) so getting to see his only daughter is always a treat. "She's actually coming back for Memorial Day weekend," he says.

The chef will be doing plenty of grilling for the holiday weekend. He showed off his barbecue skills — and his dance moves! — in Pepsi's new "Grills Night Out" campaign.

"I always have a bunch of people in my house in the summer," he says. "Not only am I the innkeeper, but I'm also the caterer here. So when people come to my house, they expect to be fed three meals a day. It's no problem, I love doing it."