Lifestyle Food Wizards of Waverly Place’s David Henrie Dishes on a 'Great Dinner' with Selena Gomez and Boyfriend Benny Blanco "He can order very good food," Henrie said of the music producer By Charna Flam Charna Flam Charna Flam is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023. Her work has previously appeared on Variety, The New York Post, and The Wrap. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 24, 2024 07:04PM EDT Comments David Henrie (left); Benny Blanco and Selena Gomez. Photo: VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Selena Gomez’s Wizards of Waverly Place on-screen brother David Henrie gave his stamp of approval to Gomez’s boyfriend, Benny Blanco. Henrie, 35, and wife Maria Cahill joined Gomez, 32, and Blanco (real name Benjamin Joseph Levin) for a “great dinner” of Italian food as their first meeting. “He can order good food. He can order very good food," Henrie recently told E! News of the renowned music producer. But Blanco, 36, has also developed quite a culinary reputation, from creating mouthwatering meals for friends and family to the release of his previous cooking shows like Eat Out America and his debut cookbook, Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends. "He’s super funny. I was cracking up the whole time," Henrie said, adding that Blanco is "such a nice guy." Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco. Selena Gomez/Instagram David Henrie Says Friendship with Selena Gomez Stood the Test of Time Because They're 'Real with Each Other' (Exclusive) “I trust Selena, and I want her to be very happy,” the How I Met Your Mother alum confessed. “She knows I have her back.” Although they met as teens playing siblings Justin and Alex Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place, Gomez and Henrie's relationship has evolved as they’ve grown older, he said. “It was more big brother growing up, but now we’re all kind of equals,” he told E! News. The actor revealed that the sibling dynamic audiences can sense while watching the show is the same off-camera. “We really did care about one another," he said. "I think it’s a wonderful culture to have each other's backs, to have an openness. It’s been wonderful.” Selena Gomez and David Henrie on Sept. 24. Todd Williamson/JanuaryImages/Shutterstock "Selena and I remained very good friends from the end of the show, and I got married, she became good friends with my wife, and we would just all get together and have a glass of wine and just talk about memories," he previously told PEOPLE. “Her and my wife actually get along very well. They have woman-to-woman conversations and I just chime in with a joke or something,” he told E! News. "Despite all of her massive successes, her and I, our relationship has just withstood all that because I don't know, we're just real with each other,” Henrie told PEOPLE. "We both were close before any of that stuff started. She knows I'm going to be myself with her, and I'm going to be genuine and authentic and shoot her straight," he continued. "I think there's a freedom to that that is tough to come by." David Henrie and Selena Gomez's 'Goal' Was to 'Recreate' the Sense of 'Family' on Wizards Reboot (Exclusive) Selena Gomez and David Henrie in "Wizards of Waverly Place.". Craig Sjodin/Disney Channel via Getty The pair have taken their off-screen friendship back on screen with the new sequel series, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. Justin Russo (Henrie) is now living a normal life outside of the Wizard World. But, a new challenge surfaces when his sister Alex Russo (Gomez) introduces him to Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown), a young wizard in need of Justin's mentorship. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Wizards Beyond Waverly Place premieres Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. ET on Disney Channel and will be available to stream on Disney+. Close