This year marked an extra special birthday for Food Network star Alex Guarnaschelli. It included a proposal from her boyfriend of four years, fellow chef Michael Castellon.
Alex and Mike each announced the news of their engagement on their Instagram pages, which featured dueling shots of the stunning engagement ring. A massive emerald is the centerpiece of the band, which also includes diamonds. The rock is a family heirloom, Alex told People magazine.
"We're not in any hurry, but I want to have a blowout," the Chopped judge told the outlet. "I want a Tri-State rager." (Tri-State refers to the three states within commuting distance of Manhattan: New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.)
Appropriately enough for two chefs, the engagement involved food. Mike popped the big question as the couple headed home from a trip to the grocery store to put the finishing touches on a bread and cheese tray to be served at a socially-distant birthday party for Alex. After spotting a baby deer, he pulled over on the side of the road to show his future fiancé.
"We tiptoe out, full-on tiptoe," Alex recalled to People. "And he goes, 'It's right around the windmill.' So I look, and he's like, 'Do you see it?' And I'm like, 'No, where's the baby? You promised me a baby deer.' "
"And he goes, 'There's no deer.' I turn, and I look, and he's on one knee," the chef continued. "And he said, 'There's no deer.' He's like, 'This is why I have to marry you, because you just believe me every time.' He said, 'Will you marry me?' And he gave me the ring."
