Hunter Fieri met his wife, Tara Bernstein, in part because of his father, Guy Fieri.
The pair met at Guy’s Super Bowl tailgate in 2023, hit it off, and dated for nine months before getting engaged later that year. Almost two years later, in August 2025, the two got married.
“[Tara]is very driven, very passionate, very energetic… and that’s what I look for in a person,” Fieri told PEOPLE in 2023.
Bernstein wasn’t familiar with the famous Food Network family when they met, but Fieri thought it was “pretty cool.”
“I had no idea who they were, that they were even doing a show,” Bernstein tells PEOPLE. “I was actually embarrassed. I was born in a sports facility and grew up playing sports all my life. So for me, Food Network was never my thing.”
Fieri found it refreshing. “Because from that moment on, I knew she wasn’t looking for something to replace her.”
Since then, Bernstein has gotten to know her father-in-law better, and Guy noted that he is “very family-oriented.”
“He has so many different fun versions and we always have fun together as a family,” she told PEOPLE in 2025.
So, who is Hunter Fieri’s wife? Here’s everything you need to know about Tara Bernstein’s relationship with the Food Network star.
she attended pace university
Skip Bolen/Getty
According to LinkedIn, Bernstein graduated from Bayside High School in 2014 and then enrolled at Pace University in New York. She studied communications, journalism, and sports communications and held internships with the Mets, NY1 News, and NBC Sports Radio while in college. She was also an on-air host for the school’s sports media department.
Additionally, she played on her college softball team and won the NCAA Championship.
she is a professional pickleball player
Emma McIntyre/Getty
Bernstein played softball in college, but after graduation she pursued a career in pickleball, the sport her father taught her.
“He invited me to play at the local Glen Oaks courts. I was a little skeptical at first, but when I stepped on that court, I fell in love,” she told Jejune Magazine in 2023.
“I have played sports all my life and have continued to train every day. Even after my career as a softball player ended, I continued to work in sports, but I missed competing and felt like a part of my identity was missing,” she added. “Playing pickleball helped me with that. I love that it allows me to compete and play at a high level.”
She works as a content creator
Tara Fieri/Instagram
Bernstein combines his passion for journalism and pickleball by working as a sports influencer and content creator.
She has collaborated on content with Eli Manning, Rob Gronkowski, and Drew Brees, co-owner of the Los Angeles Muddrops, a major league pickleball team.
Additionally, according to her LinkedIn, Bernstein founded the event marketing company TBCreative in 2024, where she serves as an event producer and creative director.
Fieri and Bernstein met at the Super Bowl
Tara Fieri/Instagram
Fieri and Bernstein first met at Guy’s annual tailgate at the 2023 Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, where Bernstein was helping teach celebrities and athletes how to play pickleball at the brand’s events. Later, she stopped by the famous tailgate with friends.
“We’re all dancing and having a good time,” Bernstein tells PEOPLE. “I turned around and thought, ‘Hey, can you take a video of me?'” And it was Hunter. ”
Fieri complied, returned his phone, and the two parted ways.
“We didn’t exchange contact information or anything,” Bernstein added.
While the two entered the stadium to watch the game in their own groups, Bernstein went to the concession stand to buy food and charge his cell phone, where he encountered Fieri again.
The chef and restaurateur called their second matchup “very coincidental,” and the two ended up talking for the rest of the match, with Fieri noting that they “connected really quickly on a deep level.”
“Then the next thing I knew, the game was over. I missed halftime,” he said.
they got engaged in 2023
Tara Bernstein/Instagram
After about nine months of dating, Fieri proposed to Bernstein on Thanksgiving Day in 2023. Bernstein popped the question at the Sonoma ranch where both families celebrated together after the big moment.
“We both knew we were going to get married,” Fieri tells PEOPLE. “We knew that and we were just waiting for the timing to know when we could do it,” he said, referring to their full schedule. “The only time I was able to (propose) was on Thanksgiving.”
“I burst into tears after that…It was really, really beautiful,” Bernstein recalled of the special moment.
Guy was quick to congratulate the couple, writing on Instagram: “You two were made for each other. Welcome to the family, Tara.”
The following year, the couple celebrated with a pickleball-themed engagement party in Central Park.
The two married in a ranch ceremony in 2025.
Paul Archuleta/Getty
Bernstein and Fieri were married in front of 350 guests on August 30, 2025, at Huntride Ranch, the same location where Bernstein proposed.
Bernstein and Fieri brought an “upscale country” feel to their California wedding. It consisted of custom-made cowboy boots for the wedding party, a “mini petting zoo,” an on-site glamping trailer for accommodation, and a large tent where the newlyweds would spend their first night as husband and wife.
“We just want to hang out with friends, eat good food and just have fun,” Fieri tells PEOPLE of the big day in 2025. “These are the people who mean the most to us.”
For the ceremony, Bernstein wore a strapless ball gown by Justin Alexander, while Fieri and his groomsmen wore suits by SuitShop.
For the cake, Buddy Valastro, known as “Cake Boss,” created a six-tiered cake that was about 5 feet tall and drew some of the couple’s passions, cooking and pickleball, on a chalkboard.
“I’m just excited as individuals and to continue building together as a people,” Bernstein tells PEOPLE.
The man helped her expand her palette
Dennis Trasello/Getty
Bernstein revealed that he was never a “huge food lover or a big cook,” but credited his father-in-law with helping him develop his cooking skills.
“He taught me a lot about knife skills,” she told PEOPLE in 2025. “(Guy) encouraged me to learn different things and try new foods because I was a picky eater.”
She said that when she first started eating with the Fieri family, she felt like she was the only one eating pasta and fries. However, Gai introduced her to foods such as tuna, which she now enjoys even when eating out with her husband.
“The look on my face, I mean, you saw it,” Fieri tells PEOPLE. “I was like, ‘What were you ordering? Tuna?'” You see, I couldn’t get her to eat tuna for a long time. ”
Bernstein said it was “fun” to step outside of her comfort zone.
“I learned some great skills,” she said. “I can do all that and then beat them on the pickleball court,” Bernstein added, noting that in return she helped her husband and father-in-law hone their court skills.
Guy added a pickleball court to his ranch.
Hunter Fieri/Instagram
While promoting his pickleball exhibit at the 2024 Olympia World Fitness Expo, Fieri spoke to Muscle & Fitness magazine about his pickleball journey.
“We may have played in elementary school, but she got me and my dad hooked,” he said of Bernstein, adding that his father “had two courts built on the ranch.”
“My dad and I could play two-on-one with her and she could play with her left hand, right hand behind her back and still beat us,” he added.