BOBBY FLAY BEATEN
Local chef Pramod ‘Paddy Rawal brings home rare victory
It was the chicken tikka masala that won the judges over. Pramod “Paddy” Rawal, owner of Santa Fe’s Indian hot spot Raaga-Go, beat celebrity chef Bobby Flay on his own TV show — the Food Network’s latest episode of Beat Bobby Flay.
Upon winning Sunday night’s episode, titled “The Cheese Stands Alone,” Rawal dedicated his success to Santa Fe — a community he says has allowed him to evolve as a chef worthy of the national spotlight.
“Santa Fe has been very good to me,” said Rawal, who estimates he serves at least 100 meals a day on weekdays and 150 meals on weekends at his restaurant on Old Santa Fe Trail. “This is my community.”
Rawal, who appeared on Food Network’s Chopped in 2016, said he received a call “out of the blue” about a year ago, inviting him to Beat Bobby Flay, though not necessarily … beat Bobby Flay.
On Chopped, Rawal said he whipped up one of his famous flash-fried spinach salads — he said he makes about 60 to 70 of these dishes a night at Raaga-Go — but lost, due to exhaustion.
“I nicked my finger, I was so tired,” he said, noting he
was working more than 15 hours a day back then. “I don’t think it was the right time for me to go on there. I was just so busy with my restaurant.”
This time, he said, was different. His appearance on Flay’s show “was the right time for me.”
Rawal said he has always been a fan of Flay — someone he said shares his love of creative play in the kitchen.
“I work with spices, I do a lot of colors,” Rawal said. “That’s what he does. And he’s just so good at all that. He’s very creative.”
An author of two cookbooks who was professionally trained in 12 cuisines and is considered a master of at least eight — from Malaysian to continental to Italian — Rawal has experience leading multimillion-dollar food companies overseas and has managed large teams in different parts of the U.S.
He moved to the U.S. from Mumbai, India, in 2001 with just $100 in his pocket, and eventually arrived in Santa Fe in 2011.
He said he was confident in his work and was “never nervous” on Flay’s show.
“I can come up with any recipe and mix and match any ingredient,” he said. “I don’t have to be looking at a cookbook for that. It’s all in this head of mine.”
On the show, two guest chefs must vie for their chance to compete against Flay. In “The Cheese Stands Alone,” Rawal went up against Caribbean specialty chef Trey Lamont, as the pair were given the challenge to create a dish with farmer’s cheese.
Being from India, a country that specializes in paneer dishes, “farmer’s cheese is very up my alley,” Rawal said through a hearty laugh, noting he immediately decided to make a spinach farmer’s cheese dish. Rawal finished the plate in 10 minutes — five minutes under his 15-minute deadline. While waiting for Lamont to wrap up, the judges asked Rawal if he could also make a lassi, a flavorful, yogurt-based drink.
“So, I whipped them up some lassi in under two minutes,” he said with a laugh.
After winning the first round, Rawal moved on to compete against Flay with his specialty, tikka masala. Rawal completed the dish in 39 minutes, six minutes under cutoff.
“I beat him unanimously,” Rawal exclaimed, crediting a sauce — a not-too-creamy mixture of coriander, green and red bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, clove and more.
“It just slides down your throat and sits well in your stomach,” he said.
Rawal said he flew to New York City in April to film the show. Leading up to its Super Bowl Sunday airing, Rawal posted on Raaga-Go’s Facebook page, encouraging Santa Feans to tune in to watch. Following its debut, he posted a video of judges announcing his win.
In the clip, viewers see Rawal explode with a “Whoo!” — his hands raised in the air in celebration, before hugging his rival.
“I can proudly say I just beat Bobby Flay,” Rawal says into the camera, a big smile spread across his face. “This one’s for you, Santa Fe.”