September 16, 2009

Maryland priest takes on celebrity chef in cooking ‘throwdown’

BALTIMORE (CNS)—Father Leo Patalinghug is not the kind of guy who steps down from a challenge. The 39-year-old priest is a former national full-contact stick fighting champion, a black belt in tae kwon do and an ‘80s break dancer who can still bust the moves with the best of them. So when Bobby Flay, a world-class celebrity chef, recently showed up in Emmitsburg and challenged the well-known cooking priest to a “throwdown” on the Food Network, Father Patalinghug’s response was simple: Bring it on. Father Patalinghug, a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, is director of pastoral field education at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg. He had been invited to film a cooking segment for the Food Network based on “Grace Before Meals,” his popular cooking show that airs on the Internet and a Boston-based Catholic television station. While Father Patalinghug was preparing a steak “fusion fajita” during a June 8 taping at the seminary, he noticed that his 100-member audience started rustling around. “I glanced up and the producer pointed to Bobby Flay,” said Father Patalinghug, a self-described “huge fan” of Flay and his fusion style of cooking. Flay hosts several Food Network programs. The two chefs went to work on their dishes as a team of cameras filmed their every move. A panel of judges evaluated their work and announced Father Patalinghug’s steak fajitas as the winner.