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San Antonio celebrity chef dukes it out on Food Network's Beat Bobby Flay

Steve McHugh may be a multiple James Beard Award finalist, but he couldn’t do it. Neither could prolific restaurateur Jason Dady or Botika’s Geronimo López. But San Antonio will get another shot at culinary redemption when Johnny Hernandez of La Gloria fame tries to Beat Bobby Flay.
The Food Network has confirmed that Hernandez is appearing on a new episode of the cooking competition, airing May 9 at 9 pm.
The chef’s fans have long known that the episode was coming after he teased the appearance on Facebook in June 2018. The details of the episode, however, are still murky. The title, “Something’s Fishy,” surely indicates a seafood battle, but the network did not offer any further specifics.
The show does tend to have its competitors challenge Flay with their own iconic dishes. Dady chose to make a salmon, octopus, and tuna poke trio when he competed in November 2017, while López looked to his Peruvian roots by serving lomo saltado during his July 2018 bid.
Of course, as the founder of the Alamo City’s Paella Challenge, Hernandez is well-known for his love of the Spanish national dish, but our guess would be ceviche. The chef includes several varieties on his restaurants' menus — including four at La Gloria alone — and hinted to CultureMap that he would be duking it out with Mexican cuisine.
“I traveled to [New York City] with one goal in mind: to show Bobby and the judges what real Mexican food is supposed to taste like,” says Hernandez. “You’ll have to tune in to see what happens.”
San Antonians can do just that at Southtown’s Burgerteca on May 9. From 8-10 pm, Hernandez will be hosting a viewing party with drink specials on beer, wine, and margaritas. We’re hoping the evening will end with a celebratory round.