MIRAMAR BEACH — Robert Medina says there’s not much that can beat his blackened cheeseburger po’ boy, which has made him one of three finalists in Bobby Flay’s Burger of the Month contest on the “Rachael Ray Show.”
“Bobby has 18 restaurants and was looking for a new burger to feature,” said Medina, who lives Miramar Beach. “The prize is the burger will be in either one or all of his restaurants.”
The former New Orleans firefighter has been cooking for more than 30 years. When he heard about the competition he handed in a recipe that reflects the flare and taste of the Gulf Coast.
Medina was taped at home and flown to New York for the show’s taping last month. The segment will air Monday at 9 a.m. on WEAR and at 1 p.m. on WJHG.
“We only had 4 minutes each to cook our burger and present it to Rachael Ray and Bobby Flay,” Medina said. “He’s got a burger for California, a Cuban for Miami, something from Philadelphia, New York, Arizona, Santa Fe. It would be interesting to have something that will reflect our area.”
Medina’s competitors also presented burgers with pizzazz: a hot brown burger with Alfredo sauce and a Korean-inspired kimchi burger.
“It was a little nerve-wracking,” Medina said. “I’ve done cooking demos, but this was more like ‘3-2-1, go!’ I’ve never done something like that in front of so many people.”
Medina couldn’t share the results of the competition, but hopes the publicity will spark interest in his cookbook, “If You Can’t Stand the Heat,” and the spice used in his cheeseburger recipe: New Orleans Original Firehouse Flashover Creole Seasoning.
“I did what I really wanted to do,” Medina said of his appearance. “I got to talk about the cookbook and even left a couple boxes of the spice at the show.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.