Puerto Rican Chef Rosana Rivera Defeats Husband and Beats Bobby Flay

The “It Must Have Been Love” episode of Beat Bobby Flay is a special one. First, husband-and-wife business partners Rosana Rivera and Ricardo Castro had to compete against each other in Round 1. Then, the episode marked a first in Beat Bobby Flay history: Rosana became the first Latina chef to beat Bobby.

“As a female chef, we don’t get these opportunities very often. As a Latina, we don’t get these opportunities very often,” Rosana recalled in an interview with WFLA Channel 8 in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Rosana grew up in Puerto Rico — where food is the center of life, she said — and spent some time working in corporate sales before she struck out on her own in 2006 to open her own business. She went on to obtain a degree in culinary arts from the Art Institute of Tampa.

Beating Ricardo

Rosana and her husband, Ricardo, had been married eight years when they appeared on Season 22 of the cooking competition. Chefs compete against each other in the first round with an ingredient chosen by Bobby in the first round. The chef who wins that round then decides the dish that they challenge Bobby with.

Bobby gave Rosana and Ricardo papaya as their ingredient in Round 1, and Rosana pulled out a win with a papaya salsa with prawns and pea tendril salad with papaya dressing.

Usually, the losing competitor in Round 1 is ushered off the set, but Ricardo was allowed to stay and cheer his wife on.

“I was very happy for her. I knew she was gonna do a great job against Bobby,” he said.

Beating Bobby

Rosana chose empanadas, a common Puerto Rican meal, as her challenge dish for Bobby.

“The recipe itself represents my culture, something that I grew up with,” she explained. “It felt like the right recipe to go against the caliber of Bobby.”

Using her grandmother’s dough recipe and her mother’s filling recipe — with a few of her own tweaks — Rosana set off on the 45-minute speed run to create a better empanada than Bobby. Bobby, who struggled with various kitchen mishaps, fought to prepare his empanadas in time, while Rosana found herself with enough time to add a watercress salad with chipotle to the empanada plate for the judges.

The final result? The first Latina win on Beat Bobby Flay.

Where Is Rosana Now?

Rosana travels the country as a caterer and is available to book for private events. She also offers cooking classes and has an online shop where you can pick up kitchenware and serveware to elevate your next event. Rosana and Ricardo also operate Chef & the Baker, a bakery in Tampa that serves all-day breakfast as well as baked goods, savory treats and, yes, the empanadas that beat Bobby Flay.