Catholic food wins!

Catholics know how to cook, and Father Leo Patalinghug has proved it in front of a national audience last night by beating Bobby Flay in a throwdown.

For those of you who aren't huge Food Network fans (like me), on Throwdown with Bobby Flay, celebrity chef Flay surprises ordinary cooks and challenges them to a taste test for their specialty dish.

Patalinghug started the international movement Grace Before Meals–with a book, a blog, and PBS cooking show in the works. The priest thought he was filming a Food Network program about his movement when Bobby Flay surprised him with a steak fajita throwdown.

The episode, which was filmed last year, aired last night. I didn't get to see the episode, but I'm eager to see what goes into Patalinghug's Fusion Fajita. Bobby rarely loses. (You can catch the episode on Sept 20 next. Bobby's recipe is online, and hopefully clips from the show will be too.)

You just might want to pick up his cookbook in time for September 28: Family Day–A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children.

And here's a fun way to get the conversation started at dinner: Loyola Press' The Meal Box holds 52 cards with questions and "Food for Family Thought."