MIAMI (WSVN) - Celebrity chef Ralph Pagano was airlifted from Bimini to a Miami hospital with burns from an explosion in the kitchen of a new restaurant he was opening.
Pagano was in the process of opening his new restaurant in the Bahamas on the island of Bimini when there was some kind of explosion in the kitchen. He suffered bad burns and needed to be airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Thursday.
According to his wife, Buffy, the chef is on a long road to recovery.
“That’s the most important thing, that he’s alive right now,” she said. “It’s going to be a log road of recovery, I can guarantee you that, but as long as he’s alive that’s all we care about.”
His wife spoke with 7News about the ordeal, Friday. “I got the phone call yesterday afternoon that there was an explosion in Bimini,” she said. “I know that I kissed him goodbye yesterday to go to Bimini with all of his skin on.”
Sources said while Pagano was opening up the restaurant, there was an issue with the oven, and when he turned on the gas, the explosion occurred.
Buffy said she was able to speak with her husband momentarily and that he was in pain, but is OK.
“Right now, they brought him into Jackson Memorial Hospital. He’s got third-degree burns over most of his body,” she said.
The celebrity chef owns Naked Taco on Miami Beach and Naked Crab in Fort Lauderdale. 7News previously featured Pagano at one of his restaurants.
Buffy expressed how grateful she is to know that her husband will come out of this. “He’s breathing, he’s talking, he’s doing as well as can be expected,” Buffy said. “He’s such a big personality, and I know that he appreciates all the concern for him. He expresses his greatest appreciation for everything, all of the comments on his Facebook — he gets all of that information.”
Resorts World Bimini, where the explosion occurred, said they are working with local officials investigating the incident.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.