Man About Town

By his own admission, the sentiment never was at the forefront of his mind. But nearly two years after an accident sent him to a trauma center in Miami for more than 50 days, Ralph Pagano understands as well as anyone that life can change in a flash.

The restaurateur whose โ€œNakedโ€ titles made him a household name in the South Florida industry had expanded his brand to Bimini in June 2017. Paganoโ€”who had honed his craft in New York, appearing on TV shows such as โ€œHellโ€™s Kitchen,โ€ โ€œIron Chefโ€ and โ€œPressure Cookโ€ along the wayโ€”was inspecting his Naked Taco restaurant at Resorts World in the Bahamas when an explosion rocked the kitchen during a training session. Pagano spent nearly two months recovering from third-degree burns to his face, hands and legs at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Ryder Trauma Center.

โ€œI never saw myself as dead. I never realized my own mortality. I never had a true and frank conversation with myself and said, โ€˜All right, when you die, this is whatโ€™s going to be left,โ€™ โ€ Pagano says. โ€œWhen I saw the gas ignite … the last few hours of my life flashed before my eyes, and I thought to myself, โ€˜What an unceremonious way to die.โ€™ โ€

Paganoโ€™s focus after the accident became balance, a theme that also speaks to his return to television. He recently joined the Lifetime morning show, โ€œThe Balancing Act,โ€ where he takes viewers on foodie-inspired travels around South Florida in a customized Airstream for his โ€œRalph on the Roadโ€ segments.

His latest venture isnโ€™t the only thing that reflects his renewed sense of purpose. He trimmed his restaurants to just twoโ€”Naked Crab at B Ocean Resort in Fort Lauderdale and Naked Taco in Miami Beachโ€”and restructured his work schedule to allow more time for family.

Before the explosion, he says, he would work until midnight six days of the week; on the seventh day, he would sleep. Now, his schedule is centered around his wife, Buffy (whom he married in 2015), and their twins.

โ€œI drive my son to school every morning, I kiss my daughter, share a cup of coffeeโ€ with his wife, he says. โ€œWe laugh, and we have a little bit of time together.โ€ He runs and enjoys yoga and Pilates to keep his mind and his body centered. Heโ€™s lost 30 pounds in the process.

Check out thebalancingact.com to see Paganoโ€™s foodie adventures in Wynwood, Boca Raton and other stops.

โ€”Olivia Bibbee

Kevin Gale
kgale@sfbwmag.com
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