The Next Iron Chef

It looks like the Food Network is expanding its quasi reality contest offerings Sunday night when it presents us with, [B]"The Next Iron Chef."[/B] I think it is going to make for an interesting short series (6 episodes) as the competitors are all of the highest quality, unlike the Next Food Network Star which was a crowning example of mediocrity. The locations sound exotic and the challenges seem in line with the ultimate goal, which is to join the pre-ordained Iron Chefs and become part of next seasons Kitchen Stadium Dream Team. Do you think Bobby Flay would have gone through this? [QUOTE]Who Is the Odds-On Favorite To Be the 'Next Iron Chef'? Food Network and Caesars Palace are cranking up the burners-and the stakes-by setting the odds to see who will be crowned The Next Iron Chef, a limited-run series launching this Sunday, October 7, at 9pm ET/PT. Eight top chefs from around the country will compete to join the ranks of Mario Batali, Cat Cora, Bobby Flay and Masahuru Morimoto and be launched into instant fame. But whose cuisine will reign supreme? Follow the show, and the odds, to see who is selected as the weekly favorite by the odds-on experts at Caesars Palace. The eight contestants are: John Besh (Executive Chef, Restaurant August, Besh Steak, Luke and La Provence, New Orleans, LA); Chris Cosentino (Executive Chef, Incanto, San Francisco, CA); Jill Davie (Executive Chef, JOSIE, Santa Monica, CA); Traci Des Jardins (Executive Chef & Co-Owner, Jardiniere, Mijita and Acme Chophouse, San Francisco, CA); Gavin Kaysen (Chef de Cuisine, El Bizcocho at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego, CA); Morou Ouattara (Executive Chef & Owner, Farrah Olivia, Alexandria, VA); Aaron Sanchez (Executive Chef & Owner, Centrico and Paladar, New York, NY), and Michael Symon (Executive Chef & Owner, Lola and Lolita, Cleveland, OH). "Caesars Palace has become one of the top fine dining destinations in Las Vegas thanks to the arrival of celebrity chefs Bradley Ogden, Guy Savoy, Francois Payard and of course, Iron Chef Bobby Flay," says Caesars Palace Assistant Vice President of Race & Sports Book Operations, Chuck Esposito. "Our Race & Sports Book sits right across from Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill and my team of experts and I have spent countless meals there discussing the finer points of what it takes to be an Iron Chef. After several heated discussions we decided that Chef Des Jardins possesses both the culinary sensibilities and high-pressure kitchen skills needed to win this contest and enters today as our odds-on favorite." The six episodes will take the contestants from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, to Europe - with the help of international airline Lufthansa - to compete in the food fight of their professional lives. Over the course of the show, the judges - Michael Ruhlman (James Beard Foundation Award-winning author, cookbook author and food writer), Andrew Knowlton (Restaurant Editor of Bon Appetit magazine) and Donatella Arpaia (restaurateur and owner of acclaimed New York City restaurants davidburke&donatella and Anthos) - will ask the chefs to demonstrate their speed, artistry, flair for simplicity, innovation, resourcefulness, creativity under pressure and leadership skills as they strive to attain greatness in the form of becoming America's Next Iron Chef. The winner will be revealed during the series' finale on Sunday, November 11, at 9pm ET/PT and will begin their reign as Iron Chef with the premiere of the new season of Iron Chef America on Sunday, November 18, 2007. The Next Iron Chef is produced by Triage Entertainment in conjunction with Food Network and is based partially on the format Iron Chef owned by Fuji Television Network, Inc. [/QUOTE] [url]http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/NYW11003102007-1.htm[/url]