The Next Iron Chef is a limited-run series on the Food Network that aired its fifth season in 2012. Each season is a stand-alone competition to select a chef to be designated an Iron Chef, who will appear on the Food Network program Iron Chef America.
In Season 1, eight chefs from around the United States battled to be the next Iron Chef. The show debuted Sunday, October 7, 2007, and the hosts were Alton Brown and "The Chairman", Mark Dacascos. Challenges one through five of the competition were held at the Culinary Institute of America. Challenges six and seven took place in Munich and Paris, respectively. The final challenge took place at the Food Network studios in New York City, on the Iron Chef America set. The winner of The Next Iron Chef was Cleveland restaurant chef Michael Symon.
Season 2 premiered on October 4, 2009, and featured ten chefs battling to be the newest Iron Chef. The show was based in Los Angeles before traveling to Tokyo for two episodes, and again hosted by Alton Brown and "The Chairman" Mark Dacascos. Following a final battle in Kitchen Stadium, Chicago-born Ecuadorian-American chef Jose Garces, was selected the newest Iron Chef. Garces debuted as an Iron Chef on January 17, 2010, when he squared off against Seattle chefs Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi.
Food Network began airing commercials for the third season of The Next Iron Chef in July 2010. It was later announced in an internet press release that Alton Brown and judge Donatella Arpaia would return for season 3. Completing the judges panel are food writer and broadcaster Simon Majumdar and current Iron Chef Michael Symon. Season 3 began airing on October 3, 2010, on Food Network. The winner of season 3 was Marc Forgione. Chef Forgione engaged in his first battle against Washington D.C. chef RJ Cooper on November 28, 2010. By November 30, 2010, Next Iron Chef's music composer Craig Marks released the soundtrack "Iron Chef America & The Next Iron Chef", which contains themes from all seasons of both shows.
During Season 4, the eliminated chefs were interviewed during the week following the episode airdate on ABC's The Chew. The first castoff was interviewed on November 1, 2011.
Season 5 aired from November 4, 2012, to December 23, 2012, and was called The Next Iron Chef: Redemption. The winner was Alexandra Guarnaschelli, who had her first battle against Iron Chef UK’s Judy Joo on December 30, 2012.
In 2017, the series was succeeded by Iron Chef Gauntlet.
Judges JudgesSeasons 1 2 3 4 5 Donatella Arpaia ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Michael Ruhlman ♦ Andrew Knowlton ♦ Jeffrey Steingarten ♦ Anya Fernald ♦ Simon Majumdar ♦ ♦ ♦ Michael Symon ♦ ♦ Judy Joo ♦ Geoffrey Zakarian ♦
Season 1: 2007 Contestants
John Besh (New Orleans, LA); defeated Mario Batali in Battle Andouille in Season 3 of Iron Chef America. Chris Cosentino (San Francisco, CA); lost to Batali in Battle Garlic, in Season 4. Jill Davie (Santa Monica, CA) Chef de Cuisine at Josie in Santa Monica, California, and co-host of Fine Living's Shopping with Chefs. Traci Des Jardins (San Francisco, CA); defeated Batali in Battle Shrimp in Season 2. Gavin Kaysen (San Diego, CA) Chef de Cuisine at El Bizcocho at the Rancho Bernardo Inn in California. Morou Ouattara (Washington, D.C.) who lost to Bobby Flay in Battle Peas in Season 3. Aarón Sanchez (New York, NY) who tied Masaharu Morimoto in Battle Black Bass in Season 2. Michael Symon (Cleveland, OH) who lost to Masaharu Morimoto in Battle Asparagus in Season 2.
Besh specialised in French/Cajun cuisine, Cosentino in Nose-To-Tail Rustic Italian, Davie in Seasonal Produce, Des Jardins in French-California, Kaysen in Seasonal French, Morou in French/African/Middle-Eastern fusion, Sanchez in Latin, and Symon in Mediterranean/American.
Judges The contest was judged by food writer Michael Ruhlman, Bon Appétit restaurant editor Andrew Knowlton, and restaurateur Donatella Arpaia.
Contestant progress
Episode 1 2 3 4 5 6 Comments Challenge 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Symon IN IN WIN IN WIN WIN IN WIN The Next Iron Chef Besh IN WIN IN IN IN IN IN OUT Elimin: Attain Greatness Cosentino IN IN IN WIN IN IN OUT Elimin: Lead and Inspire SanchezWIN IN IN IN IN OUT Elimin: Pressure Morou IN IN IN IN OUT Elimin: Resourcefulness Kaysen IN IN IN IN OUT Davie IN IN IN OUT Elimin: Innovation Des Jardins IN OUT Elimin: Artistry
(WIN) The chef won the series (WIN) The chef won the challenge. (OUT) The chef lost that week's Elimination Challenge and was out of the competition.
Results
Episode 1 Challenge 1: Speed A speed challenge in which chefs are required to debone a chicken, fillet a salmon, open enough coconuts to produce two cups of coconut milk, shuck six oysters and clams, french a rack of lamb, and slice off a strip of daikon thin enough to read newsprint through within 15 minutes. WINNER: Aarón Sanchez Challenge 2: Artistry Chefs are challenged to make desserts: one with any available ingredient and the second featuring savory ingredients. Each chef selects one of the following savory ingredients: catfish, tripe, beef shoulder, chorizo, duck confit, bacon, salmon roe, or squid based on the order of their finish in the Speed challenge. The chefs are not allowed to use butter, sugar, or cheese unless they make it themselves. WINNER: John Besh ELIMINATED: Traci Des Jardins First aired: October 7, 2007
Episode 2 Challenge 3: Simplicity The chefs have 30 minutes to prepare six one-bite (amuse-bouche) dishes that best exemplify their style of cooking. Because of his win in the Artistry challenge in Episode 1, Chef Besh is given the advantage of selecting his ingredients first, and also selecting the order in which the chefs present their dishes. The chefs serve as judges for each other's dishes. Chef Sanchez misunderstands the rules and fails to finish plating more than a single serving of his dish, deciding during the judging to give his dish to Chef Besh for tasting. WINNER: Michael Symon Challenge 4: Innovation After a brief introduction to the special ingredients and appliances (and with some tutelage by chef Wylie Dufresne in a special guest appearance), the chefs have 90 minutes to "play" with these items in order to incorporate them into their cooking style. The chefs then have 90 minutes to prepare a dish using innovative ingredients (e.g., xanthan gum, liquid nitrogen) and innovative appliances (e.g., thermal immersion circulator, Anti-griddle) to prepare a single dish for the judges. With his win in Challenge 1 of this round, Chef Symon is able to select his ingredients first and had a dedicated set of cooking equipment, while the other contestants have to share a common set. WINNER: Chris Cosentino ELIMINATED: Jill Davie First aired: October 14, 2007
Episode 3 Challenge 5: Resourcefulness (Double Elimination) The chefs are divided into pairs. Each chef selects ingredients for his partner and places the ingredients in a sealed cooler. The chefs are taken outdoors, where each chef has 60 minutes to prepare two dishes with the items located in his cooler and the limited ingredients at his individual station. In addition, the chefs are only able to use a single charcoal grill to cook their dishes. With his win in the previous challenge, Chris Cosentino is given the privilege of deciding the pairings of contestants. WINNER: Michael Symon ELIMINATED: Gavin Kaysen and Morou Ouattara First aired: October 21, 2007
Episode 4 Challenge 6: Creativity Under Pressure The remaining four chefs learn that they will be traveling to Germany for this week's challenge. At the Munich airport, the chefs are taken to Lufthansa's catering facilities where their next challenge is to create the ultimate first class meal for passengers, to be finished and presented to the first class cabin of a long-haul jet. They have 90 minutes to prepare a minimum of three dishes. WINNER: Michael Symon ELIMINATED: Aarón Sanchez First aired: October 28, 2007
Episode 5 Challenge 7: Lead and Inspire The remaining three chefs continue the overseas portion of the competition as they fly to Paris for the next challenge. The chefs must create a meal representing their interpretations of classic American foods, to be served at a dinner hosted by the United States Ambassador to France, with guests including a number of noted French culinary figures. WINNER: No winner was chosen. ELIMINATED: Chris Cosentino First aired: November 4, 2007
Episode 6 Challenge 8: Attain Greatness The final competition takes the form of a head-to-head competition in Kitchen Stadium in a traditional Iron Chef America battle. The secret ingredient was swordfish. Judges Ruhlman, Knowlton and Arpaia are replaced in the on-air tasting portion of the judging by current Iron Chefs Bobby Flay, Cat Cora and Masaharu Morimoto. The three judges and the three Iron Chefs collaborate to determine the winner, each receiving a ballot to vote for their preferred candidate. WINNER: Michael Symon ELIMINATED: John Besh
First aired: November 11, 2007
Season 2: 2009 Contestants Nate Appleman (Executive Chef and partner, Pulino's Bar and Pizzeria, New York City); lost to Michael Symon in Battle Suckling Pig in Season 7 Dominique Crenn (Chef de Cuisine, Luce at The Intercontinental Hotel, San Francisco) Brad Farmerie (Executive Chef, Double Crown, Madam Geneva, PUBLIC, The Monday Room, New York City); defeated Cat Cora in Battle Maple Syrup in Season 7 Amanda Freitag (Executive Chef, The Harrison, New York City); lost to Bobby Flay in Battle Alaskan King Crab in Season 7 Jose Garces (Executive Chef and owner, Amada, Tinto, Distrito, Chifa, Village Whiskey, Garces Trading Company, JG Domestic, Philadelphia; Mercat a la Planxa, Chicago); defeated Bobby Flay in Battle Melon in Season 6 Eric Greenspan (Executive Chef and owner, The Foundry on Melrose, Los Angeles) Jehangir Mehta (Executive Chef and owner, Graffiti, New York City); lost to Masaharu Morimoto in Battle Coconut in Season 7 Seamus Mullen (Executive Chef and partner, Boqueria Flatiron and Boqueria Soho, New York City) Holly Smith (Chef and owner, Cafe Juanita, Poco Carretto Gelato, Kirkland, WA) Roberto Treviño (Executive Chef and owner, Budatai, San Juan, Puerto Rico); lost to Mario Batali in Battle Catfish in Season 1
Judges The judges are restaurateur Donatella Arpaia, food author and long-time Iron Chef America judge Jeffrey Steingarten and sustainable food expert Anya Fernald.
Contestant progress
Episode 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Comments Challenge 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 GarcesWIN IN IN IN IN IN IN IN WIN IN WIN IN WIN The Next Iron Chef Mehta IN IN WIN IN IN IN WIN IN IN WIN IN IN OUT Elim: Imagination Mullen IN IN IN WIN IN WIN IN IN IN IN IN OUT Elim: Integrity Freitag IN IN IN IN WIN IN IN IN IN IN OUT Elim: Umami Appleman IN WIN IN IN WIN IN IN WIN OUT Elim: Pressure Treviño IN IN IN IN WIN IN IN IN OUT Crenn IN IN IN IN WIN IN OUT Elim: Adaptability Farmerie IN IN IN IN IN OUT Elim: Innovation Smith IN IN IN OUT Elim: Interpretation Greenspan IN OUT Elim: Fearlessness
(WIN) The chef won the series (WIN) The chef won the challenge. (OUT) The chef lost that week's Elimination Challenge and was out of the competition.
Results
Episode 1 Challenge 1: Memory The Chairman presents each chef with an ingredient associated with their past, and challenges them to make a dish, to be presented family-style, that represents who they are. WINNER: Jose Garces
Challenge 2: Fearlessness The Chairman assigns each chef an exotic ingredient he or she may not have used before. Exercising his advantage, Chef Garces was allowed to exchange the ingredients of two chefs: Chef Crenn and Chef Mullen. WINNER: Nate Appleman (Unlaid Eggs) ELIMINATED: Eric Greenspan (Grasshoppers) First aired: October 4, 2009
Episode 2 Challenge 3: Simplicity