NEW YORK – November 23, 2009 – The Next Iron Chef is…Jose Garces! Last night, Garces beat out Jehangir Mehta in a head-to-head battle to take home the world’s most coveted culinary title. Garces was selected as the winner by existing Iron Chefs Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto, and Michael Symon, along with series judges Donatella Arpaia (acclaimed restaurateur, food expert, and owner of Anthos, Mia Dona and Kefi), Jeffrey Steingarten (food critic, Vogue, New York, N.Y.) and Anya Fernald (sustainable food consultant, San Francisco, Calif.) who served as judges throughout The Next Iron Chef.
“Chef Jose Garces has been a fierce competitor throughout the entire season of The Next Iron Chef,” said Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production for Food Network. “His culinary mastery, laser focus and inventive brilliance will bring a new flair and style to the Chairman’s team. We truly look forward to some amazing cuisine during his battles in Kitchen Stadium.”
Garces is the executive chef and owner of Amada, Tinto, Distrito, Chifa and Village Whiskey in Philadelphia and the executive chef at Mercat a la Planxa in Chicago. He has spent years perfecting different cuisines in top-rated restaurants and is now well known for his signature Latin cooking style. Since 2005, the Chicago native has opened six restaurants, authored “Latin Evolution” (Lake Isle Press, 2008), and won the 2009 ”Best Chef Mid-Atlantic” award from the James Beard Foundation. Garces currently resides in Philadelphia with his family.
Tune-in on Sunday, January 17th, 2010 at 9pm ET/PT as Garces represents the Chairman in Kitchen Stadium for his first battle as an Iron Chef.
The Next Iron Chef, which premiered October 4th, returned for a second season to find a new culinary warrior for Kitchen Stadium. Hosted by Alton Brown (Good Eats, Iron Chef America), the reality competition challenged 10 top chefs from around the country in a series of demanding situations, from Los Angeles to Japan to New York, to compete in the food fight of their professional lives. The Next Iron Chef is produced by Triage Entertainment.
For more information, behind-the-scenes videos, and photos, visit: www.foodnetwork.com/nextironchef
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