Iron Chef America
Who needs boxing gloves when you have oven mitts? Iron Chef America carries on the legend of Kitchen Stadium and the famed "secret ingredient" as it pits some of North America's favourite chefs against the inspired food wizardry of Iron Chefs Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Masaharu Morimoto and Cat Cora.
Born in Hiroshima, Iron Chef Japanese Masaharu Morimoto trained in a sushi restaurant before moving to the U.S. in 1985 at the age of 30. After working in several restaurants, he joined the highly acclaimed Nobu restaurant in New York City, and is currently its head chef.
Mario Batali believes that olive oil rules, that shorts are acceptable attire for every season and that food, like most things, is best when left to its own simple beauty. To that end, Mario creates magic night after night in Manhattan, dividing his time between his Italian hotspots: Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, an upscale dining room where Mario has seamlessly combined traditional principles with intelligent culinary adventure since June 1998; Lupa, a Roman-style trattoria; and Esca, which focuses on fresh seafood. Ruth Reichl at The New York Times hailed Babbo with three stars, and the James Beard Foundation honored it with its "Best New Restaurant of 1998" award.
Bobby Flay’s versatility is evident in the multiple talents he brings to the field as a chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and media personality.
Bobby fell into cooking at the age of 17 when he took a job at New York's Joe Allen restaurant. He so impressed the management that Joe Allen paid his tuition to the French Culinary Institute. But French cuisine was not to be Bobby's destiny. After restaurateur Jonathan Waxman introduced him to southwestern ingredients, Bobby — instantly drawn to indigenous American foods such as black and white beans, chilies and avocados — was determined to explore the possibilities of southwestern cuisine as an important and distinct culinary style for America.
Bobby works tirelessly to challenge the way Americans view and taste food – making it bold, zesty and always fun.
Watch Bobby Flay Fit and learn Bobby's fitness and healthy eating plan.
It's no surprise Cat Cora became a world renowned chef. Her culinary aspirations began at an early age, and by 15, she had developed a business plan for her own restaurant. In 2005, she made television history on Food Network's Iron Chef America as the first and only female Iron Chef, and in November 2006 Bon Appétit Magazine bestowed her with their Teacher of the Year Award, an award she calls, "the greatest recognition she could achieve as a chef." That month, she was also honored with another great culinary distinction when she was named executive chef of the magazine.