Recently, we asked if it was time for Food Network to consider bringing back Iron Chef America. With the popularity of shows like Tournament of Champions, Top Chef, and Hell’s Kitchen, it should be a no-brainer to bring back one of the oldest and most respected food competition shows ever to air.
Well, you answered and overwhelmingly agreed. It seems there are an awful lot of foodies who have fond memories of Iron Chef and would love nothing more than to see the series resurrected with a new look and a new attitude.
We decided, four all-new Iron Chefs to do battle in Kitchen Stadium.
We fully realize that toward the end of Iron Chef America‘s original run, it felt like they were handing out the title to just about anyone. Between The Next Iron Chef and Iron Chef Gauntlet, by the time the last season of the series aired in 2013, there were 11 chefs who claimed the title as their own. And if we’re being completely honest, not all of them deserved it.
Who should answer the call to become Iron Chef The Next Generation?
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But if you are going to bring back Iron Chef America, it should be with new attitudes and new ways of looking at food. Still honor the history of the series, but with an eye toward the future and what foodies want to see in food competitions. In other words, Iron Chef The Next Generation.
We looked at the food TV landscape and decided on four chefs who would fit the bill to become the next generation of Iron Chefs.
Four chefs who are popular enough to carry the series, possess the skills and desire to win and most importantly, have that edge that all the really good Iron Chefs have.
We also tried to go with four chefs that were as diverse as possible in regards to style and locations. So you will see our selections include two chefs from the East Coast, two from the West, two women, and two men.
Let’s begin with the two most obvious choices for Iron Chef The Next Generation and go on from there, shall we?
Antonia Lofaso
This one is easy. Antonia Lofaso is one of the most feared chefs who regularly competes on the food competition circuit. Her name alone is normally enough to make a handful of contestants quit right then and there.
There is no question she has the skills and knowledge to be an Iron Chef. But most important she has that fire to win that is essential to doing battle in Kitchen Stadium. If you saw Lofaso in the first season of Tournament of Champions, losing to Brooke Williamson actually brought her to tears. That is the kind of passion you want to see in an Iron Chef. A desire to win with no other option.
In addition, thanks to Lofaso’s numerous appearances on shows like Guy’s Grocery Games, there are few curveballs the Chairman could throw at her that she wouldn’t be ready for and able to adapt to.
It is safe to say that Antonia Lofaso was born to be an Iron Chef and the time has come for her to fulfill her destiny.
Michael Voltaggio
If being an Iron Chef was all about attitude, Michael Voltaggio should have been given one of the coveted chef jackets a long time ago.
Voltaggio is well known as a chef who really doesn’t give a crap what you think of him or his food. He makes what he enjoys and that’s the end of it. As a result of his uncompromising feelings about his cooking, he has earned a reputation as difficult and borderline arrogant.
But when you can cook like Voltaggio does and can back up your words with actions, you can be as arrogant as you want.
In addition, Voltaggio is no stranger to Iron Chef, having competed against Bobby Flay in Season 11, losing by a score of 83-77 in Battle Iberico Pork. And of course, he won Season 6 of Top Chef, taking down none other than his brother Michael to win the title.
Voltaggio would bring the perfect combination of skill and attitude to Iron Chef and we feel would quickly become one of the most feared weapons in the Chairman’s arsenal.
Maneet Chauhan
Of all the chefs who could become the next generation of Iron Chefs, Maneet Chauhan is the one Food Network viewers know the best. She has been a mainstay on shows such as Chopped and has done more to make Indian cuisine a part of the American food conversation than almost anyone else out there.
Chauhan has competed on the eighth season of Iron Chef, losing to Masaharu Morimoto by four points as well as Season 3 of The Next Iron Chef, where she lasted until Episode 5. But what Chauhan would really bring to the series would be her experience and knowledge as a judge.
She has judged on numerous shows and has years of experience doing it. As a result, she knows exactly what it takes to win. Those skills served her well in the first season of Tournament of Champions where she made it to the semifinal of the East Coast bracket when so many others fell by the wayside due to the blind judging format.
Chauhan could be the wild card, unpredictable Iron Chef that you can be sure no one would want to have to face in Kitchen Stadium.
Marcus Samuelsson
Of all the names on this list, there are few who have earned the respect and admiration of their peers like Marcus Samuelsson.
Red Rooster, his restaurant in Harlem, New York, is widely regarded as one of the biggest reasons for the resurgence of the Harlem neighborhood over the last decade. He has been on almost every network and television show you can think of to talk about food and what it can do beyond just being a source of sustenance for people.
Samuelsson has been a judge on both seasons of Tournament of Champions and when the contestants see him they usually react with a mix of awe and fear.
In other words, Samuelsson would make the perfect Iron Chef.
No, he doesn’t have a tremendous amount of competitive cooking experience, but neither did many other Iron Chefs when they got the call to serve at Kitchen Stadium. There would be a learning curve but when you have the knowledge and skill set that he does, it is more than enough to make up for any gaps in the ins and outs of cooking competitions.
You can be sure that when called to compete, Samuelsson would create something the judges had never seen before and would wow everyone watching. And that’s exactly what an Iron Chef is supposed to do.
So, what do you think Guilty Eaters? Would you watch Iron Chef The Next Generation with these chefs doing the cooking? Who do you think would be a good Iron Chef? Leave a comment below and let us know or join the conversation on our Twitter page.