On Sunday, Nov. 22, New York's Jehangir Mehta and Philly’s Jose Garces will battle it out for title of Iron Chef, the highest culinary honor on food television. But what makes this battle royale so interesting is that the duel pits Philly against New York–and the heavyweight bills from these parts.
For Sunday’s final challenge on "The Next Iron Chef," the Food Network's spin-off of the American spin-off of the original show, designed for the express purpose of being a ratings machine, Garces, the owner/chef of five of Philadelphia’s top restaurants (Amada, Chifa, Distrito, Tinto and Village Whiskey) and Mehta, owner of the pint-sized Graffiti in NYC’s East Village, will prepare five dishes each containing a secret ingredient that represent the melting pot that is American cuisine (the battle was taped months ago).
And although, both men have been tight-lipped about who the next Iron Chef is, something about Garces hosting a viewing party on Sunday (at Distrito in West Philly) reeks of a win. But then again, we could be wrong. In any case, allez cuisine!
"The Next Iron Chef" finale airs on Food Network at 9 p.m. on Sunday.
