Redemption Journals: Chef Eric Greenspan

Chef Duskie Estes was the second rival chef eliminated on Food Network's The Next Iron Chef: Redemption. Flip through her personal scrapbook photo journal to relive the most-memorable moments from her time on the show.

Chef Greenspan

Chef and owner of The Foundry and The Roof on Wilshire, Eric Greenspan redeemed himself — and grasshoppers — on the season premiere of The Next Iron Chef: Redemption, but was ultimately eliminated in the third episode after a four-way cook-off in Battle Cereal.

From His Point of View

Each Redemption rival was given a journal to use during the competition, and Chef Greenspan filled his with ingredient lists as well as possible recipes to use in the challenges.

Second Go at Grasshoppers

For the second time on The Next Iron Chef, Chef Greenspan cooked with grasshoppers as he competed in the Chairman's Challenge of Resourcefulness. "The good thing about grasshoppers," Chef Greenspan he explained, "is that if you lose with grasshoppers, nobody blames you."

Fire From Scratch

Chefs Greenspan and Falkner teamed up to build and maintain their fire in a large pit. On the remote beach in California, the rivals were forced to be resourceful as they went without common kitchen conveniences like stoves and ovens.

Grasshoppers 2.0

"It just sort of evolves the grasshopper into something different and something more elegant," Iron Chef Zakarian said of Chef Greenspan's duo of critter fritters and grasshopper grilled cheese. This offering was one of the three best dishes of the day.

Diner Special

At the Nickel Diner in Los Angeles, the rivals were grouped into teams and tasked to deliver next-level takes on classic international comfort foods — the banh mi sandwich, taco and falafel — in the Chairman's Challenge of Innovation.

Prepping Pork

Working on Team Banh Mi, Chef Greenspan set off to make a dressed-up panzanella salad with three kinds of pork. He let his innovation shine by using liquid nitrogen to freeze pork, then thinly slice it and feature it as a cured pork ceviche.

High-Stakes Challenge

Since the rivals were being judged against only the other chefs in their group, each faced a one-in-three chance of being sent to the Showdown. "They're both serious competition," Chef Greenspan said of his fellow rivals, Chefs Appleman and Falkner, in the banh mi group.

Impressive Panzanella

Chef Greenspan's innovative twist on the banh mi won rave reviews from the judges, with Donatella calling his plate "very sophisticated and smart."

Top Honors

Besting Chefs Appleman and Falkner, Chef Greenspan claimed the title of best banh mi-inspired plate and ultimately survived to cook another day.

Cheese, Please

Known for his passion for and experience in making grilled cheeses, Chef Greenspan showed off his character as he was photographed with several specialty cheeses at the Farmers Market in Los Angeles.

Devilish Agenda

Tasked to reflect Chef Appleman on a plate, Chef Greenspan felt compelled to "invoke the devil" in his dish on account of his pictured partner's eyes. He relied on sea urchin with deviled quail eggs to best represent Chef Appleman, "prickly and dangerous on the outside" and "elegant on the inside."

So Close

Although Simon was torn in choosing between Chefs Greenspan and Appleman, Alton explained that the panel felt that Chef Greenspan's eggs weren't "devil-y enough." Chef Greenspan joined Chefs Falkner, Mehta and Vigneron in the Secret Ingredient Showdown.

Breakfast for Battle

Beneath the red cloak was Kellogg's Rice Krispies and Raisin Bran, the Secret Ingredients in this four-way cook-off. "I'm basically going against three pastry chefs," Chef Greenspan explained of the showdown. "With my style of cooking, it's going to be a fight."

Thinking Savory

Like Chef Mehta, Chef Greenspan decided to feature both cereals in a single savory offering. He jotted down the ingredients he needed to cook up Rice Krispies-encrusted tuna with soy raisins and a Raisin Bran puree in only 30 quick minutes.

Risk Taker

"I didn't play it safe. That's not my style," Chef Greenspan said of his dish, "but that'll make my rise to being The Next Iron Chef that much sweeter."

Out-of-Place Protein

Before judging began, Chef Greenspan was confident but realized that "anything besides a home run might not be enough" to survive elimination. In the end, the panel appreciated his technique, but Iron Chef Zakarian didn't think that tuna was the best choice for the dish.

Chef Greenspan Says Goodbye

Ultimately, Alton announced that Chef Greenspan had fallen to his fellow showdown rivals and would not survive to cook another day. While he was upset to be leaving the competition, he admitted, "the road to Kitchen Stadium — that's for someone else to drive."