Michael Symon (Cleveland) was the first winner of The Next Iron Chef, securing a permanent spot on Iron Chef America. Michael is the chef and owner of Lola and Lolita restaurants in Cleveland, and he hosts Symon's Suppers on Cooking Channel.
Cat Cora
Cat Cora (Santa Barbara, Calif.) made television history on Iron Chef America as the first female Iron Chef. She is also the author of several cookbooks.
Jose Garces
Jose Garces (Philadelphia) won season two of The Next Iron Chef. Since opening his first restaurant, Amada, Jose has opened 11 additional restaurants in Philadelphia, Chicago, Scottsdale, Ariz., and Palm Springs, Calif.
Marc Forgione
Marc Forgione (New York) won season three of The Next Iron Chef. He is the chef and owner of Marc Forgione restaurant in New York.
Keegan Gerhard
Keegan Gerhard (Denver) has appeared on Food Network Challenge and Last Cake Standing. He is the owner and executive chef of D-Bar Desserts.
Marcela Valladolid
Marcela Valladolid (Chula Vista, Calif.) is the host of Mexican Made Easy on Food Network. She is the author of FRESH MEXICO: 100 Simple Recipes for True Mexican Flavor and Mexican Made Easy: Everyday Ingredients, Extraordinary Flavor.
Jeffrey Saad
Jeffrey Saad (Los Angeles) was a runner-up in season five of Food Network Star and went on to host United Tastes of America on Cooking Channel. He is currently the executive chef and partner of The Grove restaurants in San Francisco.
Aarti Sequeira
Aarti Sequeira (Los Angeles) was the winner of season six of Food Network Star, landing her own Food Network show, Aarti Party. She is also a food correspondent for Drop 5 Lbs with Good Housekeeping on Cooking Channel.
Justin Balmes
Justin Balmes (Atlanta) was a finalist in season seven of Food Network Star. He is currently a farmers' market specialist at a large organic retailer.
Penny Davidi
Penny Davidi (Los Angeles) was a finalist in season seven of Food Network Star. Raised in California, Penny franchised Pizza Rustica and opened a popular branch in Beverly Hills.
Chris Nirschel
Chris Nirschel (Hoboken, N.J.) was a season seven finalist on Food Network Star. Chris attended the French Culinary Institute in New York City.
Vic "Vegas" Moea
Vic "Vegas" Moea (Las Vegas) was a finalist on season seven of Food Network Star. He is a self-trained restaurant chef who learned to cook from his mother and grandmother.
Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli (New York) is a regular Chopped judge and has been a challenger and a judge on Iron Chef America. She also competed on The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs and hosts her own show Alex's Day Off. Alex is executive chef at Butter Restaurant and The Darby in New York.
Marcus Samuelsson
Marcus Samuelsson (New York) is a judge on Chopped and 24-Hour Restaurant Battle, and he recently competed on The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs. His most recent restaurant is New York's acclaimed Red Rooster Harlem.
Marc Murphy
Marc Murphy (New York) is a regular judge in the Chopped kitchen, and he has also appeared on Iron Chef America. Marc has logged more than 20 years in the restaurant business and is currently executive chef and owner of Benchmarc Restaurants (Landmarc and Ditch Plains in New York) and Benchmarc Events.
Chris Santos
Chris Santos (New York) judges Chopped frequently. He is chef and owner of The Stanton Social in New York. Chris has two Stanton Social-related restaurant projects on the horizon, and he is working on a line of rock 'n' roll-inspired chef wear.
