Iron Chef America

Batali vs. Carmellini

Chef Andrew Carmellini enters Kitchen Stadium to challenge Iron Chef Batali to a culinary showdown only the chairman could bring you.

Judges
Ted Allen
Mario Rizzotti
Art Smith

Challenger stats: Chef Carmellini
From: Ohio

Restaurants: A Voce

Cuisine: Italian

Interests: Music, history, travel

Ideal secret ingredient: Duck, because it's so versatile and tasty

Culinary inspirations: Street food and country cooking

Ideal judge: My mom, dad and my wife Gwen because I'd win every time

Culinary secret weapon: Peperoncino

Favorite restaurant: Hearth in jeans and Cru in a jacket

Favorite food: Sushi on Wednesday and pizza on Sunday

Food you won't go near: Pond moss in Japan

Weirdest thing you've ever eaten: Pond moss in Japan

Favorite food destination: Barcelona for tapas, Japan for yuba and yakitori

Alternative dream job: Hip-hop/Rock music producer

Flay vs. Ford

Chef Ben Ford, owner of Ford's Filling Station, comes to Kitchen Stadium to challenge Iron Chef Flay. Will Ford's finesse win over the judges, or will Iron Chef Flay's flare burn the competition?

Judges
Cady Huffman
Andrew Knowlton
Jeffrey Steingarten

Challenger stats: Chef Ford
From: Los Angeles

Restaurants: Ford's Filling Station

Cuisine: Traditionally, it has been Iberian mixed with the influences of my home state of Calif. Ford's Filling Station is American Regional with some French feathered in.

Interests: Forging for almost anything is always good. But I love a fresh idea, architecture, design, golf, fine art and wine and good love.

Ideal secret ingredient: Bacon

Culinary inspirations: Paul Bertolli, Bradley Ogden, Paula Wolfert and the many people I have had the pleasure of working with.

Ideal judge: Jim Harrison, Meatloaf

Culinary secret weapon: My many types of vinegar.

Favorite restaurant: Azak in San Sebastian Spain, Babbo in N.Y. and The Joe Dirfuss Store in a swamp somewhere between Shreveport and New Orleans.

Favorite food: A great steak cooked over a good wood fire.

Food you won't go near: Raspberry vinegar

Weirdest thing you've ever eaten: A tie between a hot sauce made with termites produced by the Pimones Indians in Venezuela. Also, smoked scorpion.

Favorite food destination: San Sebastian, Spain and Japan

Alternative dream job: Architect

Cora vs. Richards

Chef Todd Richards enters Kitchen Stadium to challenge Iron Chef Cora. Will Chef Richards wow the judges with his culinary styling, or will Iron Chef Cora's cuisine reign supreme?

Judges
Karine Bakhoum
Cady Huffman
Jeffrey Steingarten

Challenger stats: Chef Richards
From: Chicago, Ill.

Restaurants: The Oakroom (AAA 5 Diamond, Louisville Ky.), Soleil (The Ritz Carlton Palm Beach), Atlanta Grill (Ritz Carlton, Atlanta), Spice Restaurant (Atlanta), Villa Christina (Atlanta), The Café now Park 75 (The Four Seasons, Atlanta)

Cuisine: Ethnic based dishes with futuristic presentations

Interests: Music (writing, performing, DJ), photography

Ideal secret ingredient: From the potential list that was given: bay scallops number one because they are in season, carrots number two as it presents more challenges, morel number three as they are out of season and very difficult to find

Culinary inspirations: My father, my line cooks, EL Bulli, menus that explain themselves, culinary photography

Ideal judge: One who understands where food is going and how it is rooted in where it came from

Culinary secret weapon: Chef Duane Nutter, Chef Blake Kollker

Favorite restaurant: Morimoto (New York), Alinea Restaurant (Chicago), Hakkasan (Soho London), Mr. J’s Burgers (Chicago)

Favorite food: Sushi, dishes that make culinary sense, my father's red beans and Rice

Food you won't go near: Spoiled, rotten

Weirdest thing you've ever eaten: After you eat it more than once it's not weird anymore; but maybe cow brains

Favorite food destination: Chicago, London, California, New York

Alternative dream job: Honestly, I don't feel I have worked a "job" a day in my life.

Cora vs. Tarbell

Chef Mark Tarbell from Ariz. enters Kitchen Stadium to challenge Iron Chef Cora. Will Iron Chef Cora's cuisine win over the judges, or will Chef Tarbell walk away victorious?

Judges
Bone Crusher
Karine Bakhoum
Jeffrey Steingarten

Morimoto vs. Nicotra

Fortunato Nicotra challenges Iron Chef Morimoto to a heated battle in Kitchen Stadium. Will Chef Nicotra be able to wow the judges, or will Iron Chef Morimoto's artistry gain him a victory? See who's cuisine reigns supreme!

Judges
Ted Allen
Kelly Choi
John Nihoff

Flay vs. Boucher

Colorado chef Kurt Boucher enters Kitchen Stadium to challenge Iron Chef Flay. Will his rocky mountain-style win over the judges?

Judges
Ted Allen
Jill Bernstein
Jeffrey Steingarten

Cora vs. Dumont

Chef Mary Dumont enters Kitchen Stadium to challenge Iron Chef Cora to a culinary showdown. Can Chef Dumont impress the judges with her cuisine, or will Iron Chef Cora triumph?

Originally from New Hampshire, Dumont is the first Iron Chef challenger from the state. She is now executive chef at Harvest in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Mass.

Judges
Ted Allen
Dana Cowin
Julie White

Challenger stats: Chef Dumont
Restaurants: Harvest in Harvard Square

Cuisine: Contemporary New England

Interests: Surfing and anything on the beach, big dinners with friends and family, collecting sauce spoons

Ideal secret ingredient: Fennel and smoked bacon

Culinary inspirations: Laurent Manrique, Alain Ducasse, Paula Wolfert and mostly, my family who is all in the restaurant business and taught me that I could do anything I put my heart into

Ideal judge: James Haller from the Blue Stawbery

Culinary secret weapon: Desire, belief, practice and sharp Misono knives

Favorite restaurant: Oliveto in Oakland, Calif.

Favorite food: Thai and sushi

Food you won't go near: Brains...they should stay in your head!

Weirdest thing you've ever eaten: Live uni out of the shell at Rungis Market in Paris at 4 am

Favorite food destination: Lunch among the grapes in Sonoma County with friends and German street food

Alternative dream job: Surfing photographer and traveling writer

Batali vs. Liu

New York Chef Tony Liu challenges Mario Batali to a culinary showdown in Kitchen Stadium. Will Chef Liu's inspirational food beat out Batali's originality?

Judges
Maureen Petrosky
Mo Rocca
Martin Yan

Challenger stats: Chef Liu
From: Honolulu

Restaurants: August Restaurant

Cuisine: Pan-European

Interests: Eating, travel, surfing

Ideal secret ingredient: Truffles

Culinary inspirations: Daniel Boulud, Mario Batali

Ideal judge: Jeffery Steingarten, Calvin Trillin, Bill Cosby

Culinary secret weapon: Sugar

Favorite restaurant: Too many to mention

Favorite food: Peaches, goat roti, oxtails

Food you won't go near: Spleen sandwiches, tried it but couldn't get it down

Weirdest thing you've ever eaten: Pajata, intestine of veal or lamb with ingested mother's milk and tossed with pasta. It was good!

Favorite food destination: Barcelona, San Sebastian (Spain) Rome (Italy) Honolulu, the South for BBQ (US)

Alternative dream job: Marine Biologist, landscaper, book stocker at Kitchen Arts and Letters (cookbook store)

Cora vs. Guarnaschelli

Chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli from NYC's Butter restaurant enters Kitchen Stadium to challenge Cat Cora to the ultimate produce battle.

Judges
Lidia Bastianich
Tyler Gray
Mo Rocca

Challenger stats: Chef Guarnaschelli
From: New York

Restaurants: Butter

Cuisine: Eclectic American

Interests: Formula one car racing and needlepoint

Ideal secret ingredient: Ramps

Culinary inspirations: Guy Savoy, my mother and father and fresh produce

Ideal judge: Bill Clinton

Culinary secret weapon: Imagination

Favorite restaurant: Da Fiori, Venice, Italy

Favorite food: A fresh cinnamon donut

Food you won't go near: Red mullet livers make me nervous

Weirdest thing you've ever eaten: Cod sperm on toast

Favorite food destination: La Meranda in Nice, France

Alternative dream job: Marine Biologist

Batali vs. Clark

Iron Chef Mario Batali is challenged to a culinary showdown by Chef Charles Clark. Will Chef Clark impress the judges enough to overcome Iron Chef Batali, or will Iron Chef Batali's cuisine reign supreme?

Judges
Ted Allen
Elizabeth Blau
Akiko Katayama

Challenger stats: Chef Clark
From: Texas

Restaurants: Ibiza Food and Wine Bar, Catalan Food and Wine

Cuisine: New American with Spanish influence

Interests: Food history, Swedish clogs and jazz music

Ideal secret ingredient: Morcilla (Spanish black sausage)

Culinary inspirations: The Basque region, Paul Bocuse, Bernard Loiseau

Ideal judge: Julia Child

Culinary secret weapon: Ikea hand frothier

Favorite restaurant: Balthazar, N.Y.

Favorite food: Classic French and basque

Food you won't go near: Cottage cheese

Weirdest thing you've ever eaten: A live lizard

Favorite food destination: Southern France

Alternative dream job: Playing trumpet in a jazz band at a small club in Paris around 1961