Thursday, 26 August 2010 12:34 Dine & Cook Staff Report

This upcoming season of The Next Iron Chef on Food Network will feature a familiar face, Chef Ming Tsai, owner of Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Ma.

Viewers may recognize Chef Tsai from his Emmy nominated PBS cooking show, Simply Ming, now in its eighth season.

Ming and nine other contestants will face off against each other starting Sunday October 3rd. Filmed in three locations-- Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York City-- the chef contestants will have to complete a variety of challenges, including cooking on a desert island, catching their secret ingredients in the wild, dreaming up a five-Star luxury menu and turning ordinary fair food into an Iron Chef worthy meal.

In season three Host Alton Brown will be joined by judges Donatella Arpaia, restaurateur and cookbook author; Simon Majumdar, food writer and broadcaster; and, Iron Chef Michael Symon.

“The third season of The Next Iron Chef certainly has no shortage of tough competitors,” said Bob Tuschman, general manager and senior vice president, Food Network programming and production. “These chefs are some of the fiercest and most decorated yet, which promises the most exciting culinary rivalries to date.”

The nine other contestants include: Marco Canora, chef and owner of Hearth, Terrior and Terroir TriBeca, in New York; Bryan Caswell, chef and owner Reef, Stella Sola and Little Bigs, in Houston, Texas; Maneet Chauhan chef at Vermillion Chicago and New York; Mary Dumont, executive Chef at Harvest, in Cambridge, Ma.; Duskie Estes, chef and owner of Zazu Restaurant + Farm, Bovolo and Black Pig Meat Co., in Sonoma County, Ca.; Marc Forgione, chef and owner of Marc Forgione, in New York; Andrew Kirschner, executive chef of Wilshire, Santa Monica, Ca; Mario Pagán, chef and owner of Chayote and Lemongrass, in Puerto Rico; and, Celina Tio, chef and Owner of Julian, Kansas City, Mo.

The Next Iron Chef premieres Sunday, October 3rd at 9pm eastern and pacific time. The winner will be named on Sunday, November 28th.

Premiering Sunday, October 3rd at 9pm ET/PT– SEASON PREMIERE!
“Ingenuity”
In the season three premiere of The Next Iron Chef, 10 of the country’s best chefs arrive in Los Angeles to compete for the chance to join the most elite culinary society: the Iron Chefs. Host Alton Brown greets them with a test of ingenuity, the first of seven tests each focused on an important Iron Chef attribute. With bread as the Secret Ingredient Challenge, the chefs must create sandwiches that represent their personalities. Next, the threat of elimination looms in the Chairman’s Challenge as the chefs find themselves cooking on a beach each with the one ingredient they would want to have if stranded on a desert island. The competition heats up, and the judges send the first contender home.

Premiering Sunday, October 10th at 9pm ET/PT
“Innovation”
The competition escalates among the remaining nine chefs when host Alton Brown presents a challenge to test their innovation. The contenders arrive at a coffee shop for the Secret Ingredient Challenge where they must create two innovative dishes using a duo of American breakfast favorites: coffee and doughnuts. In the Chairman’s Challenge, the chefs have one grueling hour to innovate classic diner fare like meatloaf and corned beef hash to Iron Chef-quality cuisine. The finalists frantically cook up their improved diner dishes, and another chef leaves at the end of the challenge.

Premiering Sunday, October 17th at 9pm ET/PT
“Resourcefulness”
An Iron Chef must be able to think on their feet, so the eight remaining chefs face a true test of resourcefulness. For the Secret Ingredient Challenge, the chefs make an imaginative snack from pickles. The competitors then bring their small bites on a fishing field trip where they all reel something in – including a shark! Back in the kitchen, for the Chairman’s Challenge, they make two dishes using the fish they caught. The finalists attempt to conquer the challenge and win over the judges, but one chef doesn’t make the cut.

Premiering Sunday, October 24th at 9pm ET/PT
“Transformation”
The remaining seven chefs undertake a test of transformation. In the Secret Ingredient Challenge, the chefs transform traditional American condiments and sauces like ketchup, ranch dressing, and mayonnaise into unique recipes. Next, the competitors get sent to the San Diego County Fair where they must gather ingredients from the concession stands in a mad dash to transform their fair food into Iron Chef-worthy dishes for the Chairman’s Challenge. During the difficult battle, the chefs prepare their food on “The Outlaw Grill,” the world’s largest grill, but one of the chefs can’t take the heat and gets eliminated.

Premiering Sunday, October 31st at 9pm ET/PT
“Respect”
In this “all-American” episode, the six remaining competitors face the test of respect. For the Secret Ingredient Challenge, the kitchen doors open to reveal a Humvee packed with thousands of pounds of potatoes. Guest expert and judge Lt. Col. Barnes of the U.S. Army explains the challenge: showing respect for the potato (the peeling of which was formerly military punishment) by creating a potato dish in 45 minutes. In the Chairman’s Challenge, the chefs must show respect for the United States by cooking four dishes representing the four main regions on the map: North, South, East, and West. Before elimination, Alton Brown reveals that the five surviving chefs will travel to Las Vegas. One chef gets eliminated while the rest hop on the plane to Sin City.

Premiering Sunday, November 7th at 9pm ET/PT
“Inspiration”
Host Alton Brown and the Chairman welcome the remaining five chefs to Las Vegas on the CityCenter promenade and present them with a test of inspiration. World-champion pastry chef Jean-Phlippe Maury meets the contestants in a pastry kitchen with his dessert showpiece collection and reveals chocolate as their secret ingredient. The contenders must then create a wedding-worthy chocolate dessert. For the Chairman’s Challenge, the chefs prepare a buffet inspired by the modern Las Vegas surroundings in just three hours, with the threat of a double elimination adding to the pressure.

Premiering Sunday, November 14th at 9pm ET/PT
“Seduction”
Stress levels skyrocket as the remaining chefs face the test of seduction. In the Secret Ingredient Challenge, the competitors find themselves at the bar inside Jean-Georges Steakhouse at the Aria Hotel where they have 30 minutes to create a cocktail and snack using liquor that seduces the judges’ taste buds, including guest judge Charlotte Voisey, a renowned mixologist. Next, the chefs meet host Alton Brown in a posh Sky Villa on Aria Hotel’s 59th floor for the Chairman’s Challenge. They have only 90 minutes to create an elaborate three-dish meal using luxurious ingredients gathered from restaurants in the hotel. Two chefs leave in an intense double elimination, and the last two standing prepare for the final battle in Kitchen Stadium.

Premiering Sunday, November 21st at 9pm ET/PT – SEASON FINALE!
“Honor”
After a season packed with grueling challenges, only two chefs remain to battle it out for the ultimate culinary title of Iron Chef. The challengers head to New York for a Thanksgiving-themed showdown in legendary Kitchen Stadium where they face a true Iron Chef challenge: prepare five creative and delicious dishes in 60 minutes using the always-feared Secret Ingredient. In addition to the season’s three judges, the finalists also try to impress special guest judges – Iron Chefs Bobby Flay and Masaharu Morimoto. In the end, only one chef will reign supreme to earn the title of The Next Iron Chef.