Anita Lo Defeats Mario Batali on Iron Chef America

By JULIETTE ROSSANT The all-woman team of Anito Lo, with Jennifer Scism and Sawako Okochi (both from her restaurant Annisa), defeated Iron Chef Mario Batali and his team last night on Iron Chef America. Anita said that for her the toughest part of Iron Chef America is finishing on time in an unfamiliar kitchen where she and her team did not know where everything was. Hmmm... sounds like the Iron Chefs have a home court advantage. Furthermore, the stove never got hot enough for this chef famed for her pan-Asian signature. (Asian cooking often requires intense heat for short cooking times, e.g., cooking with a wok (click here to read Martin Yan's tips on technique). So, to what does she credit her win -- besides her excellent food? "We got lucky. We had all food professionals for the judges -- that was good for me. My food generally is more for Foodies; it's more sophisticated. I like esoteric ingredients. For instance, on Iron Chef I used yuzu [a Japanese citrus with tangy and fragrant rind and juice -- click here to read what Norman Van Aken has to say about yuzu]." (If you liked Anita's style, vote for her or any of 40 top women chefs for White House Executive Chef in this month's online readers' poll "Vote for White House Woman Chef.") The idea of making a number of dishes with one ingredient a la Iron Chef is certainly nothing new to Anita. When Iron Chef America producer and Food Network vice president Bruce Seidel came to check out her cooking on an impromptu visit, Anita told me that she happened to be running a special menu where all of the dishes were made with corn. He loved it. She got the offer. And did she deliver! Previous articles: Cat Cora, Anita Lo: Sexing Up Iron Chef America Vote For White House Woman Chef Iron Chef Pizza Wars: Batali vs. Puck Bobby Flay: Married and Motivated Ming Tsai TV Cat Cora: Iron Chef America's First Lady Roberto Trevino: Viva Aguaviva Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali's Mozza Iron Chef America: Running on Empty World AIDS Day II: Iron Chef Cat Cora More Reality TV Chefs (Or Less)? Real TV Cooking? Kitchen Confidential a la Sex and the City Molto Mario Massacres Mahi Iron Chef: America vs. USA --> back to superchefblog