Iron Chef America 2: Sex, Race, What Next?

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Yesterday, superchefblog reported: The Food Network has confirmed to superchefblog our observation -- Last night's episode represents the first time a male chef has ever beaten a female chef on Iron Chef America. The Zen-ly quiet yet Hard Rock-ing groupies' chef Kerry Simon rocked the women's record by defeating Cat Cora. What was happening on the women's side, led by Cat Cora, the winner of superchefblog's nationwide readers' poll to vote for a White House woman chef? Cat Cora's team included David Shalleck and Elizabeth Falkner. Cat is traveling and unavailable for comment, but teammate Elizabeth Falkner spoke to superchefblog. Elizabeth started by explaining that not only was the secret ingredient hamburger but the theme "street food." Together, the team made samosas with tamarind chutney and raita. Cat made fennel-beef pizza on grilled pita with a shot of beer on the side. David cooked a Parisian-style seared tartar burger served on a slice of baguette with a sunny-side quail egg and presented on an artist's palate with sides of dijon, capers, minced onion, fried parsley, and frites as well as Vietnamese meatballs with rice vermicelli and sweet-spicy sauce served in a bamboo boat. Elizabeth herself did not make a dessert with hamburger (!); she made fresh corn tamales stuffed with a chorizo, served in corn husks, wrapped in newspaper, and presented in a paper bag with red and green salsas. Elizabeth said: [Ours was] all very original plating... I think they all worked pretty well, actually. We were a little stunned that we lost. She attributed Kerry's win in particular to his burger served with truffled french fries and a vanilla milkshake, which she granted must have been "tasty." On the other hand, perhaps Cat's team lost because the judges were hoping for a signature cake a la Citizen Cake, like a "Mocha Mi Su" or "Retro Tropical Shag" -- something sweet to counter Kerry's shake. Most of all, the show was loads and loads of fun, she said. The episode repeats several twice this week and then again in September (dates below): Jul 20, 2005 - Wed- 11:00 p.m. EDT (again at Jul 21 - 3:00 a.m. EDT) Jul 23, 2005 - Sat - 7:00 p.m., 11:00 EDT (again Jul 24 - 3:00 a.m. EDT) Sep 18, 2005 - Sun - 9:00 p.m. EDT (again Sep 19 - 1:00 a.m. EDT) Sep 21, 2005 - Wed - 11:00 p.m. EDT (again Sep 22 - 3:00 a.m. EDT) Oh, and the women aren't quitting after one measly defeat, don't worry! Keep an eye out for Elizabeth as she teams up again with Captain Cat and a new teammate Lorilynn Bauer against Hawaiian chef Sam Choy and team on Sunday, August 14. So, the gloves are really off now! Iron Chef America has proven itself gender-blind as well as ethnicity-blind. This is now a really American show -- very democratic -- and not just a Japanese copy. Clearly, the Food Network sees this show as a channel driver, and more thought is going into it. Sure, superchefblog has had reservations, but the additions in Season Two are solid developments that raise interest in shows to come. Superchefblog has already made some recommendations about how to kick this show up a notch, but it is certainly already on the way. Bam! (Be sure to read the companion article to this one.) Previous articles: hamburger: July 4: Paul Gayler's The Gourmet Burger From Boulud's gourmet hamburgers arise... delicate Philly cheesesteaks? Previous articles: Kerry Simon: Iron Chef America 1: Nice Guy Kerry Simon Rocks Kitchens: Better With a Super Chef? Previous articles: Cat Cora: Cat Cora Wins on Iron Chef America Cat Cora: Iron Chef America's First Lady World AIDS Day II: Iron Chef Cat Cora Previous articles: Elizabeth Falkner: Easter Special: Super Pastry Chefs Cat Cora: Iron Chef America's First Lady Restaurant Michael Mina Rocks The Passing of Mr. "Easy-Bake Oven" Previous articles: Iron Chef America: In the Audience of Iron Chef America Iron Chef America Meets Survivor Today Show Emulates Iron Chef America Anita Lo Defeats Mario Batali on Iron Chef America Cat Cora, Anita Lo: Sexing Up Iron Chef America Iron Chef Pizza Wars: Batali vs. Puck Roberto Trevino: Viva Aguaviva Ming Tsai TV Iron Chef America: Running on Empty Molto Mario Massacres Mahi Iron Chef: America vs. USA Todd English: American Chef Gone Wild Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine television Reality TV Iron Chef America --> back to superchefblog