jose-garces-next-iron-chefChef Jose Garces was almost there- so close he could taste conquest. He’d spent the past eight weeks competing on The Food Network’s The Next Iron Chef competition -surviving round after round, judge after judge, and dish after dish in “Kitchen Stadium”- determined to be crowned an Iron Chef and be placed among the five prestigious chefs in that legendary category.

But his last obstacle standing before his elite American culinary recognition would come down to an old fashioned battle of the meats.  Ribs, Racks, Beef, Pork Chops, Buffalo meat. You name it. It was on the table.

If you’re a rookie to this show’s concept, it’s quite the thriller: two chefs engage in a head-to-head battle, with a one hour time limit to each complete five dishes- which must each include the “secret” ingredient that is revealed to them at the beginning of the challenge. At the conclusion of the hour, the chefs present their dishes to a trio of judges who score each competitor on taste, presentation and originality.

Cooking off against finalist chef Jehangir Mehta, Garces unleashed what would end up being a clinic on technique and fundamentals- trumping his opponents game-plan of creativity. Five prepared dishes later of buffalo rib steak au poivre; Mexican-style braised carnitas taco; Pork loin with herbs; Spanish pizza with beef short ribs; and Baby back ribs with spicy BBQ sauce, and Garces would manage to nudge out Mehta, adding the master-title to his already handsome resume.

The 35-year-old owns five restaurants in Philadelphia and one in his hometown Chicago. And apparently he’s kind of a big deal down there, having been named best chef in the Mid-Atlantic region by the James Beard Foundation.

But don’t be phased by his uber culinary vibe. Garces is still a regular joe who loves to spend time with his wife and two daughters, watch Chicago Bears games with his brother, and kick back with a Corona- when he’s not busy working on new recipes for his restaurants.

Now part of the Iron Chef club, the Ecuadorian-American awaits his first battle on The Food Network’s Iron Chef America, where the Iron Chefs battle each week against a world class challenger- in Garces’s case, Seattle chef Rachel Yang on January 17.

The morning after his bump from Chef to Iron Chef, Garces hasn’t even left his bedroom yet- he’s been flooded with interviews all morning, on this late November day.  But after we ask him how he’s doing, he still has the charm of a champ, “I woke up as an Iron Chef,” he jokes, “how bad could it be?”

Touché Mr. Garces.

We caught up briefly with the big man in the kitchen to find out some new facts about our latest inductee:

andPOP: What would be an ideal surprise secret ingredient on the show, that would give you an undeniable edge?

JG: Hmm…I would love to use Octopus, we do so much with it at my restaurants, lots of Polbo (a prepared boiled octopus dish)- it would be a great way to showcase my talent.

andPOP: Wow. Live Octopus?

JG: Yeah, live Octopus, there are so many different preparations you could do with that. And being a Spanish restaurant, we have it in all our restaurants.

andPOP: Where did you get your inspiration for your Iron Chef signature dish Lobster with Oyster Cava Cream?

JG: That’s a classic dish, we do different styles of risotto- risotto’s a spanish dish. And I just felt it was a great versatile style dish for people to actually make at home. And it exemplifies my style -I cook things a little bit on the edge, they’re savory- and this dish is definitely decadent as well.

andPOP: Any plans for a new cook book?

JG: We’re working on our second book right now. The first book, Latin Evolution, was for the more professional or ambitious home cook, and I think the second book is going to be more home oriented- I think there will be some quick recipes on there.

andPOP: What’s being served at the Garces household on game-day while watching the Bears play? What’s your favorite snack to make?

JG: Sunday football, big plate of nachos. I would set up a big pan and just bake and put all the different toppings on there–

andPOP: Is there an Iron Chef tweak to these nachos?

JG: Definitely (laughs). There’s a house Chili de Arbol sauce that I make, it’s pretty hot, and that really kind of sets them off a little bit. I also do refries, shredded skirt steak, umm…a lot of fresh garnishes as well- tomatoes, pickled jalapenos.






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