“Iron Chef” Is Rebooting and I Cannot Get Over This Amazing Lineup of Competitors

Rochelle Bilow
Rochelle Bilow
Rochelle Bilow is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, and the former social media manager at Bon Appétit and Cooking Light magazines. She has also worked as a cook on a small farm in Central New York and a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City. Her first book, a…read more
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published May 20, 2022
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Iron Chef Netflix
Credit: Netflix

One of the big reasons I became a food writer was the television show Iron Chef America. No joke! This somewhat-campy, undeniably compelling cooking competition show was catnip for an aspiring cook and journalist like me. I loved watching the real-deal chefs compete — no gimmicks or tricks — and as a result, I learned a lot about flavors and cooking techniques. I was devastated when the show was canceled, and I’m not the only one.

But because good things sometimes happen in this world, Iron Chef is rebooting on Netflix, and the casting announcements have got me feeling *all* sorts of ways. The five all-star chefs who’ll be competing are as follows: Gabriela Cámara, Dominique Crenn, Marcus Samuelsson, Curtis Stone, and Ming Tsai.

If you’re not familiar with Iron Chef, it’s an easy concept to follow: Every week, the core chefs rotate through cooking challenges against professional up-and-coming chefs in a secret ingredient challenge. There are no gaffes or sabotage attempts, which means the chefs are able to demonstrate real-deal talent. With only a ticking clock as their nemesis, it makes for great television.

The dishes are then judged by highly-skilled food industry folks with excellent palates. The reboot’s judges include Francis Lam, Danny Trejo, and Lorena Garcia. 

Of course, all good reality shows need a host, and this one’s got two: Kristin Kish and Alton Brown. The all-knowing Chairman will be taken by Mark Dacascos, and yep: He’s been the original (acrobatic!) Chairman since the series debuted in 2005.

Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend premieres on Netflix on June 15 with eight 45-minute unscripted episodes. Whatever the secret ingredient is for a bingeable series, I think Netflix has discovered it.

Did you watch the original Iron Chef America?

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