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INTERVIEW: The Next Iron Chef contestant Jose Garces


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Published: Sep 30, 2009

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CITY PAPER RECENTLY touched base with Jose Garces (Amada, Tinto, Distrito, Chifa, Village Whiskey), who’s competing with nine other nationally renowned chefs on the new season of Food Network’s The Next Iron Chef (TNIC), debuting this Sunday, Oct. 4, at 9 p.m. (For the full version of this interview, head over to Meal Ticket.)

City Paper: How did your appearance on TNIC come about?

Jose Garces: Well, as you know, I did compete against Bobby Flay [on an Aug. 2008 episode of Iron Chef America]. They had that piece of footage, and I cooked and did pretty well on the show, and I guess [they selected me] based on that. I did interviews for the first season of The Next Iron Chef, but I didn’t make the cut for that one.

CP: What were interactions between the competitors like off-camera?

JG: With what was at stake, it was highly competitive, with that energy, that aura, that competitive nature in and around at all times. My focus going into it, my goal, was to go in and win, and be the next Iron Chef. It was good to meet people, but when it came down to it, that ultimate goal was what was in my sights.

CP: If you were to win this competition, how would you fit filming Iron Chef episodes into your itinerary?

JG: I would definitely set some time aside. I’m flexible enough right now in my career and in my company that I can do that. If I did become that person, I would definitely put a lot into it.

CP: Is it difficult to keep a straight face when you hear some of the things the Iron Chef chairman [actor Mark Dacascos] says? He’s so campy!

JG: The chairman’s routine is pretty funny, but when you have such high stakes on the line, you can’t help but take it very seriously. You definitely crack a smile and there is some humor to it, but the competitive nature [of the show] kept me pretty serious. Off-camera, he was very nice, very charming and I think he wanted to make all the competitors feel welcome and comfortable more than anything else. I could see myself having a beer with him.

CP: Sometimes, people in these types of culinary competitions get eliminated for reasons not exclusively dealing with food. Does this devalue the art of cooking in general?

JG: Starting from the first episode, it was apparent to me that [TNIC was] definitely more about the cooking than a lot of the other shows, some of which can be kind of gimmicky [or] a little more whimsical. Even on Top Chef Masters, on the first episode, they had these great chefs cooking in a dormitory with toaster ovens. That takes away from who you are as a chef. I’m happy to say that on The Next Iron Chef, I definitely felt like it was about the cooking 100 percent — whose food was the best.

(drew.lazor@citypaper.net)

Check out an extended version of this Q&A on Meal Ticket.