Local cooking competition Knife Fight was full of tight battles this year.

Charro Steak executive chef, culinary director for the Flores family of restaurants, and 2017 Knife Fight champion Gary Hickey battled his way back into the grand finals against PY Steakhouse chef de cuisine Roderick LeDesma.

With dry-aged beef, instant ramen noodles, and field ration ready-to-eat meals as the secret ingredients, LeDesma ended up as the new grand champion.

“So excited about it,” LeDesma said. “It’s amazing, especially being able to do it surrounded by so much love and support. I said from the beginning I was coming back with a vengeance this time. This whole competition has been a blast and I can’t wait to see what next year brings.”

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Charro Steak bartender Alfredo Aguilar won the cocktail battle against Ryne Hoffman from the AC Hotel. While the two initially had a tie with their scores, Aguilar won the tiebreaker battle.

Keep up with Knife Fight on Facebook.