Chefs of Tucson will once again have the opportunity to showcase their food and culinary skills at this year’s Meet the Chefs. The event will be held in the Casino Del Sol Grand Ballrooms on Sunday, May 21, and will feature local restaurants from around the Tucson Metro area.

Chefs participating in Meet the Chefs will not only have the opportunity to sample the cuisine prepared at their restaurants but also compete for their chance to be featured in the 15th Annual Iron Chef Tucson. The big event is taking place on Saturday, July 22 and they’ll compete against current champion Chef Kenneth Foy from Dante’s Fire.

Chef Foy’s restaurant Dante’s Fire has been impacted greatly since his Iron Chef Tucson victory last July, which as a prize included substantial marketing provided by Arizona Lotus Corp.

When asked how it felt to win Iron Chef Tucson and what sort of impact the advertisement from Arizona Lotus Corp had on his business Chef Foy explained, “It was my proudest professional accomplishment to represent Tucson, my staff, and the local culinary community this year as Iron Chef. Print, digital, and social media requests flooded in. Social media impressions exploded. Special events and catering became briskly attended with little to no effort. I look forward to defending my title as Iron Chef in the upcoming competition!”

How To Compete

To compete in Iron Chef Tucson, chefs must participate in and win the Meet the Chefs event. To participate in the event chefs must be either the Executive, Head, or Owner Chef of a full-service restaurant within the Tucson metro area and develop or create portions of the menu for the restaurant.

At the event, chefs will be judged on three categories: taste, creativity, and presentation/visual appeal. The chef that scores the highest according to a panel of three qualified judges will be named the Meet the Chef winner.

Arizona Lotus Corp’s General Manager Debbie Wagner concludes, “Arizona Lotus is excited to create this special event opportunity for Tucson Chefs to come together and show off their unique culinary skills and creative dishes to a large group of Tucson foodies. Join us for this always fun and delicious day of culinary experiences.”

If you are interested in participating in Meet the Chefs, apply online. For more information on all things Iron Chef Tucson, please visit ironcheftucson.com.

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