On Sunday, August 25, chefs of Tucson will have the opportunity to showcase their food and culinary skills at this year’s much-anticipated Meet the Chefs!
The event will be held from 4 – 6 p.m. in the Copper Ballroom at the Tucson Convention Center, featuring local restaurants. Chefs that are featured in Meet the Chefs will not only share and sample the cuisine prepared at their restaurants, but also compete for their chance to be featured in the 16th Annual Iron Chef Tucson, happening on Saturday, October 5.
Here’s the tough part: the winner of Meet the Chefs will need to compete against the current two-time champion Chef Ken Foy from Dante’s Fire.
Get Your Tickets!
Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased online.
“It was my proudest professional accomplishment to represent Tucson, my staff, and the local culinary community this year as Iron Chef,” said Chef Foy. “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!”
Dante’s Fire has been impacted greatly since his Iron Chef Tucson victory last July, which as a prize included advertisements provided by the radio station group Arizona Lotus Corp.
How to Compete
To earn a spot to compete in Iron Chef Tucson, restaurants must participate in and win at Meet the Chefs.
To participate in the event chefs must be either 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. Apply now!
At the event, restaurants will be judged on three categories: taste, creativity, and presentation/visual appeal. The restaurant that scores the highest according to a panel of three qualified judges will be named the Meet the Chef winner.
“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,” said Debbie Wagner, General Manager at Arizona Lotus Corp. “Join us for this always fun and delicious day of culinary experiences.”
If you are interested in competing at Meet the Chefs, please visit ironcheftucson.com.
Meet the Chefs and Iron Chef is proud to support the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona with a donation from both events with the help of Blue Moon Brewing.
For more information on all things Iron Chef Tucson, please visit ironcheftucson.com.
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Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
