Kitchen Stadium might look a bit different, but the premise of Iron Chef Tucson mirrors that of its Food Network parent: two chefs, one secret ingredient, one hour, one winner.
And since a good showdown includes differences and similarities, this fifth annual battle is boiling down nicely.
In one corner, we have Steven Schultz, a longtime respected local chef and restaurateur (The New Red Sky Cafe Inside Luna Bella) who turns 48 the day after the Sunday competition. In the other, there's Ryan Clark, who, at just 26 years old, has already climbed to the top of the food chain at Lodge on the Desert.
The age differences are tempered by training, with each competitor schooled in classic French technique. Both are Tucson natives: Schultz graduated from Sahuaro High School, Clark from Sabino.
"Sabino always beats Sahuaro," Clark says - laughing, sort of.
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Schultz admits to not having followed his alma mater's sports teams, but he's up for the challenge nonetheless. To Clark's wins at "Iron Chef"-style battles at Tucson Meet Yourself in 2010 and 2009, comparative veteran Schultz notes wins at similar competitions, including one at Hacienda del Sol.
Fans of the "Iron Chef" TV franchise know the deal: The chefs will be told what the secret ingredient is at the start of the hour-long battle (last year, it was pork bratwurst), and they must incorporate that element into four dishes.
Chef Alan Zeman (of the now-closed Fuego) will offer commentary, with judges including Flying V executive chef Ken Harvey and manager of the now-closed Terra Cotta Michael Luria.
The 2010 champ was Miciah Beard, who was then with Omni's Bob's Steak & Chop House. Because Beard now cooks for the private Sierra Tucson, says Jennifer Nunn of sponsor Journal Broadcast Group, he is not eligible to compete. Beard, by the way, is a Flowing Wells High School graduate.
Ryan Clark
Executive chef, Lodge on the Desert
• Age: 26
•Training: Graduate of The Culinary Institute of America (New York).
• Résumé: Before heading the kitchen at Lodge on the Desert in 2009, sous chef at Fuego and The Dish Bistro & Wine Bar.
• Team: Lodge sous chefs Brandon Dillon and Andrew Ruga.
• Dream secret ingredient: "A game meat would be kind of fun - venison, ostrich."
• Biggest concern: "Alan Zeman is going to be one of the MCs, and anyone who knows (Clark's former boss) Alan should be concerned. He's full of character, so it will be hard to concentrate with him yapping on the mic. And you can say I said that."
• Most confident about: "My staff."
• Will you make a dessert? "If the secret ingredient allows for it, then I will. I do all my own pastries at the restaurant."
• Culinary philosophy: "To facilitate the food's journey from farm to fork."
Steven Schultz
Executive chef-owner, The New Red Sky Inside Luna Bella
• Age: 47
• Training: Graduate of Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne (France).
• Résumé: Before opening Red Sky Cafe in 2000 and merging it with Luna Bella in 2010, jobs included chef de cuisine at the Ventana Room, executive chef positions at Lodge at Ventana Canyon and at Carmel Valley Ranch Resort in California.
• Team: Pastry chef Blanca Osuna and sous chef Clarence "Carl" Schurter.
• Dream secret ingredient: "I like to work with meats, fish, wild game. I'm up for anything."
• Biggest concern: "Obviously you have to be concerned with your time."
• Most confident about: "I have really good speed, a really good background of cooking techniques."
• Will you make a dessert? "That's top secret."
• Culinary philosophy: "To take the ingredient and keep it pure, and enhance the flavor, not mask it."
If you go
• What: Iron Chef Tucson, competition between two of Tucson's top chefs.
• When: 6 p.m. Sunday.
• Where: Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, 7000 N. Resort Drive.
• Cost: $40 general, $60 V.I.P.
• Info: Iron Chef concludes a weekend of culinary events, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information: ironcheftucson.com
