We’ve all seen Iron Chef, right?
That’s basically what’s happening at CityBeat’s inaugural Iron Fork event from 5:30-10 p.m. Wednesday. The Christian Moerlein Brewery in Over-the-Rhine will transform into a local version of Kitchen Stadium with area chefs Frances Kroner (feast, Sleepy Bee Café, Random Snacks of Kindness), Jose Salazar (Salazar) and Joe West (The Cincinnatian Hotel and The Palace) going head-to-head in a cook to the death!
OK, not death — these three will be competing for the coveted Golden Fork Award. Beginning at 6 p.m. with Kroner, the chefs will each take a turn in the kitchen creating a dish using a secret ingredient (which they won’t know about until an hour before they begin). Salazar will follow at 7 p.m. and West will go at 8 p.m. Each chef will get help from a youth apprentice from Gabriel's Place, a local food education nonprofit. CityBeat dining contributors Anne Mitchell and Ilene Ross will join Kristen St. Clair, Kitchen Director and Resident Chef at Gabriel’s Place, as the competition judges.
As the chefs do their thing, there will be live feeds of the action on monitors around the event, so guests will be able to catch the fun while they enjoy beer from Christian Moerlein, Four Roses cocktails and bites from more than 20 area restaurants and food vendors including Django Western Taco, Huit BBQ and Jimmy G’s.
Tickets are $30/$40 day-of and include two Moerlein beers, a Four Roses drink and ample food samples. Get ‘em here. Proceeds benefit Gabriel’s Place.
