ICA: Flay vs. Christensen
After nearly two months off it is good to see the king of TV cooking shows back. Raleigh-based Chef Ashley Christensen jumps into the pressure cooker of Kitchen Stadium to battle Iron Chef Bobby Flay. Will she rise to the occasion or explode under the pressure?
Ashley Christensen, the chef-owner of Raleigh’s Poole’s Diner is in town tonight and she brings with her the traditions of Carolina cooking. She makes just the third chef from the Triangle area to battle on Iron Chef. Chef Ashley is considered one of the top chefs in the Raleigh area. Last September she was included in Bon Apatit’s article “Women Chefs: The Next Generation,” where she was thrown into good company along side Kelly Liken, Naomi Pomeroy and Allison Vines-Rushing.
The questions is whether Chef Ashley is ready for the heat of Kitchen Stadium where Iron Chef Bobby Flay awaits along with his sexy sous Rene Forsberg and Christine Sanchez. Also waiting is the secret ingredient Chum Salmon and the judges Ben Sargent, Cady Huffman and Jeffrey Steingarten.
Check below for the outcome.
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Flay Christensen
Taste: 20 Taste: 14
Plating: 12 Plating: 11
Originality: 13 Originality: 10
Total: 45 Total: 35
ICA: Flay vs. Hughes
A special Iron Chef America pits Food Network against the Cooking Channel as Chuck Hughes (Chuck’s Day Off) is the first star from the kid sister network to enter Kitchen Stadium. Waiting for him will be Iron Chef Bobby Flay, a veteran of 46 battles. Will experience win out?
Chuck Hughes is a veteran of the Montreal food scene. He’s been working in “The City of Saints” since he left culinary school culminating in Garde Manger – an Old Town Montreal restaurant he opened with two friends in 2006.
Then came Chuck’s Day Off (read my review HERE) one of those outsourced Food Canada shows that make up a large part of the Cooking Channel’s initial line-up. Here’s what they have to say about their star, “Chuck was on the fast track to a career in advertising, but somewhere along the way, fell in love with the restaurant business. He enrolled in culinary school, started working in the city’s hottest kitchens and hasn’t looked back since.”
Judges for Battle: Canadian Lobster were John T. Edge, Karine Bakhoum and Stefan Gates. Chef Flay was once again assisted by Sous Chef Renee Forsberg (who I believe oversees Flay’s Mesa Grill outpost in the Bahamas). Chef Renee was sporting her signature Pocahontas ponytails. Also adding heat to Flay’s kitchen was the adorable Christine Sanchez, Culinary Director of the Iron Chef’s company, Bold Food.
If you haven’t already be sure to check out my exclusive interview with Iron Chef Bobby Flay (HERE).
Click HERE for the outcome.
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