Put all of that conjecture about Garces leaving Iron Chef to rest.  In episode 2 of the ninth season he returns to take on Chef Mike Lata in Battle: Sparkling Wine.

I have a soft spot in my heart for challengers like Mike Lata.  Like me, he became a chef without going to culinary school but rather by working his butt off for years in kitchens in Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, New Orleans, Atlanta and even France (a lifelong dream).  A sustainability devotee, he became a self-appointed spokesperson for the Georgia Organic Growers Association.

Today Lata is Chef/Partner of FIG (Food Is Good), a local neighborhood eatery located in the heart of downtown Charleston.  Along with partner Adam Nimerow he has forged FIG into a James Beard Award winning eatery that is, “laid-back, eclectic and unpretentious, FIG is one part retro diner, one part neighborhood café, and one part elegant bistro.”

Waiting for Chef Lata is Iron Chef Jose Garces who is sure to be focused after finishing last season with back-to-back losses, the first two of his career.  The judges for Battle: Sparkling Wine were author and master sommelier Andrea Robinson, wine expert Steve Olson, actress Debi Mazar, and Barneys’ creative director Simon Doonan.

Click HERE for the outcome.

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