‘Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend’: Meet the New Iron Chefs on Netflix’s Cooking Competition
Iron Chef America was one of Food Network‘s greatest programs. The show aired for 13 seasons and managed to hook viewers in with every episode. The show went off the air in 2018, but Netflix announced that there were plans for a reboot.
The streaming giant recently released the list of cast members for the reboot titled Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend. Meet the new Iron Chefs on Netflix’s cooking competition.
Why did ‘Iron Chef America’ move to Netflix?
Iron Chef America was the second adaptation of the Japanese TV cooking show. The series aired after Iron Chef USA failed in 2001. Iron Chef America aired on Food Network from 2005 to 2018 and mainly featured contestants who’d been Food Network staples.
Every episode followed a resident Iron Chef as they tried to measure up to the challenger chef in a one-hour competition using secret ingredients. The show also featured commentary done by Alton Brown. Although the show was doing well on its own merit, Food Network stopped making new episodes in 2014.
Food Network insisted that Iron Chef America wasn’t canceled, but fans weren’t convinced as the network wasn’t churning out new episodes. Food Network brought a new Iron Chef program called Iron Chef Gauntlet, but the show was a limited series with six episodes. Iron Chef America made yet another comeback in 2018 with one 10-episode season, but that was the last viewers heard about the show.
Here’s where you’ve seen Netflix’s Iron Chefs
Networks seem to realize the potential of Iron Chef, and despite Food Network dropping the ball, Netflix decided to try its luck with Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, which debuted on Netflix in June 2022.
Brown hosts the new show with 2013 Top Chef winner Kristen Kish. Additionally, the new show includes fresh faces, all of whom are culinary royalty. The cast includes Marcus Samuelsson, Curtis Stone, Gabriela Càmara, Dominique Crenn, and Ming Tsai.
Samuelsson has won several James Beard Awards and was the youngest person to ever receive a three-star review from The New York Times. He is the owner of Red Rooster Harlem, Marcus at Baha Mar Fish + Chop House, and MARCUS Montreal Streetbird at Yankee Stadium. He was the host of No Passport Required, which aired on PBS.
Crenn is the owner of Atelier Crenn and was the first female chef in the US to get three Michelin stars. She appeared in Chef’s Table in 2016. Stone is a culinary entertainment staple, appearing in shows such as Top Chef Junior, Top Chef Masters, and Field Trip with Curtis Stone. He is also a cookbook author and owns Gwen Butcher Shop & Restaurant and Maude.
Camara was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020 and one of Fortune Magazine’s Most Innovative Women in Food & Drink. She is the brains behind Mexican cuisine restaurants like Caracol de Mar, Itacate del Mar, Contramar, and Entremar.
Tsai is a James Beard Award holder, cookbook author, accomplished restaurateur, and TV personality. He owns Blue Ginger restaurant in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and stars in Simply Ming on PBS.
What major changes does Netflix’s ‘Iron Chef’ have
Aside from the extremely star-studded and highly accomplished cast, Netflix gives the chefs more kitchen space to work and run freely. Additionally, viewers will get uninterrupted viewing as Netflix’s streaming model means the host doesn’t have to sign off for a commercial.
Moreover, according to Brown (USA Today), the Chairman, played by martial artist mark Dascascos, “brings an absolutely lovable zaniness” that wasn’t seen in the original Iron Chef America.
