Geoffrey Zakarian Is The Next Iron Chef

image via eater.com

NYC Chef Geoffrey Zakarian is the Season 4 winner of the Food Network's "The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs" series.

Zakarian defeated rival chef Elizabeth Falkner, executive pastry chef at Citizen Cake and executive chef and co-owner at Orson (both in San Francisco) in the epic final showdown.

Both chefs reached the final by outlasting eight other highly skilled competitors, including former Top Chef Masters series winner Marcus Samuelsson, and Montreal culinary kingpin Chuck Hughes.

The season-ending "winner takes all" battle featured a festive "Holiday Theme" that required the use various "secret" ingredients.

The judging panel for the finale included current Iron Chefs Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto, and Michael Symon, along with respected food critic Simon Majumdar, and Iron Chef UK judge Judy Joo.

Congratulations to Chef Zakarian for winning this outstanding competition, and for his incredible display of culinary savvy and creativity throughout the entire season.

-Turnbull

Update: Chuck Hughes Is Still a Winner Despite Iron Chef Elimination

Montreal's culinary whiz-kid Chuck Hughes was eliminated from the Food Network's The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs TV series on Monday night.

Hughes faced elimination after the show's judges placed him as one of the "bottom two" competitors.

In the final showdown, Hughes faced American chef Beau McMillan in a secret ingredient battle (Tofu) to determine who would continue in the competition, and who would be sent packing.

Despite a valiant effort, Hughes came up just short, as the judges sided with McMillan's creation.

P&B would like to send major props to Chef Hughes for showing such class in defeat, and for doing Canada proud by representing us so well!  Even though he lost, Hughes is still a big, big winner in the hearts and minds of Canadian food fans.

image via canadiens.nhl.com

-Turnbull

Canada's Chuck Hughes Battles for Iron Chef Supremacy

photo via canadiens.nhl.com

Canadian Chef extraordinaire Chuck Hughes has returned to Kitchen Stadium, as he's vying for the title of Iron Chef on the popular Food Network series.

Earlier this year, I broke down Hughes' victory on the show, which elevated the Montreal native's status among the culinary world's elite.  He beat renowned chef Bobby Flay in the "Battle Lobster" episode of the show.

Hughes is now up against some stiff competition, as he competes against nine of the most renowned chefs in the biz, including Marcus Samuelsson, Alex Guarnaschelli, Robert Irvine, and Anne Burrell.

The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs will return on Sunday November 6 at 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT on Food Network Canada.

Go get 'em, Chuck!

-Turnbull

Canuck Chef Chuck Hughes Takes Out Bobby Flay in Iron Chef Showdown

Chuck Hughes gettin' busy at his Montreal resto, Garde Manger
(photo via foodanddrinkfest.com)

Congrats to Canadian Chef Chuck Hughes for claiming victory against New York City culinary king Bobby Flay on Sunday night's episode of Iron Chef America: The Series.

The two chefs waged war against one another to determine who could dazzle the judges with their cooking prowess, working with the chosen secret ingredient:  Canadian Lobster.

Hughes impressed the panel of judges with his creativity on all 5 of the required dishes, including his take on a Canadian classic ... Lobster Poutine.

After he was declared the winner, Hughes stated "This really is a dream come true for me.  It was one of the most intense challenges of my life, and I'm so proud to represent Quebec and Canada as a winning Iron Chef."

When he's not busy kicking ass on televised cooking competitions, Hughes can be found running the show at his Old Montreal restaurant, Garde Manger.