Cook shows her mettle on the Iron Chef Gauntlet
A Calgary competitor on Top Chef Canada and winner of Top Chef Canada: All- Stars put all her pans on the table for the toughest culinary contest yet.
Nicole Gomes, chef-owner of Nicole Gourmet catering and coowner of Cluck n’ Cleaver, competed against some of the best in the food world on the Food Network’s Iron Chef Gauntlet.
“The first round of Top Chef was more reality-TV based. Iron Chef is very professional. You have to be a little bit more outside the box. You’re still timed but you have to produce three bloody amazing dishes in one hour. They ’re looking for creativity, to see who’s taking chances.
After 22 years in the business, including stints around the world — in Paris, Sydney and Hong Kong among other major cities — Gomes isn’t flustered by much. Trained in French cuisine but specializing in Italian, Gomes signed on to the show believing her skills were up to the task and her background in catering would allow her to adapt to any situation.
“When you diversify yourself, you feel comfortable,” she said.
“Honestly, anyone who isn’t confident wouldn’t do it. You have to be confident but also have fun. If not, you’ll lose the plot of it pretty quickly.”
Iron Chef Gauntlet’s six-episode second season, hosted by Alton Brown, begins airing on April 4. Seven chefs battle for the chance to gain the coveted culinary title of Iron Chef. There are two contestants from Canada: Gomes and Dale Mackay of Saskatoon (owner/ executive chef of Grassroots Restaurant Group and the winner of Top Chef Canada’s first season).
In the first five episodes, the competitors go through two gruelling rounds starting with the Chairman’s Challenge, where Brown delivers a themed challenge and decides who is the most and least successful chef. The winner then selects a competitor to join the bottom chef in the Secret Ingredient Challenge, where they cook three dishes with a secret ingredient. A panel of judges sends the least successful chef home each week, while the winner lives on for another week.
Including the structure of the episodes, Gomes said there were big differences between Top Chef Canada and Iron Chef Gauntlet, which is filmed in Los Angeles.
“The American show was a way bigger production; there’s more money behind it. Iron Chef is a bigger deal because it brings a lot of opportunities for future endeavours.”
In the finale on May 9, the last chef standing has to run the Gauntlet — three rapid Secret Ingredient battles, each against a legendary Iron Chef: Alex Guarnaschelli, Stephanie Izard and Michael Symon. If the finalist receives more points than the Iron Chefs combined, they will be crowned an Iron Chef.
Gomes was careful not to reveal any details that would give away the ending. As the first female winner of Top Chef Canada, she said viewers will have to tune in to see if she makes it to the end, which would crown her as the first Canadian Iron Chef.
For fans wanting to duplicate some of the skills and dishes, a digital companion series Iron Chef Mode offers culinary tips and tricks to use in their own kitchens. Viewers can also find out more about the challengers, Iron Chefs and guest judges at FoodNetwork.com/IronChefGauntlet.