Courtesy of Food Network

Yesterday, Meal Ticket got a chance to jump in on a conference call with The Next Iron Chef America finalists Jehangir Mehta (NYC’s Grafitti) and Philadelphia’s own Jose Garces.  Following Sunday night’s exit of chef Seamus Mullen, only the secret ingredient (the Food Network preview clip makes it look like ribs) of Battle Imagination stands between one of these men and the job of Iron Chef. The chefs spoke on using strategy outside of cooking skills, how they feel about their portrayal on television and why peanut butter and jelly is as odd a pairing as fish ice cream.

I asked the both chefs how gamesmanship and strategy affected their path to the finals. “I think you have to have a strategy, and as far as gamesmanship is concerned, it’s good to have some culinary ethics when it comes down to it,” said Garces. “In one battle, a chef, who I won’t name, took all of the usable product. I was left with some of the product that was not great. That was their strategy and it worked. Who is to say who will have ‘gamesmanship’ or be ethical … people react differently in every situation. It was good to have a strategy and try to be as ethical as possible.”

Mehta’s strategy throughout the show has been to keep his mind open to abrupt changes. “There has to be a strategy to adapt. If something is missing, or not there, you have to work with it. You just heard chef Garces say for the first time that someone had taken something that he wanted, but we didn’t hear him growling about it on TV, we just heard about it now. ”

Editing of hours of footage plays a role in the perceived character of each chef-competitor. Known in the Philadelphia restaurant industry for his lack of stereotypical chef histrionics, Garces said he has no cause for complaint. “I would say I’m pretty comfortable with the editing, for the most part.  From my perspective, it’s been a pretty accurate portrayal.” Mehta has been painted in less rosy tones. “People have said they made me look a little conniving, or whatever words have been used on the Web,” he said. “On TV they flesh things out. People around me know who I am, and even competitors have gone online and defended me. You cannot cry about things like that.”

When another writer asked if “odd food pairings” were a hallmark of Iron Chef, Mehta provided a bit of culinary perspective. “Something can seem odd to a judge or viewer, but it could have been familiar to that person cooking or that culture. To me, a peanut butter and jelly seemed very odd, when I came to America. It is not something I am happy with, as a mouth feel. It all depends on what your palate likes and doesn’t completely enjoy.” Garces added, “I’m a fan of classic flavor combinations — mac and cheese, artichokes and truffles — traditional flavors that have worked in the past. Different cultures have different ways of pairing things. The Chairman throws some tough challenges out there, but I stick to things that work. When you see that gap, that opportunity, you can take the risk [on a pairing].”

The final episode of The Next Iron Chef, Jehangir Menta vs. Jose Garces in Battle Imagination, airs Sun., Nov. 22 at 9 p.m. EST on the Food Network. There are fewer than 20 tickets remaining for Sunday’s viewing party at Garces’ Distrito; call 215-222-1657 for rezzies.

On the line with Jose Garces and Jehangir Mehta of The Next Iron Chef

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 12:23 pm and is filed under Food TV, Next Iron Chef. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.