The OG Iron Chefs from Japan are coming together for a two-night dinner in Melbourne next weekend. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the chefs — who starred in the campy much-loved cult-classic Japanese food competition show Iron Chef — will cook a seven-course banquet for 320 diners each night.
The show ended in nearly 16 years ago, but thanks in part to re-runs, the chefs are still quite popular amongst their fans. While the menu is being kept secret, the paper reveals that Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai will cook mainly with seafood. Iron Chef Italian Masahiko Kobe will cooking with trout, and the son of original Iron Chef Chinese Kenichi Chen, Kentaro Chen, will cook local duck. (Does Iron Chef status come via legacy?)
Sadly, the dinners will not be held in a replica of Kitchen Stadium, but apparently the event "will still be intense." There will be a ton of kitchen staff on-hand to help the Iron Chefs, including 30 volunteers from restaurants across Melbourne and a 12-person Japanese kitchen crew. The dinners will take place next Saturday and Sunday at the RACV City Club, but tickets have been long sold out. The Iron Chef series has had many international spin-offs, including a very successful American version featuring chefs like Bobby Flay and Alex Gaurnaschelli.