Le Fooding Manipulates Coastal Rivalry For Own Devious Pleasure, Reveals Participating Chefs

French puppeteers Le Fooding, the food movement that seeks to modernize gastronomy and periodically comes to New York to cause mischief in pursuit of this goal, plans manipulate a quasi-fabricated, largely verbal rivalry between East and West Coast chefs to popularize their movement in the US. They have arranged a competition pitting some of the best chefs from San Francisco and New York against each other in an epic battle to take place in Queens at Le Grand Fooding 2010.

Competing in categories like pizzas, burgers, and cocktails, the competition will allow at least one of the chefs to put their money where their mouth has already been. David Chang famously joked last year that "every restaurant in San Francisco is serving figs on a plate with nothing on it," and got himself banned from some Bay Area restaurants.

You'll have to wait til the end of September to see if the Chang Gang comes out victorious, or if the West Coast crew takes top honors, but in the meantime, here's the roster:

In New York's Corner: Momofuku empire mastermind David Chang, Blue Hill's Dan Barber, Nate Appleman, formerly of San Francisco's A16 but representing hist current spot, Pulino's, Mario Carbone of Torrisi, Brian Leth from Vinegar Hill House, Seersucker's Bob Newton, PizzaMoto's Pamela Woods, bartender Jim Meehan of PDT, and April Bloomfield of The Breslin and Spotted Pig.

In San Francisco's Corner: Daniel Patterson of Coi and the soon-to-be-opened Plum, Aziza's Mourad Lahlou, Laurence Jossel of Nopa and Nopalito, Jeremy Fox, formerly of Ubunto and will be opening with Patterson at Plum shortly, Frances' Melissa Perello, James Syhabout of Commis, Pizzaiolo's Charlie Hallowell, Laurent Kalkotour of DB Bistro Moderne and bartender Erick Castro of Rickhouse.

· Behold the Starry Chef Lineup for This Year's Le Fooding NYC-SF Throwdown [SFGate]
· The SF Chang Ban [-ENY-]