Alton Brown Dishes Season 2 Of "The Next Iron Chef" ... And Why A Jellyfish Is Not Good Eats

By Lori Acken

Alton Brown In 2007, telegenic Cleveland chef and restaurateur Michael Symon cooked his way to victory on Food Network's first ever Next Iron Chef competition, scoring the spot of a departing Mario Batali on the network's hugely popular Iron Chef America. Two years later, Batali's back, Symon's a hit and the net is hunting yet another culinary warrior to defend its Kitchen Stadium, beginning Oct. 4.

Back to call the competition, as he does on each episode of Iron Chef America — Good Eats guy Alton Brown, who really liked what he saw ... and tasted.

I recently caught up with Brown as he prepared to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his beloved show and the publication of the first of a trio of Good Eats tomes that "remaster" 84 episodes of fine-tastin' food.

So ... are there standouts among the new NIC competitors?

Alton Brown: I thought we had a really good lineup the last time we did this two years ago. This is, mmmm, 7.5 times better. The food is more exciting. The passion is definitely cranked up even more. The level of honest competition is cranked up even more and yes, there are a lot of standouts. Matter of fact, I would say there's no deadwood in the whole pile.

From a culinary standpoint, from a food standpoint, this is rocket science stuff. These are visionary cooks with the chops to back up their vision and you can't ask for more than that, especially if they've got great stories that are fueled by passion ... which they do.

Do contestants apply for the show or are they sought out?

Mostly they're sought out. A lot of times it's just going to a restaurant and tasting people's food and then meeting them and learning about them. It's like scouting a baseball team — sending out scouts to find talent. Same kinda thing.

What is that process like — are producers specifically looking for someone who can make good food and good TV?

It's long and very, very involved. The producers and executive producers of Food Network go through hundreds and hundreds of possibilities — interviewing, conversations, looking at their food over time. It all starts and ends with the food, really.

But that charisma thing — you can't make that. You can't manufacture that. And I think some of that is just dumb luck to be honest with you. Certainly the group that we have on Next Iron Chef this year — you couldn't have known until you got into it what you were going to get. It's really a roll of the dice from a production standpoint.

And even the most charismatic person can crumble when there are TV cameras involved ...

Yeah. But that's not really charisma. Charisma comes from the unknown. It's that "It factor," and you've either got it or you don't. The thing that can crumble under the lights or under the pressure is polish, that kind of presentation thing that you can learn. But the real charisma thing, that emerges. That's not something you can plan on having. And typically those who have it don't even know they have it.

It's the ability to be "sticky," to hold a camera on you and have an audience want to know more about you, to experience what you're doing.

With, with this subject matter, by the way, is pretty stinkin' difficult being that we haven't worked out that scratch and sniff, scratch and taste thing. People can't taste this food. They can't smell this food. They just can't.

So this is showering with a raincoat on. And if you're going to shower with a raincoat on, you better be good at describing what the water feels like.

Especially when you're working the more exotic ingredients that the audience may have never smelled or tasted before ...

Exactly. One of the reasons that I try so hard to have social context, to have "story" about the ingredients, at least on Iron Chef America, is to try to fill in the gaps and give purpose and meaning to something that people can't taste. I can't describe for you what passion fruit tastes like. I can't. I can describe to you what I think passion fruit tastes like, but I might alienate half the audience doing that. Or I might miss the mark with it. So instead, you give it some context by talking about its history and giving it significance that way.

Next: How hard is that for you? Has there ever been a time when you've found yourself stymied as to what to talk about?

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