Who Is the Odds-On Favorite To Be the 'Next Iron Chef'?

Who Is the Odds-On Favorite To Be the 'Next Iron Chef'?

Caesars Palace Las Vegas Sets Odds On Food Network's Newest Culinary Competition, To See Who Will Stand Alongside Iron Chefs Bobby Flay, Masahuru Morimoto, Cat Cora & Mario Batali

Series Premieres Sunday, October 7th at 9pm ET/PT Odds Currently Posted at Caesars Palace*

NEW YORK, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Food Network and Caesars Palace are cranking up the burners-and the stakes-by setting the odds to see who will be crowned The Next Iron Chef, a limited-run series launching this Sunday, October 7, at 9pm ET/PT. Eight top chefs from around the country will compete to join the ranks of Mario Batali, Cat Cora, Bobby Flay and Masahuru Morimoto and be launched into instant fame. But whose cuisine will reign supreme? Follow the show, and the odds, to see who is selected as the weekly favorite by the odds-on experts at Caesars Palace.

The eight contestants are: John Besh (Executive Chef, Restaurant August, Besh Steak, Luke and La Provence, New Orleans, LA); Chris Cosentino (Executive Chef, Incanto, San Francisco, CA); Jill Davie (Executive Chef, JOSIE, Santa Monica, CA); Traci Des Jardins (Executive Chef & Co-Owner, Jardiniere, Mijita and Acme Chophouse, San Francisco, CA); Gavin Kaysen (Chef de Cuisine, El Bizcocho at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego, CA); Morou Ouattara (Executive Chef & Owner, Farrah Olivia, Alexandria, VA); Aaron Sanchez (Executive Chef & Owner, Centrico and Paladar, New York, NY), and Michael Symon (Executive Chef & Owner, Lola and Lolita, Cleveland, OH).

"Caesars Palace has become one of the top fine dining destinations in Las Vegas thanks to the arrival of celebrity chefs Bradley Ogden, Guy Savoy, Francois Payard and of course, Iron Chef Bobby Flay," says Caesars Palace Assistant Vice President of Race & Sports Book Operations, Chuck Esposito. "Our Race & Sports Book sits right across from Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill and my team of experts and I have spent countless meals there discussing the finer points of what it takes to be an Iron Chef. After several heated discussions we decided that Chef Des Jardins possesses both the culinary sensibilities and high-pressure kitchen skills needed to win this contest and enters today as our odds-on favorite."

The six episodes will take the contestants from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, to Europe - with the help of international airline Lufthansa - to compete in the food fight of their professional lives. Over the course of the show, the judges - Michael Ruhlman (James Beard Foundation Award-winning author, cookbook author and food writer), Andrew Knowlton (Restaurant Editor of Bon Appetit magazine) and Donatella Arpaia (restaurateur and owner of acclaimed New York City restaurants davidburke&donatella and Anthos) - will ask the chefs to demonstrate their speed, artistry, flair for simplicity, innovation, resourcefulness, creativity under pressure and leadership skills as they strive to attain greatness in the form of becoming America's Next Iron Chef.

The winner will be revealed during the series' finale on Sunday, November 11, at 9pm ET/PT and will begin their reign as Iron Chef with the premiere of the new season of Iron Chef America on Sunday, November 18, 2007. The Next Iron Chef is produced by Triage Entertainment in conjunction with Food Network and is based partially on the format Iron Chef owned by Fuji Television Network, Inc.

   *Odds on Next Iron Chef America are for media purposes only.  No live    gaming action can be placed on this contest.   

CAESARS PALACE is the world's best known resort-casino, celebrating the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome, in an 85-acre destination location that sets the standard for entertainment, dining and luxury. Reigning at the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, Caesars Palace ranks among the world's top luxury resorts known for their originality and beauty and features 3,348 hotel guest rooms and suites, 26 unique restaurants and cafes, 4.5-acre Garden of the Gods pools and gardens, 50,000 square foot Qua Baths & Spa and 240,000 square feet of premium meeting and convention space. The 4,100-seat Colosseum sits just steps from celebrity chef restaurants and the acclaimed Forum Shops at Caesars and spotlights world class entertainers such as Celine Dion, Elton John and Jerry Seinfeld; and starting in February 2008, Bette Midler. Journalists can access media materials and request high- resolution image downloads at media.harrahs.com.

FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network and Web site that strives to be way more than cooking. The network is committed to exploring new and different ways to approach food - through pop culture, competition, adventure, and travel - while also expanding its repertoire of technique-based information. Food Network is distributed to more than 90 million U.S. households and averages more than seven million Web site users monthly. With headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Knoxville, Food Network can be seen internationally in Canada, Australia, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Monaco, Andorra, Africa, France, and the French-speaking territories in the Caribbean and Polynesia. The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP) , which also owns and operates HGTV (www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com), Great American Country (www.gactv.com) and FINE LIVING (www.fineliving.com), is the manager and general partner.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Food Network

CONTACT: Lisa Del Colle, Food Network, +1-212-401-2430,
ldelcolle@foodnetwork.com; or Marissa Moss, Bullfrog & Baum, +1-212-255-6717,
marissa@bullfrogandbaum.com

Web site: http://www.foodnetwork.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment