Enter Kitchen Stadium

Iron Chef is a rare breed of television program. The stylized Japanese cooking competition made its debut in 1993, and has since revolutionized food preparation. C’mon, you know when you’re slicing and dicing in the privacy of your kitchen, you’re envisioning a panel of rapt judges and a soundtrack of dramatic synthesizers. Battle — boneless chicken! Good news for fans of competitive cooking — the fun doesn’t end when you click off the television, at least not today. New Times presents its first-annual Iron Fork event, where local chefs show off their skills in a culinary fight to the finish. Competition will be as stiff as whipped egg whites when eight of the city’s most popular pros face off at the Miami Science Museum (3280 S Miami Ave., Miami).

Among those competing are chefs from Capital Grille, Forte di Asprinio, and Dada Restaurant & Lounge. Allen Susser of Chef Allen Fame, and Clay Conley Chef of Azul, will serve as judges. The winning chef will receive the “Golden Fork,” which comes with a year’s worth of bragging rights. This bash won’t be all about watching grown men and women chop veggies and braise meats; there’ll be cocktails a plenty, food samplings, the ever-popular Planetarium Light Show (set to the Corteo music by Cirque du Soleil, to whet your appetite for their upcoming performance), and plenty of live music to get the party poppin’. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Visit newtimesironfork.com for yours.
Thu., Oct. 30, 2008