The 15th installment of Iron Fork, the self-described “ultimate chef throwdown” put on annually by the Nashville Scene, was an entertaining event Thursday night, with five contestants vying for the Iron Fork trophy.
Deb Paquette of Etch and Etc. (Iron Fork champion from 2008), Hrant Arakelian of Lyra (Iron Fork champion from 2022) and Charles Hunter III of The Salted Table (Iron Fork champion from 2023) were returning winners, joined by two newly recruited chef competitors, Hadley Long of Margot Cafe and Julio Hernandez of Maiz de la Vida. Each contestant was assisted by one sous chef, and culinary students from Nossi College of Art's Culinary Program were also on hand to help out and get a quick look at the cooking skills of the five seasoned kitchen pros.
Each of the chefs worked hard to wow the panel of judges and finesse the use of the secret ingredient, announced just before competition began: cocoa powder. After that, the five chefs rushed to quickly shop the grocery shelves set up by event sponsor US Foods. Then, with the clock ticking, each competitor started cooking in staggered start times.
In the end, the secret ingredient might have been a boon to Hernandez, who ultimately beat the four other keen competitors. Maiz de la Vida is a highly regarded taco truck, and Hernandez is one of the city’s experts on Mexican cuisine. His dish proved he is well-versed in the making of mole, the famous Mexican sauce whose flavors are deepened by the judicious use of chocolate. That he was able to craft the complex sauce in the limited time allotted left the judges stunned. (And made the crowd even more eager for the time when Hernandez eventually opens his planned brick-and-mortar location.)
As is always the case, the chef battle was also a party, and attendees got to graze and sip samples from the couple dozen restaurants and beverage providers set up around the venue, the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.
Iron Fork 2024's secret ingredient is revealed
But back to the competition. This year the judges praised each dish with fairly equal ardor, so it was hard to predict which chef would triumph. And speaking of enthusiasm, members of the audience also took part in a live auction of a plate from each contestant. Arakelian’s went for $240, Hernandez’s for $350, Hunter’s for $325 and Paquette’s for $650. But Long got auction bragging rights; he beat last year’s record of $900 when his creation went for $1,000. Proceeds from the auction benefited a worthy hunger-fighting charity, The Nashville Food Project.
Ultimately Hernandez took the Iron Fork trophy with his impressive dish, which started with a layer of grits made with nixtamalized Oaxacan corn. Next came a cocoa-brined duck breast topped with the mole, a rich combo that Hernandez said would be gleefully called a “tablecloth stainer” in Spanish. The sauce’s multifarious ingredients included walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, pineapple, grapes, tomatoes, chiles and of course, cocoa. The duck breast was also sprinkled with a cocoa-herb topping. It was indeed a winning combination.
“I’m super proud of this dish and our help,” Hernandez said, nodding toward the Nossi culinary students.
Meanwhile, over in the event’s VIP section, a mixology competition took place. Competing bartenders were Thistle & Rye’s Max Nishida, Rachel Ramirez of Nelson's Green Brier Distillery and L.A. Jackson’s Paul Morrison. Ramirez took the prize.
Hernandez’s Iron Fork victory also includes a berth at the World Food Championships, to be held in Indianapolis in November. We’ll watch for the outcome this fall.
