“The winner is … Chef Tarbell!”

With those words from “Iron Chef America” chairman Mark Dacascos, Valley restaurateur Mark Tarbell was hoisted into the air by assistant Jim Gallen to celebrate a victory over “Iron Chef” Cat Cora on the popular Food Network show Sunday night.

“You can’t imagine the adrenalin,” Tarbell says. “Jim picked me up and shook me like a rag doll.” Tarbell beat acclaimed San Francisco chef Cora by creating five dishes using the show’s secret ingredient — apples — in just 60 minutes.

While Cora is famous for her Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, Tarbell used Southwest touches in his winning dishes, which were: a camomile-infused apple broth, paired with apple Navajo fry bread drizzled with mesquite honey; celery root and apple soup, topped with a large cheddar crisp; pan-seared scallops wrapped in apple tamales and accompanied with a toasted pumpkin seed relish and an apple-papaya salsa; double-cut pork chops with apple cornbread; and a trio of miniature caramel, chocolate and candy apples for dessert.

“Fruit plays well with Southwest flavors,” says Tarbell, 44, owner of Tarbell’s on the southeast corner of 32nd Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix. “But apples are acidic, so you have to be careful.”

Three celebrities — hip-hop artist Bonecrusher, PR guru Karine Bakhoum and author Jeffrey Steingarten — brought decidedly unprofessional palates to the judges’ table. “What I like about (the judging process) is it’s so off the wall,” Tarbell says. “Your dish has to win on many levels.”

Judges could award each chef up to 20 points for taste, 10 for plating and 10 for originality. Tarbell edged Cora by a point, 13-12, in plating, but Cora narrowly won originality, 14-13. The difference came in taste, where Tarbell had a match-deciding 24-18 advantage. “It’s great to have a nice plate and creativity, but taste is what ultimately matters,” says Tarbell, who watched Sunday’s show at his Phoenix restaurant, where a private viewing party raised nearly $20,000 for several Valley charities.

As for his opponent, Tarbell says Cora can come off as a little cold on TV, but is just the opposite. “I think she’s a first-class lady and an excellent chef,” he says.

Sunday’s episode was filmed in secrecy last October. Tarbell had to sign a contract agreeing not to reveal the outcome or any details to anyone — even his wife, who gave birth to the couple’s first child, Elizabeth, two weeks ago — for the past 10 months.

He and his assistants also aren’t allowed to identify the location of the show’s famed Kitchen Stadium, or even what city it’s in, but Tarbell did reveal the episode was taped in one afternoon. He also says the competition happened exactly as it appeared on TV. The 60-minute clock started as soon as the ingredient was unveiled. There were no timeouts or breaks, and the judging took place immediately afterward.

As for what his victory might do to boost the popularity of his 12-year-old Valley restaurant, Tarbell is cautiously optimistic. “Everyone says it can, and we’re excited about that,” he says. “But we consider ourselves a neighborhood restaurant, and we’re gonna look out for our neighborhood customers first.”

Asked what he’s learned from the experience, Tarbell doesn’t hesitate. “I’ve always kinda competed with myself, but never in team sports,” he says. “So for me it was a great experience to put a team together and go into battle. � It made us all better, and that makes Tarbell’s better.”

Posted in: Phoenix |

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