Woodinville Winemakers Vie for Title of Iron Vintner at Willows Lodge Cooking Challenge

Who needs Chairman Kaga and his kitchen stadium or his nephew Mark Dacascos and those TV chefs? Not Woodinville. This town has its own version of the Iron Chef cookoff, the 2011 Iron Vintner Challenge at Willows Lodge. The month-long June culinary competition pits local winemakers against one another in a battle for the title of Iron Vintner, ending in a championship winemaker dinner at Barking Frog to benefit Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center.

This is the event’s second year and will again be hosted by Bobby Moore, executive chef of . The contestants vying for the coveted title are winemakers John Bigelow of , Chris Gorman of , Chris Sparkman of and Chris Upchurch of . Sparkman may be the man to beat, with his work before turning to winemaking.

This iron chef competition is played in front of a live audience on the patio at   During each competition, attendees will be in the middle of the action watching as participating winemakers strategize, cook and compete against their rival. The competition begins as each winemaker and their partner are given a box of products selected by Chef Moore from which to create an appetizer and an entrée in 60 minutes.

A panel of celebrity foodie judges will sample the competitors’ dishes and select a winner each week based on presentation, flavor and creativity. This year’s judges include Jason Wilson, chef and owner of Crush, Thierry Rautureau, chef and owner of Rover’s and Luc, Bob Betz, .

The Iron Vintner Challenge concludes with a Championship Winemaker Dinner at Barking Frog on June 29 to benefit . Chef Moore will prepare a four-course dinner featuring wine pairings by the winner and the other participating winemakers.

The competitions will occur on three consecutive Wednesdays beginning June 8 with the Chris Sparkman battling Chris Gorman.  The 2011 Iron Vintner Challenge schedule is:

• June 8, 2011 – Preliminary Round 1: Chris Sparkman VS Chris Gorman
• June 15, 2011 – Preliminary Round 2: Chris Upchurch VS John Bigelow
• June 22, 2011 – Championship: Winner of Round 1 VS Winner of Round 2
• June 29, 2011 – Championship Dinner at Barking Frog: All participating winemakers attend

The event sold out last year and is expected to again this year, according to Rhanda Rosselot, marketing manager. It is was so popular that Rosselot has decided to stagger ticket release, giving more people an opportunity to purchase tickets. The first tickets will be released on April 28, then the next week on May 5 and the Championship on May 12.

"Otherwise we have people who want to buy up the whole series," she said.

Tickets for each of the cooking competitions are $35 per person and include tastes from each winery competing that night. Tickets for the final Championship Winemaker Dinner are $135 per person. Willows Lodge will extend a special 15 percent discount on the best available room rate for Iron Vintner Challenge attendees to stay overnight on the Wednesday evening of the competition. Visit www.willowslodge.com for additional information and tickets.