“Top Chef” Season Two winner Ilan Hall will host “Knife Fight,” a new and gritty cooking competition that premieres Tuesday, April 23 at 9\/8c on the brand-new Esquire Network, formerly known as G4. <\/p>\n
“Knife Fight,” brought to the Esquire Network by Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films and Authentic Entertainment, is full of “real chefs cooking in a real kitchen in front of real people,” according to Hall, who also acts as an executive producer. “What started as one chef talking smack to another has grown organically into a full-on competition. At the end, it’s not about winning and there’s no huge prize. These chefs are just pouring their hearts into what goes onto their plates out of a genuine love of food.<\/p>\n
The 10-episode series will feature underground, after-hours cooking bouts between some of Los Angeles’ most exciting chefs at The Gorbals, Hall’s own downtown restaurant. <\/p>\n
Each episode of “Knife Fight” will be an hour long and feature an undercard and title bout. Two chefs will go head-to head, making at least two dishes in one hour from a combination of two to three secret ingredients. As they cook, they will be surrounded by a rowdy crowd, including their family, friends, neighbors as well as celebrities, foodies and food professionals that serve as timekeepers ad judges. Some of the celebrities you can expect to see are Barrymore along with Elijah Wood, Jason Lee, Bijou Phillips and Erika Christensen, food writers Jeanne Kelly and Evan Kleiman, and Hall’s “Top Chef” friends like Elia Aboumrad and Michael Voltaggio. World-renowned skateboarding photographer Giovanni Reda acts as master of ceremonies for the series.<\/p>\n
This season’s contestants feature acclaimed and thrilling chefs that includes James Beard nominees, Top Chef competitors, chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants, Food & Wine “Best New Chefs” and more. In the premiere episode, chefs Kevin Meehan (Kali Dining) and Felix G. Barron IV (KITCHN 105) compete in the undercard bout and Brendan Collins (Waterloo & City) and David Feau (most recently executive chef of The Royce at The Langham), fight for the title. Actor and comedian Eric Wareheim (“Tim and Eric Awesome Show”) and award-winning food writer\/author Jeanne Kelley will join Hall on the judges’ panel.<\/p>\n
Check out the video below to see what you think!<\/p>\n