Jose Garces cooks for glory on Food Network’s ‘Tournament of Champions’

Jose Garces will soon be back on TV.

Philadelphia’s erstwhile Iron Chef turns up Sunday on the fifth season of Tournament of Champions, one of Guy Fieri’s Food Network competitions. Thirty-two chefs from the East and West Coasts, all from the first four seasons, compete over eight weeks in a bracket-style competition for a prize of $150,000.

Among the competitors is Jersey Shore native Britt Rescigno, to whom Garces lost last time in the quarterfinals.

Since his Iron Chef America days, Garces has also competed on Guy’s Grocery Games and Guy’s Ranch Kitchen.

“It’s exhilarating,” Garces said this week about the competition on Tournament of Champions. “It really pushes every skill that you’ve ever had, like strategically planning around food. It’s physical.”

This particular format is really challenging, he said. Fieri uses a slot-machine-like wheel called the Randomizer, which has five categories: a protein, produce, time, a piece of equipment to be used, and “some sort of wild card that he throws in there.” The wheel is spun, the chefs learn the game, and the cooking begins.

“There’s really no way to prepare or [to] have really any strategy prior to a battle,” Garces said. “Basically you know, 3 to 5 minutes once that randomizer hits, to think of a plan, strategize, and cook a delicious plate of food.” Judges decide on the winner.

“There are really good talented chefs on in this bracket,” said Garces, who naturally would not disclose any details about the show. “I can tell you that for me it’s a privilege and an honor to be cooking on television.”

Jose Garces won his “Iron Chef” title in 2009, beating New York chef Jehangir Mehta in the Food Network culinary battle. Among the Garces kitchen assistants on the Iron Chef America show: Chad Williams is chef-co-owner of Friday Saturday Sunday, the 2023 James Beard Award winner for outstanding restaurant; Tim Spinner, who opened Taqueria Feliz restaurants with fellow Garces Restaurant alumnus Brian Sirhal and now owns Taqueria Amor in Manayunk; and Dave Conn, chef-owner of Alice in South Philadelphia. Garces enjoyed a 16-7 won-loss record.