Cat Cora: Iron Chef America's First Lady

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Several superchefblog readers wrote in all at once to remind me that Cat Cora is the first female "Iron Chef." The Dallas Morning News quotes her as saying, "Yes, I just got named the first female Iron Chef: is it about time, or what?" On April 3, 2005, she battles chef Alex Lee on the Food Network's Iron Chef America. It sure is time. American women have struggled up the ladder in the kitchen since the 1970s, breaking ground chefs like Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger (see Super Chef, chapter 4) and Nancy Silverton in Los Angeles; Traci des Jardin, Elka Gilmore and others in San Francisco; and Anne Rosenzweig and Lidia Bastianich in New York. Just check out Cat's biography on the Food Network or the list of chefs who belong to organizations like Women Chefs and Restaurateurs. It's overdue. I called Cat to follow up. She explained that in the original, Japanese version of Iron Chef all four chefs were men, whereas in Iron Chef America there is now one woman among the four. "It had to start somewhere, and I am glad it started with me." How does she feel about being an "Iron Chef"? "I think it's going to show that women have superior culinary skills like men. For a decade I've worked in hard -- hard! -- kitchens in France, and here in the US. I was in the trenches for years. Women have a side to them that is competitive. They can hold their own -- and Iron Chef America will showcase our talents." Today's women chefs often apprentice under other women chefs precisely because their kitchens are less macho and more woman-friendly – and some male chefs are doing the same. In the past, however, they didn't apprentice under men because most male chefs wouldn't hire women. I have heard the story about a French male chef refusing to hire a well-qualified woman over and over again. Check out Susan's story in Super Chef (pp. 134-135). Cora said she apprenticed with two French three-star chefs (George Blanc and Roger Verge) -- after eight rejections. Now there are more and more women who compete against male chefs everyday in restaurants across America. It's also true that there are more women on the pastry side of the kitchen. Pastry has always lured women because the hours are more family-friendly, and, although there is plenty of back-breaking lifting and heavy work, there is perhaps a bit less. Why doesn't the Food Network put on Iron Pastry Chef America? How is this for a starting line-up: Nancy Silverton of La Brea Bakery, Claudia Fleming of Amuse, Sherry Yard of Spago, Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake, Gale Gand of Tru and a host of others. Of course the girls will let some boys play -- perhaps Jacques Torres, Pierre Herme, or Francois Payard. Once pastry chefs come into their own, how about pitting pastry chefs against savory chefs, so that each has to make a savory dish and a dessert -- from one ingredient? Gale Gand told me that she'd love to take on Bobby Flay. The secret ingredient might be chestnuts, or red currants, or black pepper. Now, that would be breaking down some barriers! Of course, then again, Cat, where are you in the show's official line-up? Hiroyuki Sakai Wolfgang Puck Bobby Flay Mario Batali Go figure. Previous articles: Vote for White House Guest Chefs Nancy Silverton & Mario Batali's Mozza Iron Chef America: Running on Empty World AIDS Day II: Iron Chef Cat Cora Mary Sue Milliken: California Beats Japan Molto Mario Massacres Mahi Mary Sue & Susan: California's Restaurateurs of the Year Iron Chef: America vs. USA