Alex is the second woman to earn the title Iron Chef (after Cat Cora) but the first to win via competition (see the show The Next Iron Chef). She is also a host on Chopped.
I recently learned about Alex courtesy of Marc Maron’s podcast. An only child and raised in Manhattan, her mother was a cookbook editor so food was in the cards. According to the interview with Maron, Alex found her calling after college which entailed working up the ranks in Europe before returning to America.
Before becoming a respected chef in her own right, Alex was often a sous-chef assisting other Iron Chefs on TV. I’m glad she got a chance. Many chefs are men and for some reason Rachel Ray gets all the press and has no formal training, according to my wife. I’m not saying the fancy piece of paper or time in the school of hard knocks means instant credibility. If Rachel Ray gets people fired up over cooking, eating and whatnot, great. However, what Madame Guarnaschelli does has more passion, greater sincerity and the journey was a major element. Not having a line of cheap, Chinese-made dishes endorsed by the “celebrity.”
This year was a great year for Alex, her first book got released this Spring and her first shot as executive chef at Butter is undergoing renovations. Now I have another reason to visit New York on my own dime besides seeing a Broadway show!