Photo by Caitlin Abrams
Justin Sutherland of Handsome Hog
What are you doing July 8th? If you are any kind of Minnesota food fanatic, you’ll be glued to your television screen cheering on Handsome Hog / Pearl & the Thief's Justin Sutherland, because that’s when his already-taped episode of Iron Chef America airs!
Here’s what our rising star told me about it: One day his phone rang. It was Iron Chef America. Did he want to compete? He grabbed his Pearl sous chef Brandon Randolph and pal Donald Gonzales (now chef at Sea Change). Tim McKee of Octo Fishbar lent the trio his kitchen from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day, and the three started practicing. “I got my ramen time down from 22 minutes to 9 minutes,” Sutherland told me—and while he can’t say whether he won, he did let slip that the famous Minnesota chef obsession with whole-animal butchery skills might have come in handy.
He'll be cooking against Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli in Kitchen Stadium. The judges he'll have to impress are Susan Feniger and Jonathan Waxman! Good luck Justin! All of Minnesota is rooting for our hometown Apple Valley High School hero.
Catch the Iron Chef Episode: Sunday July 8 at 9 p.m. central; Monday, July 9 at 12 a.m. central; Sunday, July 15 at 5 p.m. central
There will be a viewing party on July 8th at Handsome Hog, stay tuned for details!
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