Food

(WCCO) A Twin Cities chef is going for gold in a tough, national competition: "Iron Chef America."

"I think there was the 12 stages of nervousness and every one came with their own package of love," said Sameh Wadi, the first Minnesota chef to be featured on the Food Network show.

The episode was taped last summer but the show will air later this month, on Jan. 24. For Wadi, it was the taping of a lifetime.

From the time he was a child, Wadi wished nothing more than to work in a kitchen, also known as his second home.

"There's definitely something that's in the blood," he said.

Learning cooking skills from his Palestinian mother and father before they moved and settled in Minneapolis, food became an inspiration to Wadi.

"I shadowed my mother in the kitchen, while my friends were playing soccer. I was hanging out with my mother in the kitchen learning how to bake, so my family and friends thought there was something strange about that at a very young age," he said.

From that time on, Wadi's future was all about food. He opened his own restaurant, Saffron, and served as the head chef. He's won regional awards and he's about to get national recognition on the Food Network's "Iron Chef America."

For the challenge, he took on Iron Chef Masahara Morimoto to determine whose cuisine reigned supreme, using the secret ingredient of mackerel.
Wadi said he remembers when the show's producer called to invite him on the show.

"I was having a really, really bad day," he said.

But his brother gave him the really, really good, unbelievable news.

"I said, 'Man! I don't have time for these jokes. I'm having a bad day.' And I didn't believe him until I came back to the restaurant, googled the guy's name," he said. "As I was talking with the producer of the show, I was googling his name, and I realized, this is for real. This is not a joke."

Wadi had no idea what ingredients he'd be able to cook with in Kitchen Stadium, or what pots and pans he'd be allowed to use.

He could only bring one thing with him, and he said that was an easy choice.

"It's my lucky knife," he said. "It was there when I battled Morimoto."

Wati added that it did indeed bring him luck. He was able to successfully make five dishes in 60 minutes and his work impressed the show's judges.

But as far as how much he impressed the judges, that's sworn to secrecy.

He won't comment on whether he won but he will say that it was an honor being noticed for his culinary skills -- the culmination of years of hard work.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)