That firefighters
are great cooks is a universally acknowledged truth – just look
on the shelves of your local bookstore. But are the firefighters
of the five boroughs good enough to compete against some of New
York City’s hottest chefs?
Gravesend native Steve Asaro (at left), 39, a firefighter at
Coney Island’s Engine 318, will be Brooklyn’s representative
in Monday’s "Iron Skillet Cook-Off," in which top chefs
such as Luis Nieto of Blue Water Grill and Kurt Gutenbrunner
of Wallse, compete against these American heroes.
The cook-off is a fundraiser organized by and for September Space,
a not-for-profit organization that offers help and support to
the volunteers and firefighters of Sept. 11, 2001, as well as
their families. There will also be live music and a silent auction.
"We match chefs from high-caliber restaurants and the firefighters’
recipes," said Lisa Orloff, founder and executive director
of September Space. Asaro will prepare his stuffed pork with
cranberry glaze, which Guttenbrunner will emulate; a panel of
celebrity judges will decide the winner.
Planning his red-hot, post-cook-off culinary future, Asaro laughed.
"I’m aiming for television," he told GO Brooklyn. "Put
me between Emeril and Mario on the Food Network."
The second annual "Iron Skillet Cook-Off" takes place
Nov. 3 at 7 pm at Metronome, 915 Broadway at 21st Street in Manhattan’s
Flatiron District. Tickets are $100 and $150 for VIP tickets,
which entitle one to the cocktail hour at 6 pm with the celebrity
judges, and are available through September Space either by calling
(212) 563-7570 or e-mailing events@septemberspace.org.
