Battling Buddies – Chefs RJ Cooper and David Guas
2010 Season Premier of Food Network’s Iron Chef America
Chef RJ Cooper of Rogue 24 in Washington, DC competed head-to-head on the 9th season premier of the nationally acclaimed television show Iron Chef America, which aired Sunday, November 28th at 10 pm EST. Cooper, the seasoned veteran chef and James Beard Award winner, was the very first challenger to face the winner of the third season of Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef.” To battle the newest Iron Chef, Cooper appointed Rogue 24’s chef de cuisine Harper McClure along with notable DC pastry chef and long-time friend David Guas of Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery.
Cooper and Guas are long time friends as well as comrades in the kitchen at countless charitable events for the past 10 years. Not only have they shared a stove, but often an early morning duck blind, and many a roadside hotel when riding across country from D.C to the Badlands of South Dakota on their cherished motorcycles. Off hours, these two high-on-the-hog chefs [AKA members of the exclusive D.C. chef motorcycle group District Hogs] take their cooking, their ingredients, their farmers, and their Harleys very seriously. These passions go hand in hand as they roll through the tri-state area whipping up spur of the moment meals at farmers' with whom they've developed personal relationships over the years. So, the challenge in Food Network’s Kitchen Stadium is quite similar to these Sunday afternoon eat-a-thons amongst friends. No time to plan, or source any ingredients ahead, but just Cook it up— Eat it up—Live it up!
A Benefit for Chefs as Parents Coinciding with the Premier
Sunday, November 28, 8 – 10 pm
In celebration of this exciting opportunity, Cooper hosted a special viewing party, eager to share this evening with the DC community. The event was held from 8pm -12am at Long View Gallery (1234 9th St., NW), a Blagden Alley neighbor of Rogue 24.
As a chef advisory member of Chefs as Parents, the chef driven, non-profit organization that is working to improve the quality of school lunch programs, Cooper is proud to announce that this event donated 100% of the proceeds directly to this important cause. Joined by founding chef Cathal Armstrong [Restaurant Eve] and fellow advisory chefs Robert Wiedmaier [Marcel’s] and David Guas [Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery], the group excitedly shared this evening with the community, while bringing awareness to the importance of eradicating the current state of public school lunches.
With a $50 donation per person, attendees enjoyed savory hors d’oeuvres from each of the renowned chefs in addition to a mouth watering array of fresh Mid-Atlantic oysters provided by Rappahannock River Oysters, LLC, and cocktails by the chefs’ mixologist friends. No judges to critic and no chairman to say who won, but the evening’s event was truly about each and every attendee who have become our champions for the night.