We were given tickets (Phil's birthday gift) to a Next Iron Chef event being held in conjunction with Food Network's NY Food and Wine Festival in October. All of Iron Chefs and contestants had booths with a sample of their work...with only a few very notable exceptions, it was, as you would expect, amazing!  I had the camera (and a lot of the pictures I had to doctor -- the lighting was awful), so lots of photos of Phil and the chefs -- his deal, so I'm ok with it!  (We know he's the more photogenic of the two of us, anyway.)

Phil with Iron Chef Forgione

Us with Alton Brown!

Phil with...Elizabeth Falkner?  I think?

Chef Appleman at work

Phil with the original, Iron Chef Morimoto! 

Phil with Giada -- we spotted her in the crowd and I made him bother her.

Phil with Chef Guaranchelli -- Spoiler alert, she won.

Phil with his choice for winner, Chef Mehta.  Not pictured: my choice, Chef Mehndelsohn.

Morimoto at work

Phil with Iron Chef Zakarian (who was handing out pink bandaids from a tub large enough to drown in)

We pose with their promo

The back room where the Iron Chefs were set up -- you can barely see how packed the room was.

Phil with Iron Chef Michael Symon

The chefs present that evening.