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Brooklyn Chefs Battle it Out in 'Iron Chef'-Style Competition

By Paul DeBenedetto | June 26, 2014 5:08pm | Updated on June 27, 2014 5:21pm
 Brooklyn chef Janelle Galvez will host the Brooklyn Chef Battle on Saturday.
Brooklyn chef Janelle Galvez will host the Brooklyn Chef Battle on Saturday.
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DNAinfo/Paul DeBenedetto

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Forget Kitchen Stadium — these chefs are bringing "an open heart and an empty stomach" to Bed-Stuy.

Three teams of Brooklyn chefs will compete in an "Iron Chef"-style competition on Saturday designed to promote healthy living.

The Brooklyn Chef battle, hosted by Brooklyn chef and food activist Janelle Galvez, is a cooking competition modeled after the popular Food Network show, complete with an unknown "secret ingredient" that all participants must use as the centerpiece of their dish.

Each of the chefs will use fresh, seasonal ingredients to teach the audience about healthy eating.

"What we wanted to do is involve youth somehow and educate them on eating healthier," Galvez said. "I love the whole 'Iron Chef' battle idea, and so I thought it would be more engaging."

Two of the teams are sponsored by Brooklyn organizations: East New York Farms, which every year trains 33 kids to grow, harvest and sell their own food, and Chaitty Coffee Shop, a Bed-Stuy cafe, will each sponsor one child and one adult in the competition.

Boston-based organization Oldways Preservation, a healthy cooking education nonprofit, will sponsor two other Brooklyn chefs.

Teams cook three dishes each, for a nine-dish tasting judged by audience members. The winner receives a subscription to Edible Brooklyn, gift certificates to Whisk and food from the Chelsea Market.

Audience members can also enjoy food from the Brooklyn Born Food Truck and Popcorn Love, and learn more about healthy living from other vendors.

Parents can even bring their kids for a "baby chef battle," featuring children between 5 and 8.

The 2014 Brooklyn Chef Battle is Saturday, from noon to 5 p.m., at 364 Vernon Ave. Click here to purchase tickets.