'Landry's Iron Chef' competition underway in Galveston

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Dozens of chefs are participating in an intense competition in the kitchen in Galveston

GALVESTON, TX (KTRK) -- There's a competition heating up on Galveston Island and the winner earns the title "Landry's Iron Chef."

Grab your pans, get set, who's the best chef?

"Oh, there's rivalry here," says Executive Chef Mike Frietsch with Landry's Signature Group.

You'd better believe it as he smiles, laughs and adds, "We steal each other's stuff, make sure your salt is actually salt, sometimes it's sugar. We play dirty." They have only seven minutes to make a dish and impress the panel of judges.

"Everyone eats with their eyes first," says Frietsch.

When asked if there is any bribery going on he says, "Never, never, only with bacon."

Frietsch oversees dishes and menus for restaurants like Grotto and Brenner's. He says everyone enjoys littles twists and new combinations.

"You get daring with every dish. This one I was playing around with it and first it was short rib, then pulled pork," says Chef Frietsch.

Every dish is photographed on the way to the judges for the Tenth Annual Landry's Iron Chef Competition. Landry's COO and Sr. VP Howard Cole said, "Innovation and creativity is one of the driving forces, taste and it's all got to work. They are great cooks and great chefs, so what they understand if you've got to be able to get it on a menu and people have got to love it."

Eyewitness News Reporter Christine Dobbyn got to sample the Carolina Oyster appetizer. She said it was "delicious" and she would order it from a menu.

Chef Frietsch said, "We all really win every day because all the features we're putting on our menus for all of our guests. We Iron Chef every day."

About half of the more than sixty dishes will be added to menus at Landry's restaurants across the country.

Editor's Update: The winning dish was Charles' Reed Chocolate Butterscotch Cake.