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Esther Choi was defeated by the Iron Chefs by just one point and lost the title of Iron Legend.
Netflix released the most popular and most competitive culinary series of all time tonight: Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend. Season one of the show did not give us any Iron Legend as the final Challenger Chef, Esther Choi, could not beat the five Iron Chefs.
In the final battle, Chairman Mark Dacascos challenged the competitors to prepare a dish that changed their life. Chef Esther Choi, 36, prepared five sea dishes against one dish each of the Iron Chefs. She scored 82 for her cooking, narrowly missing the score of the culinary giants, which was 83.
Esther got involved in cooking at a very young age and got her first job in a restaurant at the age of 14. Esther is originally from Egg Harbor, New Jersey. Her biography on the 'Institute of Culinary Education' website reads:
"At some point, I realized opening my own restaurant was something I had to do."
In an interview with Matador, Esther revealed that her food was inspired by her grandmother, who grew Korean herbs at home and blended them in American food. Esther said that her grandmother taught her humility and added:
"Her philosophy was always, cook with your whole heart, cook with love."
Esther Choi says that her food is the representation of Korean culture. She opened her own restaurant at the age of 28. She said that she had to earn a place in Manhattan's Chelsea Market for her own eatery by giving a 80-page business plan and a dinner for 10 people.
She is the owner and chef of Mŏkbar, which opened in 2014, and its branch in Brooklyn. To pay tribute to her grandmother, Mŏkbar’s most famous dish, dumplings, are named 'Halmoni Dumplings'. Halmoni means grandmother in Korean.
Her restaurant won the Village Voice Reader's Choice award for best new restaurant. The eatery was an instant success. Speaking about her customers to The Korea Times, Esther said:
"They are so excited to have found these new flavors."
Esther Choi also owns a CBD-infused oil brand. She is Ms. Yoo's business partner, the name of her grandmother. Miss Yoo serves American food that has some Korean spices.
She appeared on Food Network’s FN Dish in 2012 and on Beat Bobby Flay in 2014. She was later seen on The Chew and Today in 2017 and 2018, respectively. She also featured in the 2021 documentary "Her Name is Chef," which dealt with sexism in the culinary world.
How did Esther Choi battle the Iron Chefs in the finale of Netflix's Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend?
In the finale of Netflix's Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, Challenger Chef Esther Choi faced opposition from the five Iron Chefs to earn the title of Iron Legend. She had previously defeated Chef Marcus Samuelsson in the Battle Tailgate.
Esther spoke lovingly of her grandmother and said:
"She shaped who I am today."
The Chairman asked the Iron Chefs and Esther to prepare a "food that changed your lives." Chef Esther Choi chose to prepare a dish out of sea’s ingredients. Chef Choi was asked to prepare five dishes, while each Iron Chef had to make one dish in 1 hour.
Her first dish was the 'Golden Tomato Tteokbokki with Pork and Shrimp Dumplings,' which paid tribute to the time she lived in Korea and her elementary school classmates who taught her about Korean heritage.
Her second dish, titled 'Hanabi Crudo,' was inspired by her first job in a sushi restaurant, where the owner would make her a salad out of the leftover sushi meat. She then made 'Ssam Story,' which is Langoustine Shawarma with Hummus. The dish was inspired by her twenties and failed to impress the judges, as the dish lacked focus.
She then presented a dish inspired by her own restaurant. The dish, 'Lobster Ramen,' was well-liked by the judges. Her fifth and final dish was 'Crab Bibimbap,' which was inspired her grandmother and respected her culture.
The Iron Chefs prepared seafood dishes from around the world. Chef Crenn’s Langoustine Tarte and Chef Ming Tsai’s Truffled Shrimp Shumai impressed the judges.
Chef Camara made 'King Crab Tostada.' Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s 'Lobster Bird with Chicken' and Curtis Stone’s 'Curried Dungeness Crab' was also well-liked by the judges.
Iron Chefs won the challenge by 1 point and Season 1 of Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend did not get its first Iron Legend.
