Top Chefs Sign Up for Portland Face-Off Gala; Who's Next?

Image of Departure courtesy Somewhat Frank via Flickr

Rarely does a charity food gala sound quite so much like Iron Chef on both steroids and acid. The first-ever 10-10-10 Portland Chef Face-Off (it's on October 10, obvs) will pit ten local chefs against each other in a massive cooking competition in front of a live crowd — after tasting each dish served up by the chefs-under-pressure, the adoring public will crown an overall face-off winner. Eight top chefs thus far — including David Anderson (Genoa), Sarah Schafer (Irving Street Kitchen), Greg Gourdet (Departure), Ben Bettinger (Beaker & Flask), and Rick Widmayer (Screen Door)‚ have signed up for the challenge, which leads Eater to wonder about the final two. Has anyone called Portland's reigning Iron Chef Adam Sappington? Can Naomi Pomeroy back up her Iron Chef America performance in front of a live crowd?

Either way, the event, at PureSpace Portland, raises funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society as part of the organization's "Million Dollar Weekend" charity drive. Consider us stoked.
· 10-10-10 Portland [Official site]