'Iron Chef America' Guest Star Jose Garces Makes Philly More Delicious

'Iron Chef America' Guest Star Jose Garces Makes Philly More Delicious

Restaurateur Runs Mini-Empire In Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- With about 618,000 Latino residents, the Philadelphia area boasts the second-largest Latino population on the East Coast, and the foodies are reaping the benefits. The region is proud to claim one of the most eminent Latino chefs/owners in the country, Jose Garces, who has noticeably paved the way for Latino chefs and several new Latino restaurants in Philadelphia. He will soon appear on the Food Network's "Iron Chef America" and will release a cookbook this fall.

At just 35, Garces has established himself as a leader in creating modern interpretations of Latin cuisines, opening three of his own Latin-infused restaurants in Philadelphia -- Amada, Tinto and Distrito -- over the last few years.

Born and raised in Chicago by Ecuadoran parents, Garces' background contributes to his ease at combining different cultures. After honing his skills in Spain and New York City, the culinary maverick trained under Douglas Rodriguez, the father of Nuevo Latino cuisine, and helmed the kitchens at both Alma de Cuba and El Vez, two wildly successful Latin-influenced Stephen Starr restaurants in Philadelphia.

In 2005, the chef extraordinaire debuted his own restaurant, Amada, and attracted immediate crowds and national buzz. Garces was hailed as a visionary for the Old City spot, which serves Spanish and New World-influenced tapas in an elegant yet comfortable setting.

Following Amada's success, Garces opened Tinto in 2007. The wine bar in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood specializes in "pinxtos," the Basque region's Spanish- and French-influenced version of tapas.

Garces continued to pull from his roots with Distrito, opened in July 2008, an expansive, bi-level eatery in University City that dishes out Mexico City-inspired cuisine. Garces also honored his hometown of Chicago when he opened Mercat a la Planxa in the Windy City earlier this year.

Garces will be Philadelphia's first chef to appear on Food Network's "Iron Chef America," airing Sunday, August 17 at 9:00 p.m. The Philly fave will go chef-hat-to-chef-hat with Food Network's Bobby Flay. They will have one hour to complete five dishes, each requiring use of a secret ingredient. The week after the episode's airing, each of Garces' three restaurants will offer the five dishes from the show, giving Philadelphians yet another reason to love him.

In both 2007 and 2008, Garces was nominated for the James Beard Foundation Awards for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic. This fall he will release a cookbook entitled Latin Evolution.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside(R) a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region's vitality. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit http://www.gophila.com/ or call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676.

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Source: Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation

CONTACT: Eric Cortes, +1-215-599-0790, ecortes@gptmc.com, or Cara
Schneider, +1-215-599-0789, cara@gptmc.com, both of Greater Philadelphia
Tourism Marketing Corporation

Web site: http://www.gophila.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For high-resolution photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit the photo gallery of http://www.gophila.com/pressroom .

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