Minneapolis, MN – Chef Sameh Wadi, a Minnesota resident and Culinary Arts graduate (March 2004) from The Art Institutes International Minnesota, will appear on Food Network’s ‘Iron Chef America’ on Sunday, January 24th at 9pm ET/PT. Chef Wadi will be the first chef from Minnesota to compete as a challenger on the program. In this episode, Chef Wadi will face Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto.
Competing on ‘Iron Chef America’ is just the latest in an impressive string of national and local achievements for the chef that opened his restaurant just three years ago at the age of 23. Last fall, Chef Wadi won City Pages’ annual Iron Fork competition. In June, he was invited to participate in the 24th annual Chefs’ tribute to Citymeals-on-Wheels at the Rockefeller Center in New York. Wadi was the only Midwest chef at this event working alongside such other notable chefs as Daniel Boulud, Alfred Portale and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. That same month, Chef Wadi also competed in the Walker Art Center’s annual CuisineArt 2009: From Palette to Palate museum fundraiser where his dish won the Duchamp Award for best interpretation and was the overall favorite of guest of honor, Wolfgang Puck.
Chef Wadi graduated from The Art Institutes International Minnesota in March 2004. He was recently nominated in the “2009 James Beard Foundation Award for Excellence” and was a semi-finalist for the category “Rising Star: A chef age 30 or younger who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to have a significant impact on the industry in years to come.” Chef Wadi owns Saffron Restaurant and Lounge, located at 123 N. 3rd Street in Minneapolis. Saffron Restaurant and Lounge was recently voted the “Best Middle Eastern Restaurant” by City Pages- the Best of the Twin Cities 2009. He has appeared in numerous publications including METRO Magazine, Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine, Star Tribune, Minnesota Monthly, Vita.MN, Conde Nast Traveler, Gourmet, and St. Paul Pioneer Press.