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Mayor Williams to Be Featured on Food Network's Iron Chef America

May 15, 2008

News Release for Immediate Release

January 17, 2006

 

Mayor Williams to Be Featured on Food Network's Iron Chef America

 

Contact: (Press Only) Vince Morris (202) 727-5011; Crystal Palmer (202) 727-6608


(Washington, DC) As part of an effort to broaden the District of Columbia’s national restaurant appeal, Mayor Anthony A. Williams tomorrow will be interviewed as the featured guest during a taping of the Food Network’s nationally-televised “Iron Chef America” program.


Last October, Mayor Williams served as a judge during an event at Tosca Ristorante in Northwest where he helped name Chef Morou Ouattara (formerly of Signatures restaurant in Northwest) as the District’s “Iron Chef.” The victory sent Morou to New York for tomorrow’s taping of the “Iron Chef America” program. During the program, Morou will battle in the kitchen against two of America’s top chefs. Mayor Williams will be the featured guest during the taping.


“This is a great chance to highlight our city’s restaurant scene, which is growing by leaps and bounds,” said Mayor Williams. “Just imagine: seven years ago, our city was a restaurant dead zone. Now, one of our city’s top chefs is featured on a national TV show. I’m proud that our city’s restaurants have made such strides and are such a vital component of our city’s economy.”


Lynne Breaux, Executive Director of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington said: “Chef Morou’s ‘Iron Chef America’ appearance is yet another example of the District’s rise as a world-class culinary capital. From The RAMMYS to the Food Network, DC dining is hot, cool and rockin’!”


In 2004, the restaurant industry contributed approximately $205 million in annual revenues to the District’s general fund, accounting for approximately 5.5 percent of the city’s total tax revenues.


Each episode of the popular “Iron Chef America” features a “secret ingredient,” which each chef must use in the preparation of several dishes. In each episode a chef battles in the kitchen against legendary “Iron Chefs” Bobby Flay, Mario Batalia and Masaharu Morimoto.