Get ready for battle of barbecue at this year’s Iron City Chef

After the success of last year’s Iron City Chef, which pitted four local firefighters against each other in the kitchen, this year’s competition has a different theme: barbecue.

Iron City Chef is hosted by the Vestavia Hills Sunrise Rotary Club at Jefferson State Community College’s Culinary and Hospitality Institute. This year’s event will be July 23 at 6 p.m., and the competing teams are from Moe’s BBQ, Jim ‘n Nick’s, the Hospitality Institute and one more team to be named, event chair Kent Howard said.

Each team can cook its choice of main dish — such as chicken, ribs or pork — as well as sides and a dessert. Guests at Iron City Chef will taste all four competitors’ dishes and vote for their favorites. Howard said a competition for Best Dessert has been added this year. The roughly 300 guests can also enjoy music, hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction and wine tastings by Western Supermarket beginning at 5:30.

“So the guests get a wonderful meal. They get to sample from four different chefs,” he said.

After guests vote, the top two chefs will “compete head to head” in a 30-minute cooking competition with a mystery ingredient. A panel of three judges will decide the winner from the final competition.

“I’m looking forward to the different barbecue sauces … and the desserts,” Howard said.

The winner will receive $1,000; the runner-up will receive $100, and best dessert receives $500, Howard said. Each chef also has a sous chef who is a student at the Culinary Institute, and the student working with the winning chef receives a $1,000 scholarship as well.

Now in its eighth year, Iron City Chef has sold out every year, Howard said. Tickets went on sale June 1, with individual tickets at $55 and corporate tables at $400 or $800.

Howard said the funds raised during Iron City Chef are given back to the community in a variety of ways. Besides the scholarship for a Jefferson State student, the Rotary Club also has given money to the Vestavia Hills High School math team and speech and debate team for 25 years. 

Other beneficiaries this year include End Polio Now and Clean Water for the World. Howard said the Rotary has supported a school in Africa for several years, and some of the proceeds from the chef competition will support classroom expenses and help the school re-dig a well.

Last year’s Iron City Chef was the first with a theme, with firefighters from Homewood, Hoover, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills going head to head. Hoover firefighter Edward Pegues walked away with the top prize and Jefferson State student Ian Triggs won a scholarship for his assistance.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit rotarytoast.org.