All renowned culinary champions, these challengers are at the tops of their games in the food world. But on Iron Chef Gauntlet, they’ll compete for the chance to earn the coveted, craved title Iron Chef. Read on to learn about their professional backgrounds and their styles in the kitchen.

Since 2001, Texas native Chef Jason Dady has had a vision to raise the bar of dining in his hometown San Antonio.  His efforts have not gone unnoticed: he has earned the title of “Best Chef San Antonio” by San Antonio Current and San Antonio Magazine, been honored as a James Beard semifinalist, and has received other recognitions including a “40 Under 40 Rising Star” in the San Antonio Business Journal and a StarChefs.com Rising Stars Restaurateur Award. Additionally, his signature barbeque is listed as one of “Top 50 in the World” by Texas Monthly, and Dady recently earned CultureMap’s Tastemaker Award for “Chef of the Year” in 2016.  He currently helms Jason Dady Restaurants, alongside his brother Jake and wife Crystal. Dady first appeared on the restaurant scene in 2001 with The Lodge Restaurant of Castle Hills, featuring one of the city’s first tasting menus, followed up by the modern American cuisine at BIN 555 Restaurant & Wine Bar in 2004. He then refocused on returning to the cuisine where his roots are, fine Italian, with the launch of Tre Trattoria—now his flagship—in 2007, creating handmade pasta, along with distinctive flavor combinations in authentic entrées. His current concepts include the Northern Italian-focused Tre Enoteca (2015); the family-friendly Texas pit ‘cue at the award-winning Two Bros BBQ Market (2008); the modest, saloon- styled B&D Ice House (2014); and The Bin (2016), a classic Barcelona Spanish tapas bar; along with DUK Truck, a mobile kitchen for offsite catering that can also be found on occasion cruising the streets of San Antonio. Dady introduced the coastal seafood experience of Shuck Shack in July 2015 and the opening of a second Two Bros BBQ Market is planned for 2017. 

Chef Jonathon Sawyer is a proud Clevelander and a graduate of the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts. He began his culinary career at The Biltmore Hotel in Miami before working in New York City alongside Charlie Palmer at Kitchen 22. Sawyer worked as Chef de Cuisine for Michael Symon, and then became Symon’s Executive Chef at Parea, receiving a two star review from The New York Times. In 2007, Jonathon moved back to his hometown to pursue his dream of opening his own restaurant. Before his dream was realized, Sawyer partnered with a local entrepreneur to open Bar Cento, a modern Roman enoteca in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. During his tenure as chef and partner, Bar Cento received many accolades, including Northern Ohio Live's “Best New Restaurant” and earned the “Rising Star Chef” award from both Restaurant Hospitality and GAYOT. Sawyer has since opened several of his own restaurants in Cleveland, including his flagship The Greenhouse Tavern, a French and seasonally inspired gastropub; Noodlecat, a quick service ramen shop focusing on local ingredients and sustainability; and Trentina, a northern Italian inspired restaurant that was named a runner up in Esquire's “Best New Restaurants” in October 2014. Sawyer also operates Sawyer’s Street Frites in the Cleveland Browns Stadium, and opened another stadium establishment called SeeSaw Pretzel Shoppe in Quicken Loans Arena. He was honored as a recipient of Food & Wine Magazine’s “Best New Chef” award in 2010. In 2013, he became a finalist for the James Beard Award's “Best Chef: Great Lakes,” and won the prestigious award in 2015.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Chef Michael Gulotta began cooking in local restaurants at a young age.  After graduating from the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, he joined the newly opened Restaurant August under Chef John Besh.  Gulotta then took leave to train in the Italian Riviera and Germany’s Black Forest. When Hurricane Katrina hit, Michael returned home to help rebuild and assist with August’s re-opening. He was named Chef de Cuisine in 2007 and led the award-winning kitchen for six years, while establishing relationships with local farmers and purveyors. He opened his first restaurant, MOPHO, in January of 2014 with his brother, Jeffrey Gulotta, and high-school friend, Jeffrey Bybee.  Located in New Orleans’ Mid City, MOPHO strives to be a true neighborhood restaurant and a destination for Southeast Asian inspired cuisine utilizing the Louisiana pantry. In its first year MOPHO was nominated for “America’s Best New Restaurant” by Bon Appétit Magazine and named “Restaurant of the Year” by New Orleans Magazine. Gulotta was recently named one of “Top 30 Chefs to Watch” by Plate Magazine, “New Orleans Rising Star” by Starchefs, and 2016 “Best New Chef” by Food & Wine magazine. His team recently opened its second full service restaurant, Maypop, in the Central Business District of New Orleans.