Yesterday, 7 elite chefs from Metro-Detroit commenced in a major food fight at the Mirepoix Cooking School in Royal Oak. Chefs Reva Constantine of Joe's Produce & Gourmet Catering, Marc Djozlija of Wolfgang Puck, Paul Maxon of Ronin Sushi, Brandon Wolschleger of Table 5, Justin Lucus of Toasted Oak, Jim Balogna of the Townsend Hotel, and Zach Stotz of Atlas Global Bistro stirred up some friendly competition as the "Iron Chef" style competition kicked off at the Royal Oak recreational cooking school.

After an incredible first day of eliminations, only 4 chefs remained. Judges David Benjamin of The Hungry Dudes, Shasta Fase of Old World Olive Press, and David Lingholm of the Detroit Regional News Hub had difficult choices to make, and the even more difficult job of tasting every dish, especially on a full stomach in the second round! After much careful deliberation, it was determined that chefs Marc, Reva, Brandon and Zach will head to the semi-finals on Friday, September 2 at the Arts, Beats & Eats festival on the International Stage at 2:30 pm.

As the chefs advance, there is a lot on the line. A $10,000 cash prize will be split amongst the top 3 finishers with $7,000 going to the first place winner, $2,000 to the runner-up, and $1,000 to the third place chef. Judges for the final rounds will include special guests from The Hungry Dudes, and Scott Moloney from Treat Dreams Ferndale.

To learn more about the chefs, visit http://mirepoixcookingschool.com/index.php/the-duel-arts-beats-and-eats-contestants