Asian Cooking with Allen P.

Allen is an Ecuadorian American chef, restaurant owner, and Iron Chef. He was born in Chicago to Ecuadorian parents. He won in the second season of The Next Iron Chef.[1] After graduating from Gordon Tech in 1990, Garces studied Culinary Arts at Kendall College in Chicago. Garces owns eight restaurants in Philadelphia: Amada, Tinto, Distrito, Rosa Blanca, Village Whiskey, Garces Trading Company, JG Domestic, Volver and Buena Onda. He also owns three restaurants in Atlantic City, NJ at the Revel Hotel and Casino: Amada - Atlantic City, Village Whiskey - Atlantic City and Distrito Cantina. Distrito Cantina includes a reproduction of the Guapos Taco truck inside the Revel Hotel. He also operates additional locations in Scottsdale, AZ with Distrito - Scottsdale, a continuation of his award-winning Distrito restaurant brand, and Old Town Whiskey in the Sagauro Hotel. And in California the Tinto - Palm Springs and El Jefe Bar brings Garces coast to coast. He also serves as executive chef for Mercat a la Planxa in Chicago in partnership with Sage Restaurant Group. For his work at these restaurants, he was named best chef, Mid-Atlantic region by the James Beard Foundation.[2] Garces opened Rural Society, a contemporary Argentine steakhouse, in Washington DC. Rural Society has a second location in Chicago, IL. Garces has been a challenger on Iron Chef America, defeating Bobby Flay on a 2008 episode featuring melon.[3] He also competed in the second season of The Next Iron Chef and he was selected the sixth Iron Chef after defeating opponent chef Jehangir Mehta on November 22, 2009.[4] Garces debuted as an Iron Chef on January 17, 2010, when he defeated Seattle chef Rachel Yang in Battle Hawaiian Moi.[5]