Petworth Superstar Kevin Tien Is Competing on the Next ‘Iron Chef Gauntlet’

Kevin Tien, the two-time James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist and co-founder of alluring Petworth restaurant Himitsu, is set to compete against seven other “rising star” chefs on Season 2 of Food Network’s Iron Chef Gauntlet.

Washington Business Journal reports that Tien is one of the challengers in the next round of the culinary competition that last year earned Chicago restaurateur and Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard the title of Iron Chef. A quick look at the current episode guide could be a good sign for the D.C. chef, as someone who makes it through to the final four “reimagines steak and eggs with a modern Asian twist” (quail eggs sprinkled with furikake, perhaps?).

In the year since he opened his neighborhood eatery, Tien has racked up recognition left and right. Bon Appetit named his intimate, neighborhood eatery one of the best new restaurants in the country last year, he was a semifinalist in 2017 for Eater’s Young Guns Awards, and Himitsu was Eater DC’s editor’s choice for restaurant of the year.

The new season of the show, hosted by food personality Alton Brown, is scheduled to premiere at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 4.