Rob McDaniel, the Executive Chef and General Manager of Springhouse Restaurant at Russell Crossroads, is going toe to toe with Bobby Flay on Iron Chef.

Food Network fans are familiar with the Iron Chef format.  If you’re not, it is a high pressure contest in which successful chefs from around the country do battle with celebrity chefs like Flay with 30 cameras watching. Usually they are required to use super obscure ingredients like Liger legs or snozzcumbers.

The episode is set to air Feb. 26 at 9 p.m. on the Food Network.

McDaniel was sous chef to Chris Hastings of Hot & Hot, et al.  Hastings was the main chef so he will be the one named in the competition.  While I know nothing about high stakes cooking, I imagine that you take only people you trust when you battle on Iron Chef.  Kind of a Top Gun / wingman deal.

In this article in the Alex City Outlook, McDaniel talks about the experience.  It is quite an honor to have a Lake Martin representative there and I wish him all of the best in this grueling competition.

If you want to eat at Springhouse, it’s not nearly as tough. Just drive down to Russell Crossroads on highway 63, it’s about a mile north of Kowaliga Bridge.

Here’s a great video interview where Chef McDaniel talks about it with Luke Robinson on the SportsBlitz YouTube channel:

If you have never read any of Luke’s articles in the Alex City Outlook, you have missed a treat.  Not only is he a huge sports fan, but an excellent writer.  In fact I think he is in the elite league of writers with talent like Jason Gay at the Wall Street Journal.  They both have the ability to make their columns funny, interesting, and insightful even if you are not a sports fan.

Luke and I grew up together in Alex City. He is an original. I always thought he would grow up to be one of the guys that is a “manager” for a professional rassler.  You know, the guy that comes out with the microphone and carries on about his champ while the rassler seethes in the background.

Sure, he didn’t turn out to be the next Jimmy Hart, but I think Luke has done pretty well for himself.