Last year Alli and I attended our first Nickel City Chef competitions and were immediately blown away. The challengers were impressive, the production was legit and the crowds were large and excited. When the tickets went on sale for Season 4, they sold out in less then 45 minutes. The competition between JJ Richert (Torches) and Chris Dorsaneo (Lloyd Taco Truck) actually sold out in less then 10 minutes (it was an amazing show). So when Season 5 tickets go on sale this Friday (January 4th), you better buy them as soon as possible. Tickets are only $38 each and include admission to a very entertaining show and light snacks. Children under 16 are not admitted and proper ID is required at the door (and for the cash bar).

If you’ve never heard of Nickel City Chef (shame on you), it’s essentially Buffalo’s own version of Iron Chef that takes place in the gorgeous showroom of Artisan Kitchens and Bath. The competitions feature local chefs challenging one of the four Nickel City Chefs; Chef JJ Richert of Torches, Chef Brian Mietus of Bacchus, Chef Jennifer Boye of The Mansion of Delaware and Chef Adam Goetz from Sample. The Nickel City Chefs and competitors have to prepare several courses using a local secret ingredient and then present their dishes to a panel of food judges. Roaming live cameras broadcast the action to the crowd using several mounted televisions, so you’ll be able to see the controlled chaos taking place in the kitchen. Hosts Bert Gambini and Chef Mike Andrzejewski help the audience follow along with the action.

We’ve learned the competitors this year, so I suggest trying to figure out which events you want to attend and hopefully we’ll see you there!

Challenge XXI: Chef JJ Richert (Torches) vs Chef Michael Obarka (Ristorante Lombardo) on February 24th.

Challenge XXII: Chef Jennifer Boye (The Mansion on Delaware) vs Chef Teddy Bryant (Lloyd Taco Trucks) on March 10th. Note: This is Jennifer Boye’s first challenge as a Nickel City Chef and Teddy Bryant just won the first season of Nickel City Firing Line.

Challenge XXIII: Chef Brian Mietus (Bacchus) vs Chef Jason LaMotte (Global Spectrum) on March 24th.

Challenge XXIV: Chef Adam Goetz (Sample) vs Chef Edward Forster (Mike A @ Hotel Lafayette) on April 14th.

If you want to find out how to buy tickets to this season’s Nickel City Chef, follow Nickel City Chef on twitter and facebook. Tickets go on sale January 4th. Check out the videos below for a peak into competitions from past years.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/21Z-REPRi5o]

[youtube=http://youtu.be/JoLsaug2jXo]

[youtube=http://youtu.be/lyA-o6lt0tk]