Zazu’s Duskie Estes Could Be – Will Be – the Next Iron Chef!

Chef Duskie Estes, Sonoma Star, culinary warrior.

Update Aug. 27: Estes’s Gag Order Dropped – Food Network Allows the Chef to Speak. Sort-of.

It took some serious pressure over several days from my crack journalistic team, but Food Network bigwigs have decided that finally, Estes can answer a few questions about her upcoming TV appearance. Hey, the Next Iron Chef is a big deal, I know, and they need to keep tight control of their talent running amok. Right?

So here is the scoop, (almost) straight (edited and redacted by FN execs) from the chef’s mouth…

The spotlight will shine brightly on Sonoma this fall, when Zazu chef Duskie Estes competes to be the Next Iron Chef. Her series premieres Oct. 3, and let’s just get this fact out of the way right now: she is going to kick aspic.

Or should we say, since the specialty of her Santa Rosa restaurant is its hand-cured Black Pig meat, she’s going to kick (pork) butt?

Whatever, she’ll show her mettle against nine other chefs, including the celeb-icon Ming Tsai (who will not win, simply because he was mean to me once, although that’s another story entirely).

Due to Food Network rules, Estes is not allowed to talk to media. Not a peep, even for simple questions like how FN came to discover this lovely but charmingly low-key farm country star.

Update: “They called out of the blue,” Estes said, her voice muffled through the gag. “They flew me to Los Angeles for a casting call – I was nervous! When they asked me if I wanted to be The Next Iron Chef, I said ‘I don’t know,’ because I had never seen the show before. I thought I had blown the interview.”

She could not comment on whether there was friendly competition between her and her husband and partner at Zazu, Bovolo and Black Pig Meats, John Stewart, over her landing the star role (peace to all: I am sure he was “coaching” from the sidelines).

Update: “No competition,” Duskie mouthed, from beneath her cone of silence. “He likes to be behind the scenes and I like to be the center of attention, so it works. If I had had one wish, it would have been to have him there by my side. I spoke to him every day.”

She couldn’t spill if it was a ton of fun to appear, directing me back to the Network’s public relation team (a nice lady there told me she is finding out if she can confirm the fun factor, but it may be a while until I hear back).

Update: “I will get to Food Network exec early next week,” the FN spokesperson grandly promised again this afternoon. “May take a few days, lots of folks out of the office.”

Realizing Estes couldn’t give any details at all on the competition, I asked her anyway. “Can you at least say if your secret ingredient is ‘Sonoma friendly?’” As in, the local, Slow Food style she supports so lovingly at her farmhouse restaurant.

Her reply – a polite but firm zip.

Update: “I am an advocate for diversity of agriculture in Sonoma County and ‘knowing the face that feeds you,’” Estes replied, through a cryptic note passed to me in a dark alley. “Everything I do every day has that in mind, and I kept it up on the show.”

Here’s what we do know, on the record: In this third season of the popular show, NIC contestants will have to cook on a desert island and catch the secret ingredient in the wild; design recipes out of condiments such as ketchup, ranch dressing and mayonnaise; create an Iron Chef worthy meal out of corned-beef hash; and create a snack out of pickles.

Let’s just hope that the wild ingredient Estes catches is pig.

Details: Zazu

, 3535 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa, 707-523-4814 or zazurestaurant.com.