The Iron Chef team from Station 10 of the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue, which will compete at the Howard County Fair, has a secret weapon.

That gambit is to rely on former chef-turned-fireman Barry Griffin.

It's often Griffin's duty to prepare dinner for his fellow firefighters during his shift at the Columbia station, just as it was on July 26.

Judging from the appetizing aromas wafting from the various pots and pans cooking the pot roast, and grilled corn and asparagus salad that day, challengers will face tough competition from this fire station during the fourth annual Iron Chef competition at the fair on Aug. 7.

This year, four teams made up from various parts of the county's Fire and Rescue Department, each consisting of one head chef and two assistants, will participate in the competition.

"I'm excited to try it out," Griffin said of the Iron Chef challenge.

Griffin's Jacks of All Trades team will compete against Station 1's team in Elkridge dubbed Boulevard Bombero Barbecue Boys, and the department's public information office's team, Keep the Heat in the Kitchen.

The department's headquarters is the final group participating with their Keep the Chief in the Kitchen team, with Fire Chief Joseph Herr as an assistant to the head chef.

Herr acknowledged that competition will be stiff because cooking is an integral part of the fire department's culture. One person is responsible for preparing meals for each 24-hour shift.

"There (are) a lot of really excellent chefs in the fire service," he said.

"I'm glad that we're going to have an opportunity to show off our skills. (I am) looking forward to being a part of it," Herr added.

Each team is to prepare one main beef dish and a vegetable dish in one hour's time, according to the cook-off rules.

Competitors will be supplied with meat for grilling on propane grills on-site and Howard County-grown vegetables. Contestants are responsible for supplying serving platters and can bring along any spices, garnishes, marinades and sauces they want.

Fire career on front burner

The Iron Chef contest is hosted by organizers of the Farm-City Celebration, an annual agricultural fair held each fall which hosts tours of farms, including special displays and demonstrations, said Madeleine Greene, Iron Chef chairperson and Farm-City Committee member.

The Iron Chef competition starts at 6 p.m. with dish presentation to the judges at 7 p.m. Judges include a supermarket meat manager, a restaurant owner and a writer for a business publication, Greene said.

Members of the public viewing the competition will have the opportunity to buy a vote, the proceeds of which will go to a charity of the Fire and Rescue Department's choice, Greene said.

In previous years of the Iron Chef contest, three notable people from the community and one representative from the farmers in the county participated, including County Executive Kenneth Ulman and Howard County School's Superintendent Sydney Cousin.

"Some of these people (get) really competitive," Greene said.

For chef-turned-firefighter Griffin, this competition allows him to live out his childhood dream with the advantage of prior experience as a professional chef.

"When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a fireman," Griffin said, adding that he left his position as a chef at the Grand Hyatt, in Washington, D.C., because he "kinda just got burned out" and wanted to explore a new career path.

Herr urges others not to discount the other teams just because they haven't had the type of professional training Griffin has, adding that he has previously worked at a pizza parlor.

"I've eaten dinner at both of those stations before. Those guys are real good," Herr added.

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