By Wendy Lemlin

Come October 18 and 19, there will be some cross-border battles raging in Tijuana— but don’t be alarmed; it’s a very good thing!  In fact you could say a delicious thing, as some of the finest chefs from San Diego and Tijuana compete in three separate Iron Chef-style competitions, or Batallas Culinarias, as part of the biennial Tijuana Innovadora Conference, which showcases innovation in technology, industry and culture.

The three categories of the competition—men, women, and pastry, will each feature two teams of four chefs who will square off toque to toque to see which team makes most delectable use of a “secret” ingredient. The teams will be comprised of a combination of Baja and San Diego County culinary rock stars, proving that in the world of good food, there are no borders.

Some of the participating chefs with organizer Maribel Moreno (center front)

For the men’s team, the gourmet gladiators will include Drew Deckman (Deckman’s en el Mogor, Baja California), George Morris (Beaumont’s Eatery, La Jolla), Martín San Roman (La Terrasse, Guadalupe Valley and Dobson’s, San Diego), Jason McLeod (Ironside Fish & Oyster, Little Italy), Rodolfo Luviano (Ta’costeño, Tijuana), Ryan Steyn (Jardín Adobe, Valle del Guadalupe), Antonio Santoyo (Elementos Restaurante, Tijuana), and Iker Castillo (La Justina, Tijuana).

The women warriors will be: Sara Polczynski (The Blind Burro, San Diego), Adria Maria Montaño (Dandelion, Tijuana), Amy DiBiase (Tidal, San Diego), Christine Rivera (George’s at the Cove, San Diego), Karla Navarro (The Kitchen, Tijuana), Mariela Magoni (The Palette, San Diego),Giannina Gavaldón (Olivia, Valle de Guadalupe), and Nancy León (Chan’s Bistro, Tijuana).

Sugar-coated rivalry will reign in the pastry battle when Rachel King (Nine-Ten, La Jolla), Bianca Castro (Biscotti, Mexicali),Elsa Fernanda Flores (Dolce Salato, Tijuana), Hermila Corbala (Mily Sweets, Tijuana), Jordana Salas (Oh Bon Bon, Tijuana),Margu Plascencia (L’Artisan, Tijuana), Maribel Villareal (L’Apricot, Tijuana), and Donna Antaloczy (Ironside Fish & Oyster, Little Italy) take to the ovens and the cake stands.

The battles will be hosted by three chefs whose creative cuisine, using fresh local products from Baja’s coastal region, has drawn worldwide acclaim and culinary buzz. From Tijuana and the Guadalupe Valley are Javier Plascencia, (Misión 19, Erizo, Romesco, Finca Altozano, and other signature restaurants on both sides of the border), and Miguel Ángel Guerrero, the originator of Baja Med cuisine (La Querencia , El Taller, El Colegio, and La Esperanza), and from San Diego, Chad White, (Común Kitchen and Tavern in San Diego, and La Justina in Tijuana).

The judges will include influential chefs, food writers and marketers from Valle de Guadalupe to Los Angeles.

“This event showcases a beautiful cross-border relationship,” said White, who participated in the 2012 Batalla Culinaria edition. “It says, ‘Come down to Baja. We’ll welcome you; we’ll feed you amazing food and show you the best hospitality.’”

Competitor Drew Deckman concurs, “ Baja is such a special place because most of the people who settled in Baja came from all over Mexico—there never was much of an indigenous population—and brought with them their foods and their cultures. Today, the food culture is a locally sourced one, and culinary events like this are all about celebrating the context”.

Internationally trained veteran Chef Martin San Roman, who has cooked for Mexican presidents and at state dinners in Mexico and abroad, takes it even farther in saying, “This is an opportunity to show the world, particularly our neighbors in San Diego, that Tijuana and Baja do indeed have highly qualified, well educated chefs, who excel in a variety of cuisines”.

Chad White

Miguel Angel Guerrero

javier Plascencia

javier Plascencia

Tickets for “Batalla Culinaria” are available for purchase online through the conference website, tijuanainnovadora.com. Select the date and then “Batalla Culinaria.” Each “battle” costs $30 (385 pesos) for general seating, and $47 (605 pesos) for VIP section. Each lasts roughly four hours. Oct. 18: women 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; men 4 to 8 p.m.; Oct. 19: pastry 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Groups of 25 to 56 who wish to attend Batalla Culinaria may arrange convenient, round-trip transportation from San Diego to the event’s site, Agua Caliente Racetrack. Reservations may be sent to laura.araujo@tijuanainnovadora.com.

In addition, On October 17, Tijuana Innovadora will feature talks by two culinary innovators. They are José Iturriaga, the Mexican historian who successfully lobbied UNESCO to list traditional Mexican cuisine as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity; and Carlos Ruiz, who created the “Nespresso”-like tortilla-making machine.

On that day as well, master chef José Andrés will deliver a keynote address. The Spaniard, named by Time magazine as one of the “100 most influential people in the world,” elevated Spanish cuisine in the U.S., where he’s become known “The king of tapas.”

Tickets for that block of speakers and keynote address on October 17 cost $27, and may also be purchased online on the conference website, tijuanainnovadora.com. The complete schedule for the entire conference, which runs from October 16-26, can be found on the website as well.  Over 200 speakers in an eclectic mix of disciplines, from business to medicine to the arts, include such luminaries as “Dog Whisperer” César Millán, Alan Bersin, U.S. Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Chief Diplomatic Officer for Homeland Security, San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, former New York mayor Rudy Guiliani, Rancho La Puerta and Golden Door Spa founder Deborah Szekely, and San Diego and Valle de Guadalupe chef Flor Franco.

Chad White & Miguel angel Guerrero

Rachel King, Amy DiBiase, and Sara Polczynski at the press conference announcing Batalla Culinaria