PRO FOOTBALL has many city-to-city rivalries, but there's probably none more fierce - or more beloved - than the bloodthirsty battle between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys.
We hate them. They hate us. They have Terrell Owens. We say good riddance.
Let's face it, Philadelphians will go to any lengths for their love of Eagles green (and scorn for all things Dallas), whether it's heckling a fan in a Cowboys jacket to making T.O. voodoo dolls or boycotting country music.
But there may never be a tastier rivalry than the one set to kick off Saturday in Dallas, as five of Philadelphia's top chefs will go head to head against five of Dallas' finest chefs in an Iron Chef-style cook-off to see which city can rustle up the best food under intense pressure.
The Gridiron Chef Classic is the first of what sponsors are hoping will be an annual event, to be held at the Omni Mandalay Hotel on Lake Carolyn in Irving, Texas, the heart of Cowboy country.
Our fearless five chefs: David Wiederholt of Oceanaire Seafood Room, Brian Duffy from Kildare's, Sylvain Harribey from Sofitel, James LoCascio of Barclay Prime and Matthew Levin of Lacroix.
Theirs? Check the chart - it pains us to say their names twice.
The game plan's a one-hour contest requiring each team to make an entree using items from a stocked pantry plus a protein ingredient they won't know about until the contest begins.
"The pressure is going to be on," said Levin, a die-hard Eagles fan who began attending games as a tot with his dad. "My hatred runs really deep for Dallas. I will do whatever I have to do to win."
The contest is the brainchild of Paul Eckert, the Omni's director of operations, who wanted to come up with a festive precursor to the much-awaited Monday-night game. Eckert thought it would be fun to see how chefs from two parts of the country interpret the secret ingredient, which only Eckert knows.
It could be meat, fish or poultry.
"It's going to be a blast. We are hoping to lay the groundwork for an annual event. Maybe the venue could change, could be in Philly next year, but we won't change the rivalry," said Eckert.
The hotel hopes to raise $20,000 for educational programs at the James Beard Foundation, which for 22 years has been dedicated to promoting American cuisine and its rising stars, especially with the James Beard House, a New York City stalwart that hosts the best chefs in the country at monthly dinners.
