Chefs Throw Down at Hiro Ballroom

Now, this is dinner theater you can sink your teeth into. On January 25, five chefs will turn Hiro Ballroom at the Maritime Hotel into their own version of kitchen stadium. The night's ingredient of choice? Heritage-bred pigs. Cochon555 brings friendly competition to a crowd of 200 or so spectators when five chefs, paired with five wine makers, take five pigs and prepare them snout-to-tail style. Which means, following the current vogue in farm-to-table cuisine, lucky diners can expect to eat every part of the pig—spleens, kidneys, stomachs, and brains will all fill plates and bellies.

Obviously, this is not for the unadventurous eater. Those who are interested in tasting pig uterus, eating food from local farms, and supporting the Farms for City Kids and City Harvest programs, or all of the above can shell out $125 for a night of porcine indulgence. The winning chef will be decided by a combination of votes from the 20 official judges and the audience. The event, making its NYC debut Sunday, launched in Atlanta and will also hit Portland, Seattle, Boston, San Fransisco and Des Moines.

Chefs Mark Ladner (Del Posto), Corwin Kaye (Fatty Crab), Bobby Hellen (Resto), Juan Jose Cueves (EighyOne) and Michael Clampffer (Mosefund Farm) will each make the most out of their 70-plus-pound pigs. Wine makers from as far away as Spain and Chile and as close as those from Channing Daughters on Long Island will be on hand with portfolio selections which they'll pair with the meal. You've always wondered what red goes best with pancreas, right? (It's Pinot.)

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