Jersey City resident Erik Battes will be competing on Iron Chef America on June 24th!

Originally from Los Angeles, Erik Battes has lived in Jersey City since 2007. He’s a family man, married to Hilary Battes (a teacher in Jersey City) and a father of two. As far as cooking experience goes, Erik is currently EVP of Culinary at Good Uncle, a delivery-only tech startup that partners with some of the best restaurants’ chefs to bring delicious food to college campuses. He was the former Chef de Cuisine at Jean Georges, former Culinary Director for Starr Restaurants, and former Corporate Executive Chef for BLT Restaurants/E Squared Hospitality. He was also featured in Zagat’s 30 under 30 in New York City back in 2012!

No matter how much love is put into his fine dining dishes, we’ve been told his top JC spots to eat are Helen’s Pizza, Taqueria, Saigon Cafe, Sawadee, Dames for coffee, and pretty much any restaurant in India Square.

How awesome is it that someone from the area has not only accomplished so much, but will be featured on TV for it?

Catch Erik on Iron Chef America on June 24th at 10PM on The Food Network!