'Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend': How Mark Dacascos became 'The Chairman' despite being able to 'kick' not 'cook'

From pro-martial artist to culinary food show staple, here's a look at Mark Dacascos's journey

PUBLISHED JUN 15, 2022

Mark Dacascos in 'Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend' (Netflix)

When it comes to culinary reality shows, it certainly isn't for the faint of heart. With the pressure to perform and scrutiny of skills, these shows are as cutthroat as they can get. And now, 'Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend' is here to crank up the heat. The series takes on a new avatar as "five new trailblazing Iron Chefs will welcome brave Challenger Chefs to the reimagined Kitchen Stadium, where they'll face off and be pushed to the limits of endurance and creativity, as they cook up extraordinary culinary creations. The competition’s most successful Challenger will return to battle in a grand finale for the chance to be named the first ever 'Iron Legend.'"

Looking for other delicious cooking reality shows to check out? You might want to consider — 'MasterChef: Back to Win' and 'MasterChef Junior'.

Who is Mark Dacascos?

Mark Alan Dacascos is an actor, martial artist, and television personality. He was born on February 26, 1964, in Oahu, Hawaii, to Al Dacascos and Moriko McVey-Murray. His father was a martial arts instructor, while his stepmother, Malia Bernal, was an award-winning martial artist. Dacascos attended Los Angeles Valley College and later went to Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.

Dacascos won multiple karate and kung fu championships as a child and a teen and is proficient in Wun Hop Kuen Do, a martial arts style developed by his father. He has also studied Muay Thai, capoeira with Amen Santo, and Wushu. His notable TV and film work includes — 'Run & Gun', 'Assault on VA-33', 'Batman: Soul of the Dragon', 'One Night in Bangkok', 'Hawaii Five-0', 'The Perfect Bride' and 'The Driver', among others.

Dacascos will be returning to play the role of 'The Chairman' on 'Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend', a persona he's taken on since 2005 when he appeared on Food Network's 'Iron Chef America'. The role was initially played by Takeshi Kaga, a Japanese stage and movie actor in the Japanese version of 'Iron Chef'. As per the storyline of the series Dacascos's, 'The Chairman' is the nephew of ' Chairman Kaga', although the two actors are not related.

Despite not having any culinary skills, Dacascos' previous work resulted in him landing the role of 'The Chairman', "The producers of Iron Chef: America called my managers. They told us that the producers of the original show in Japan had cast approval for the American version and that my name was on the 'short list'," he said while talking to LAist.

"When my managers called me to ask me if I was interested in taking the meeting, I immediately thought that the producers had made a mistake. I remember asking my managers if the ICA people knew that I "KICK," not "COOK." They assured me that they did. Apparently, two French films that I had done, 'Brotherhood of the Wolf' and 'Crying Freedom', had done very well in Japan, and the producers of 'Iron Chef' knew me from that," he added.

His Net worth

As per Celebrity Networth, Dacascos' net worth is an estimated $2 million. Back in 2016, the actor sold his Westlake Village home for $1.45 million. Los Angeles Times reported that he purchased the house two decades ago for $741,500. The 4,500 square feet plus home boasts of four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms, a 530-square-foot detached studio, and a detached three-car garage.

'Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend' premieres on June 15, 2022, only on Netflix.