In what has become a highly theatrical cooking battle to raise local awareness of domestic violence, the third annual Chef Showdown 2007 will be held from 6 to 9 p.m., Oct. 4, in Balboa Park’s Casa del Prado courtyard. Proceeds from the outdoor event are given to the Center for Community Solutions (CCS), which assists more than 15,000 men, women and children affected each year by sexual assault and domestic violence throughout San Diego County.

The showdown will feature 10 leading chefs from area restaurants, divided into two teams of five that will compete against each other on a large stage replete with industrial kitchen appliances and concert-size screens for easy viewing. And like the Food Network’s wildly celebrated “Iron Chef” show, the teams are given “secret ingredients” pre-selected by organizers before the clock starts ticking. Their job is to each create five meal courses (including a dessert) in a one-hour period.

Attendees will get to sample the creations along with a panel of judges from the food media, which will use a point-rating system to determine the winning team. Judges include Maria Hunt from The San Diego Union-Tribune, “Frankie the Bull” from Bravo’s “Top Chef” reality show, and yours truly. Celebrity TV personality Sam the Cooking Guy and Chef Bernard Guillas of the Marine Room will emcee the competition.

Offstage, attendees can graze from about two dozen food and drink stations featuring gourmet appetizers, Carl Strauss beer and Tommy Bahama Rum mixed with fresh juices from Juice Evolution. The audience can also mingle with the participating chefs following the cooking challenge.

“Domestic violence is a hard issue to raise awareness over,” says Isabel Cruz, owner of Cantina restaurant in Pacific Beach and a CCS board member. “This is a highly entertaining culinary event that brings attention and exposure to CCS. And the food is really good and plentiful. Everyone can leave stuffed.”

The dishes will be judged on presentation, taste and teamwork. And each team will be outfitted in different colored chef jackets designed by Chef Works of San Diego. Competing chefs come from such restaurants as Blanca, Avenue 5, Quarter Kitchen, Baleen, The Shores, J. Taylor’s, Cantina and others. The winning team receives a medal, plus engraved knives and gift bags.

“The chefs take this competition very seriously, and they’ve been in meetings for months to prepare,” Cruz noted.

Last year’s event raised more than $50,000 for CCS, which was founded in 1969 and offers a 24-hour bilingual crisis helpline, along with emergency shelters and transitional housing programs for victims of domestic violence and their children.

Sponsors of the Chef Showdown 2007 include Viejas Enterprises, Dacor, Standards of Excellence, Kashi, Kelly Capital, San Diego Magazine and the Ivy Hotel. Tickets are $100 per person, and can be obtained on the CCS Web site: www.ccssd.org or by calling 858-272-5777, ext. 120. Tickets will also be available at the entrance of the Casa del Prado if the event doesn’t sell out in advance.