Eric Greenspan of The Next Iron Chef started out as small as you can get—as a cafe dishwasher in some of Los Angeles most important restaurants. He attended UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business in the 1990s. By the end of his term and after serving with the Caffe Mediterraneum he had worked his way into the kitchen and into the position of head chef. Afterwards, he attended the Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine in Paris and graduated in 1998. He went to work in New York City and later worked with big names like Rocco Despirito, and Alain Ducasse. He returned to Los Angeles, California where he finally opened his own restaurant called “The Foundry on Melrose.” There, he serves as the executive chef and owner.