When any series reaches its fifth edition, you know it’s starting to gain staying power.

Nickel City Chef, a Buffalo “Iron Chef”-style series that pits top local chefs head-to-head, returns for its fifth season, local food blog Buffalo Eats reports. NCC is a Feed Your Soul Productions exclusive.

Tickets go on sale Friday, and they sell extremely fast—as Donnie Burtless reports, last year’s much-anticipated show between Nickel City Chef J.J. Richert and challenger Chris Dorsaneo sold out within 10 minutes. The price of admission is $38 per show, and only ages 16+ are welcome—photo ID must be presented for entry and the cash bar.

The four-part series opens Feb. 24 with a showdown between Torches’ chef J.J, Richert and Ristorante Lombardo’s Michael Obarka, while March 10 pits the Mansion on Delaware’s Jennifer Boye against Nickel City Firing Line champion and Lloyd Taco Truck sous chef Teddy Bryant. Bryant aided Lloyd head chef Chris Dorsaneo in his thrilling upset of Nickel City Chef J.J. Richert in Season Four.

March 24th features Bacchus chef Brian Mietus against challenger Jason LaMotte, who narrowly lost in the semifinals of the Nickel City Firing Line competition to Bryant [photos by Robin David Brown].

The Season Five finale is perhaps the most appealing, as renowned Sample Restaurant chef Adam Goetz (pictured above) grapples with challenger Edward Forster of Mike A’s Steakhouse inside the Hotel at the Lafayette.

While Forster has picked up a bit of a cult following in the food scene, Goetz’s experience and recent success suggest that he won’t go down without a fight.

(Header photo and photo of Bryant courtesy of Robin David Brown, a Buffalo.com freelancer. Other photo of Goetz was taken by me. Last year’s listing was taken from Feed Your Soul Productions.)