Remember my post awhile back about The Hunt Club’s hunt for a new exec chef? They’ve winnowed the contestants to four—and the cook-off starts tonight.

The semi-finalists were selected after impressing the judges with their resumes, interviews, written essays, and original sample menus. Now they’ll compete in the kitchen, preparing meals for guests and VIP judges on successive nights to determine the finalists.

Who are they? Chris Jensen, the current Hunt Club interim toque (cooking tonight), who’s worked in that kitchen for five years. Anthony Clark (tomorrow night), who has worked at Earth and Ocean, Amber, and the late, great Sapphire. Matthew Mina (Thursday, April 23), a Bellevue native and graduate of the California Culinary Academy and the Culinary Institute of America, who has worked in such esteemed kitches as the great Auberge du Soleil in Napa and Bong Su in San Francisco. And finally, Tyler Hefford-Anderson (Friday, April 24), whose name you most recently recognize from Opal on Queen Anne Hill.

How’s this going to work? Each chef-candidate will use his assigned evening this week to manage the existing Hunt Club team, and write and prepare a prix-fixe menu for Hunt Club diners and judges.

Each evening’s prix fixe dinner will cost $95 per person, including wine.

Then next week…a culinary duel between the last chefs standing, to be held at the Seattle Culinary Academy at Seattle Central Community College.

The drama’s killing me. Stay tuned.