Ever since José Andrés and Martha Stewart announced their new cooking competition show, Yes, Chef!, we’ve been waiting with bated breath for its premiere on April 28. After all, the pairing of the acclaimed Spanish chef and entertaining icon at the helm – each bringing a distinct culinary point of view – is certain to provide ample entertainment on its own.
But as Food & Wine reports, beyond this dynamic duo, the premise of Yes, Chef! guarantees a season filled with high-stakes drama that’s certain to lure audiences in: All of the chefs competing were nominated for the show because friends and family believe they have a personal barrier holding them back from success. Imagine cheftestants trying to manage their own hot tempers, big egos, and the pressure to win a $250,000 prize, all while the cameras are rolling.
In anticipation of this delicious and dramatic debut, Food & Wine had the opportunity to preview the set of Yes, Chef! in person and talk with its illustrious hosts about how they’re coaching these chefs in the kitchen.
Both Stewart and Andrés are food experts who will undoubtedly have high expectations for the food their contestants are bringing to the table, and the two icons share a well-balanced repartee that divides their judging responsibilities equally. Martha Stewart explains in an interview with Food & Wine that “We’re supposed to both comment on the food at all times. That’s really the objective of the show.
“The other, the more psychological kind of advice that we’re supposed to be doling out is for each of us to give. And we do that individually — maybe behind the scenes — just so people can think about their behavior and work on it. Hopefully.” Or to put it more simply, as Andrés chimes in, “It’s sharing the cake.”
But this equal sense of responsibility doesn’t imply that the pair always agrees. While on set to get an early glimpse of Yes, Chef! as it filmed an episode, Food & Wine observed Stewart and Andrés engage in a serious yet friendly debate as they disagreed over which dish should send a chef home. The two ultimately reached a compromise, but their willingness to defend their own opinions highlights the culinary rigor you can expect from the competition.
Unlike some other culinary shows, this series doesn’t aim to showcase chefs’ flaws simply for the sake of entertainment. Instead, the contestants on Yes, Chef! should leave the competition with improved attitudes and greater opportunities than they had before arriving.
Andrés notes that they don’t want to transform “the chefs into the worst version of themselves, but the best versions of themselves.” For the Spanish restaurateur and founder of World Central Kitchen, that often means drawing on his own experiences in the kitchen. “When somebody says, ‘I have a hot temper in the kitchen,’ I say, ‘Welcome to my club…’ Because in my past, almost 40 years in this profession, we have all had our moments…”
Admitting personal flaws while presenting their culinary creations for judgment simultaneously calls for the contestants on Yes, Chef! to be even more vulnerable than what other cooking shows might demand. But this is exactly what makes it special.
Andrés details that “This is what we’re going to see a lot in this show. For me, that these chefs decide to open their hearts, themselves… That they’re here openly talking about how good they are — that’s obvious — but also what their faults are. Wow. That takes a lot of guts.” He continues, “Not everybody is ready to be scrutinized in such a way. So kudos to these 12 chefs that it’s not like they are going to try just to become the best version of themselves, but in a way are making all of us self-reflect on how we can be the best version of ourselves.”
Of course, anyone who tunes into the first season of the series won’t just learn from the competitors who are cooking. You’ll also pick up plenty of advice from Stewart and Andrés as they outline what they’re looking for in each dish in order to crown one chef as the winner.
Yes, Chef! will premiere on Monday, April 28 at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT on NBC and stream the next day on Peacock.
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