Suvechha Sarkar
The flames are rising fast in season 1 of NBC’s ‘Yes, Chef!’ as the contestants face the realities of this competition series. The esteemed culinary experts Martha Stewart and José Andrés judge every slice and sear of food that the chefs prepare. In the end, only one will succeed in walking away with the grand prize of $250,000. Episode 2, titled ‘Martha’s Roast’, picks up right from where the previous one left off. Petrina’s shocking elimination still lingers in the air as the remaining 11 contestants gather in the lounge. In a charged moment, Torrece “Chef T” Gregoire directly asks Katsuji Tanabe to give them space to process what just happened.
With Emotions Being at the Surface, the Chefs Get Personal
Chef T feels the tension in the lounge as everyone processes their emotions after the first elimination. She observes that although all the competitors are here to work on themselves, the competition is also about strategy. She fears that if the eliminations start being based on one chef perceiving another as a threat, she is in danger of being sent back home. Chef T expresses her opinion that Michelle Francis should have let the lowest scorer fight for their dish. However, the latter remarks that she made the right call because she wanted Katsuji out of the game. In her confessional, Michelle discloses that Chef T is very vocal and aggressive. This, combined with her stubbornness and skills, makes her worry that she can win this game by taking out the best chefs.
It turns out that the fact her fate lies in someone else’s hands is unsettling for Chef T. She accepts that communication isn’t her best forte before opening up and expressing that this is due to the lack of support she has always felt from her mother. The contestant divulges that although her mother does not believe in her dreams, she wants to prove her mettle for herself and show that she can succeed against all odds. While Katsuji also accepts that he is not handling himself well right now, he remarks that he is willing to take little steps towards betterment. Meanwhile, Michelle calls her daughter for some support, especially as she was the one who had nominated her mother for this contest. The chef later emotionally discloses that her daughter has been diagnosed with a serious illness, and she needs to win the prize for her treatments.
Moving forward, as the competitors step into the kitchen for a new challenge, they watch Martha cook roasted chicken. The judge states that she is preparing one of the most popular dishes at her restaurant in Las Vegas. She further adds that the contestants present do not have an issue with their preparation, but rather with their personalities. She then announces that this roasted chicken will be the entrée of the day’s meal, and for the challenge, each team will serve five appetizers. José chimes in that the contestants have to compete in two teams of five chefs each. One of the captains is Michelle, the Most Valuable Chef (MVC), whereas the second is Katsuji. Martha then declares the twist that the team leaders can actually pick the other person’s team.
Trust Issues Come to Light as the Teams Take On the Challenge
While Michelle chooses Zain, Peter, Jake, and Julia for Katsuji’s team (Green team), he selects Chef T, Lee, Emily, and Chris for hers (Blue team). Then, he notes that while Michelle picked the weakest links for his team, he gave her the strongest chefs because if his team wins the challenge, he can send someone strong back home. As Ronnie is the only one left behind, José informs him that although he is not participating in the day’s challenge, he has to taste everyone’s dishes. He essentially becomes a judge too. The professional judges then introduce another twist by announcing that this will be a relay cook-off. Only one chef from each team will be allowed in the kitchen at a time, and the clock as well as the ingredients have to be divided among the team members.
Martha advises the competitors that the chefs must prioritize communication and trust for this challenge. With just 90 minutes on the clock, each chef should ideally have 18 minutes of preparation time. José also adds that every ingredient a contestant uses will leave one less for the next team member, so they have to cook smart. Hence, the order in which they choose to cook is crucial. During the team discussion, Zain declares she has no problem going first since she can separate the ingredients for each appetizer. However, she later reveals that she chose to go first because of her lack of trust in her teammates. In the meantime, from the blue team, Emily decides to go first since she knows she is quick on her feet and can work well under pressure. From her team, Lee then decides to go last, even though he is worried if any ingredients will be left by the time it’s his turn.
On the other hand, Katsuji decides to go last from his team. Finally, as the clock starts ticking, Zain and Emily rush to their stations to start cooking, while the others stay behind. Katsuji informs the rest of his team that he wants comparatively more time to prepare his dish. This prompts Peter to change his choice to make a salad and remarks that it has to be incredible. They and the other team then continue to discuss what dish they want to prepare amongst themselves to ensure no wasted time. As the team leader, Michelle takes responsibility and declares she wants everyone to have enough time for their cook. Meanwhile, José notes that for this challenge, the chefs need a lot of teamwork and have to communicate throughout the whole challenge.
Mismanagement of Time and an Ingredient Use Sparks Tension in the Kitchen
Emily finishes her dish first, and José especially loves the preparation. Similarly, the judges are quite impressed when they taste Zain’s preparation once she finishes. As Julia and Chef T start their cook-off for the second appetizer, the former smoothly sails through the round and finishes first. When the judges taste her skillfully prepared Shaved Celery with mushrooms, José notes that he loves how the celery and lemon go well with the mushroom’s earthiness. However, he observes that Chef T is using more than 18 minutes of her ideal time. While her team urges her to speed up, Michelle is gradually losing her cool because she is not going to have enough time. When she finally gets the chance to begin preparing her dish, Peter has already begun for the Green Team.
Since there is a time shortage, Michelle decides to take one for the team and make grilled cheese. While Peter is already done with his dish, his competitor is struggling to cut her bread into thin slices. On tasting his dish, the judges point out that they are not fully satisfied with the preparation. This makes Peter a bit angry because he made the salad to accommodate more time for Katsuji. In the meantime, Chris feels betrayed by Michelle since she ends up using all the bread despite the fact that he had also wanted to use some for his appetizer. Although Lee can understand his anger, he suggests that he turn his anger into motivation for his cook. When Michelle ultimately presents the sandwich before the judges, José asks her if this was the dish she had originally planned to make. She admits that it wasn’t, stating that as the captain, she wanted to ensure others had a chance to succeed. Martha disagrees that it is not her only job before noting that the dish is quite greasy.
Chris and Jake then hurry to prepare their appetizers. In the lounge, Chef T declares that Michelle should not roll her eyes at her when Michelle tells her that she did not get enough time. In the meantime, Jake hurriedly finishes his dish and presents it before the judges. When they point out his mistakes, he notes that he pushed really hard because his leader wanted more time. Katsuji now has 25 to 30 minutes to prepare his dish, and the judges wonder if it will help him at the expense of his team. However, the competitor discloses that he needs only 8 to 10 minutes to prepare his appetizer, and hence, the extra time is just for his safety. Chris is next to serve the judges his dish, who note that the cream in his dish and the ingredients do not go well together.
With Broken Trust and Communication Issues, the Pressure is Quite High
The disappointing review leaves Chris angry, and he points out to Michelle that she messed up the communication as soon as he arrives in the lounge. In his confessional, he reveals that he often holds grudges, and now the bridge between him and his team leader is burnt. He further points out that while Chef T had mentioned that she needed more time before entering the kitchen, Michelle did not do so. However, Chef T asserts that he believes the latter just offers excuses instead of harboring the strong mentality needed to cook like a professional chef. Meanwhile, Katsuji finishes his preparation, only for the judges to point out that his sauce is quite grainy during tasting. While he argues it is on purpose to add crunchiness to his dish, José bluntly remarks he is not enjoying it. Lee ends up finishing last after rushing through the time and is disappointed to find out that the dressing in his salad is overpowering.
Michelle later asks Chris to step away and have a one-on-one conversation because she believes the drama will affect her cooking. She apologizes for using all the bread, but the latter still states she should not have been selfish because there were still people behind her waiting to cook. Michelle then argues that she gave up her chance to join the team, but he feels she is just pointing fingers. Then comes the time for the judges to announce their decision for the challenge, but before doing so, they ask Ronny about his opinion. He admits that he liked Emily’s dish the most, and his least favorite was Katsuji’s. He also states that overall, he enjoyed the appetizers prepared by the Blue Team. That’s when the judges inform the competitors that there is another twist to the challenge. Because of Ronny’s choice, he has to join the blue team, and if they lose, he too will be at risk for a cook-off. Before moving in that direction, though, the judges ask the chefs how they believe their internal communication and trust were during this challenge.
Chris reveals that he trusted Michelle, but now the trust is gone. On the other hand, she concedes that she feels as if she has been overthinking everything, just for Martha to promptly point out that it should not have resulted in her underperforming. José announces that Zain and Julia are the two chefs who created the best dish on the Green Team, whereas the sauce of Katsuji’s dish was subpar. Similarly, the judges complement Chef T and Emily’s appetizers from the Blue Team. However, they strictly declare that they did not like Michelle’s grilled cheese since it showed no effort. After an intense moment, they announce that despite everything, the Green Team is the winner of the challenge and safe from elimination. To everyone’s surprise, the MVC for the day’s competition is Emily. Although she is safe from going home, she is responsible for selecting who will face her in the cook-off.
An Intense Cook-off Finally Decides the Fate of an Intimidating Chef
Martha reminds Emily that if the chosen chef fails to win, he/she is going to get eliminated. However, if they win, they can choose someone to go home. As everyone returns to the lounge, Emily notes that this win validates her skills since she had taken time off cooking for 3 years following the birth of her children. Hence, she has been stubborn and insecure. As she contemplates whom to choose from her team, Chef T advises her to select Michelle since she has made the worst dish, and it is her time to own it. After much deliberation, the contestants return to the kitchen, and Emily announces that she wants to battle the person with the worst dish, Michelle. After reminding the latter about the rules again, José divulges that the challenge for the elimination round will be creating a fantastic chicken dish just like Martha’s. After tasting her roasted chicken, Emily and Michelle get the idea of how they have to prepare the protein.
Martha reveals that she wants to discover how both of them approach a roasted chicken. As the one-hour timer starts, both contestants rush to choose their components., both contestants rush to choose their components. Michelle notes that this is one of the most crucial dishes that she has to cook, but she is overthinking. She reminds herself to focus on the contest despite the pressure getting to her. While Emily has already decided to prepare a Picatta-style chicken, her competitor has not yet settled on her vision for the food. Chef T desperately wants Michelle to get eliminated since she is aware that she is viewed as a threat. As the contestants continue to pour their souls into the cooking, the latter notices most of the contestants are rooting for Emily. Ultimately, Emily and Michelle present their carefully prepared dishes before the judges.
While the judges find the latter’s Thai chicken to be a little mushy, they note that the flavor of the former’s piccata-style chicken has veered away a little. When the time for the decision arrives, Michelle breaks down crying due to the pressure and the reminder of her daughter. José wastes no time reassuring her and states that she is quite brave. When it is finally revealed that Michelle is the winner of the round, Chris panics since he has gone against her in the lounge. To everyone’s surprise, she declares that she wants to send Chef T home since she is intimidated by her. Although Michelle clarifies that it is nothing personal, Chef T expresses in her exit interview that she wants her power to return and bite back at her. She decides to walk away with her head held high since she believes it is growth. With Zain noting that Michelle is looking for herself, it is now time to see how far the contestants are ready to go to ensure they stay in the game.
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