Jul 31 2010
Master Chef: Week 1
I was so excited to watch Gordon Ramsay’s new show, Master Chef on Tuesday. I was already on such a Ramsay high after Hell’s Kitchen, that I couldn’t wait to see what he had in store for us with this new show of his. The show did not disappoint. It is not Hell’s Kitchen, and it definitely isn’t Top Chef. This show is a show about foodies, who may have a different day job, but work hard to feed themselves and their families every single day. It’s about people like you and me, who take what we do very seriously, but have so much fun with it at the same time. Master Chef is about doing what you love, and working hard so you can take it to the next level.
This first episode ran much like American Idol auditions would. Cooks had one hour to prepare their signature dish for Gordon Ramsay and, I’m ashamed to admit, two other judges whose names I do not know. The cooks spent most of the time preparing their dishes in front of the other cooks and their families, but finished the dish in front of the judges. Once the dish was ready, each judge would taste it, and then deliver their verdict. Can I just stop right there to say, what an honour that would be to have Chef Ramsay tasting your food? That might be enough for me. And if he said he liked it? Oh. I’d be done. That’d be it for me. Done. It wouldn’t even matter if I got on the show or not.
Once the judges tasted the food, they would then tell the person whether or not they were on the show and moving forward in the competition. If the person was, they would receive a Master Chef apron. After the first week, I don’t remember anybody’s name except for Gordon Ramsay’s. But there were a few hopefuls that I do vividly remember.
First, there was the guy who made the Beer Cheese Soup. I have to admit, when I heard the name, I was enticed. It sounded delicious, and this guy had a passion for beer, and the soup he made with it. Unfortunately when he made it, it looked like vomit in a bowl. And, according to the judges, it tasted like much of the same. Then there was the guy who I’m sure was meant to be a game show host, and who made the Bouillabaisse. That’s right – in an hour. Never mind that it takes two days to make a bouillabaisse. He put on a totally fake personality and at several points, Gordon even asked him if he was acting. He insisted he wasn’t and that was the “real him”, until Gordon tasted the dish and was quick to point out that it was not, in fact, a bouillabaisse. After that, it was game over for Mr. Non-Bouillabaisse. He broke down into tears and after Gordon took a pass on moving him further, I was hopeful. Unfortunately, the other two judges saw something in him and his dish and he got his apron.
There was also the doctor who made Smothered Chicken. She was used heavily in the promos because she has the heartbreaking story of starting to cook after her mom died just so she could taste her food again. I have to admit, it was hard to hold back my own tears as I watched her finish off that chicken. The judges seemed to go back and forth on the dish, until Gordon announced that her food was exactly the kind the show was looking for, and that she had huge potential to be the first Master Chef.
Then there was another one of my favorites. The dancin King who shook his thang while making Macaroni and Cheese for the crowd. Well, for the judges but, whatever. He had a great time with it, and presented the most beautiful Mac and Cheese that I’ve ever seen. The judges “oohed” and “aahed” over it and then Gordon stepped up. Everyone took a deep breath as he explained that, being Mac and Cheese, one of the most common dishes found anywhere in the United States, when you make it, you need to make it perfectly. Gordon took a bite, looked at the King, and then told him to do the same. The cook tasted his food and after Gordon asked him what was missing from the dish, he replied dejectedly, “Salt.” Ouch. That hurts. To make a dish to perfection and then forget such a basic, but important, ingredient. There was a whole lot of debating, and even the guy’s wife and kid were called in to plead his case for him. At the end, Gordon gave his wife the Master Chef apron to give to her husband, and told him to take the salt shaker with him so that he wouldn’t forget it again.
We did see a softer and kinder side to Gordon Ramsay in this show. But the difference is what I’ve been saying all along. The person you see on Hell’s Kitchen is not Gordon Ramsay the person, but Gordon Ramsay the Chef. And most chefs are asses when they run a line. And mostly, it’s because they need to be. But here, Ramsay is just looking for people who love what they do, and want to get better at it. The end prize is $250,000 and getting one of your very own cookbooks to publish.
This show is so great, I’m truly beyond words in my excitement! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has in store!
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