Who Won Yes, Chef! Season 1? All About That Intense, Emotional Finale (June 30, 2025)
The end is just the beginning for one lucky winner of a quarter of a million dollars and a new lease on life.

It seems like just yesterday that we met the first crop of Yes, Chef! hopefuls, 12 professional chefs who came with serious cooking skills — and a whole lot of baggage.
Each contestant was nominated for the NBC competition series by a co-worker or loved one because of a “personality issue” that held them back in their careers. Co-hosts Martha Stewart and José Andrés judged them on their food but also mentored them through 10 weeks of personal growth. And now in Episode 10, the Finale, the group is down to just three. We’ve witnessed a lot of cooking, crying, fighting, and sweating in the kitchen — and we’re about to see some more.
Martha and José pulled out all the stops for the last challenge with Chef Emily Brubaker, Chef Lee Frank, and Chef Zain Ismail. First off, the brave souls who originally nominated the chefs arrived to assist in the kitchen. Emotions were running high when the nominators walked in: Chef Emily’s husband, Jake Brubaker; Chef Zain’s executive chef, Cole Lawson; and Chef Lee’s restaurant sous chef, Jonathan Vasquez.
“We started our careers together. He’s been through everything with me,” Chef Emily told the judges through tears upon seeing her husband, who is also a chef. Lee was “stoked” that his longtime restaurant sous chef was there to help: “He’s also my best friend, and I love him.”
Chef Zain’s executive chef, Cole, however, seemed a tad skeptical. Chef Zain assured her she “hasn’t gone off on anyone,” and has turned a new leaf.
The Challenge: Cook From the Heart
“We want you to prepare your best three-course menu that you feel represents who you are as a chef and as a person,” José explained. The chefs were tasked with feeding 25 diners and had two days to pull it all together: three hours of prep time on day one, and 90 minutes before service on day two.
For extra help, the finalists chose an eliminated contestant to act as a second sous chef during the challenge. And in a thrilling twist for everyone, three famous faces joined Martha and José at the judge’s table.
Award-winning celebrity chefs Marcus Samuelsson and Andrew Zimmern, as well as Top Chef host extraordinaire Gail Simmons, popped in to provide insightful critiques and rattle the contestants’ nerves. Seeing the new judges, Chef Emily admitted, “the stress level went from a hundred to a thousand.”
Before diving in, each chef explained the inspiration for their menus.
Chef Emily used each course to highlight three restaurants that changed her career: Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Lark Creek Steakhouse in San Francisco, where she perfected her butchery skills, and the now-shuttered Sage at Aria in Las Vegas, known for “pushing boundaries” with flavors.
For Chef Zain, her menu inspiration was, well, herself.
“The theme of my menu is Zain,” quipped the chef. “I represent so many flavors and cultures. My mom is from the East African island country Mauritius, my dad is Indian. I was raised in Houston, Texas, but I also live in Los Angeles.”
Meanwhile, Chef Lee created a menu to represent his past, present, and future, incorporating “classic deli flavors” he loved so much as a “Jewish kid” and also taking inspiration from his current restaurant, Otis, in Exeter, New Hampshire.
The First Course
Chef Zain Ismail with Sous Chefs Chris Morales and Cole Lawson: Scallop with Crab Corn Cake & Smoked Mussel Hot Sauce
Despite urgings to hurry up from sous Chef Chris Morales, who was eliminated on Episode 6, Chef Zain didn’t finish on time and served two judges, Martha and Marcus Samuelsson, plates that were missing scallops.
“It honestly breaks my heart,” Chef Zain said. Little did she know, the judges forgave her gaffe because “the flavors were brilliant,” enthused Marcus. Martha and Andrew Zimmern said it was the “best bite” of the first course round.
Chef Lee Frank with Sous Chefs Ronny Miranda and Jonathan Vasquez: Pastrami Spiced Trout Tartare & Quail Egg on Potato Kugel
Chef Lee chose sous Chef Ronny Miranda, eliminated in Episode 6, for his “zen” vibe, which seemed to rub off on the normally high-strung chef.
Both Martha and Marcus Samuelsson praised the flavor but wished for a “more cohesive dish.” Marcus noted that the kugel got “a little muddy in the middle.”
Chef Emily Brubaker with Sous Chefs Jake Lawler and Jake Brubaker: Scallop Crudo & Poached Daikon With Caviar
At certain points during cooking, you could cut the tension with a knife between Chef Emily and her husband, Jake.
“The last time Jake and I worked together in the kitchen, it was difficult,” she said in the confessional. Sous chef Jake Lawler, eliminated in Episode 9, kept his head down during the bickering.
But the group pulled through and presented an “enjoyable” first course. Gail Simmons loved the “juiciness” and “bitterness” of the grapefruit, even though José and Martha found the overall flavor a bit bland.
The Second Course
Chef Zain: Grilled Lamb Chop, Roti, Roasted Vegetables & Walnut Pesto
Chef Zain struggled again to finish on time, and her lamb was “not cooked properly at all,” said Gail Simmons. But Andrew Zimmern thought the vegetable mixture was a “superb bite.”
Chef Lee: Striped Sea Bass With Lobster and Scallop Agnolotti & Cauliflower Puree
“This is a major step up from the first course,” exclaimed Marcus Samuelsson, and Martha later told Chef Lee that the crispy-skinned striped bass was “superlative.”
She and José only wished he had not covered up the pasta with so much foam.
Chef Emily: American Wagyu NY Strip, Potato Pavé With Tarragon Demi
Gail Simmons and Martha bonded over their love of Emily’s pavé potato.
“We all want to take it home with us,” raved Martha. Marcus Samuelsson agreed that she “nailed a lot” in the dish.
The Third Course
Chef Lee: Glazed Pork Belly, Cabbage Wrapped Loin With Red Cabbage & Mustard
The pork loin wrapped in homemade sausage sent Martha on a trip down memory lane: “Pork loin was our Sunday meat, and Ma would make it so well with her apple sauce. It reminded me of that. Very tasty.”
Marcus Samuelsson noted that Chef Lee brought “corazon (heart). There’s an honesty in his cooking.”
Chef Emily: Fois Gras, Bread Pudding, With Honey Gastrique & Candied Hazelnuts
Though Gail Simmons is not a fan of foie gras in dessert, she was pleasantly surprised by how well the “beautiful hazelnuts… played to the bread pudding and foie gras.” Meanwhile José wished for more: “Foie gras speaks to me every hour of the day.”
Chef Zain: Latte Cake with Pumpkin Spice Foam & Chocolate Tuile Straw
Chef Zain spent the most time on her dessert, to the detriment of her two previous dishes. While the judges loved the pumpkin spice flavors, the presentation was “a little sloppy,” noted Martha. Gail Simmons concurred that the “technique is not great,” and the large portion size was “a little off.”
And the Yes, Chef! Season 1 winner is...
The chefs learned valuable lessons over the past season.
“I came in with anger issues,” admitted Chef Lee, who said that even his wife “walked on eggshells,” around him. “It’s nice to be able to leave here a better husband, a better father, a better person.”
Chef Zain told the Judges she had “created a steel wall around everything,” since the recent passing of her dad. “You tasted a lot of his heart and flavors here today,” she said, adding that she’s “learning every day.”
“I came as being stubborn and insecure,” stated Emily, who assured the Judges she had learned to “listen more.” She joined the competition for her family, “to set that example for my children,” prompting Gail Simmons, who is also a mom, to cry.
“Emotions are one of the very important ingredients in every one of these dishes,” observed José in a final bit of sage advice, before making the big announcement.
The winner of Yes, Chef! Season 1 and the $250,000 prize? Chef Emily Brubaker of Carlsbad, California.
Catch up on all available episodes of Yes, Chef! on Peacock.