Breaking Down Yes, Chef!'s Premiere Episode Menus: Who Flamed Out in the Kitchen?
Here's who went home in the premiere episode of Yes, Chef!, hosted by Martha Stewart and José Andrés.
Every episode of NBC's cooking competition series Yes, Chef! sees professional chefs preparing mouth-watering meals for co-hosts and judges Martha Stewart and José Andrés. The premiere episode, "Control Freaks," divided the 12 competitors into three teams and forced them to collaborate like never before.
Before they hit the kitchen, each of the 12 chefs was asked to submit their best four-course meal. Martha and José chose three of the 12 meals as stand-outs, and those meals’ chefs ended up being the team leaders.
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Chefs Michelle Francis, Zain Ismael, and Katsuji Tanabe’s meals landed them the episode’s leadership spots. Upon choosing their teammates, José explained that the challenge's goal was for the teams to prepare a new four-course menu while the team captains proved their leadership skills.
“Which will require cooperation — and collaboration,” Martha warned. “And today’s question is: ‘Can you lead without micromanaging?’”
“Great chefs know when to step in and when to step back,” José added. “When to empower and when to take over.”
With that in mind, the teams were allotted 10 minutes to prepare their meal plans and 90 minutes to cook the four courses. The two bottom teams — eight chefs total — would be at risk of competing in a cook-off and elimination. So, what was on the menu, and what went down during the two challenges in Yes, Chef!'s premiere episode? Read on to learn more.
Green Team: Chefs Zain Ismael (Team Leader), Julia Chebotar, Torrece "Chef T" Gregoire, Petrina Peart
Chef Zain wanted to stick with the decisions her team had made together in their allotted 10 minutes, which she described as an “Island” menu. Throughout the challenge, José and Martha expressed concern with Chef Zain’s hands-off approach as a team leader, which led to a few missteps, including Chef Petrina’s mishandling of a live lobster and straining her gazpacho.
Chef Petrina: Lobster Gazpacho, Plantain & Lobster Cream
The lobster gazpacho was “watered down,” with Martha noting that the presentation was “sloppy.”
Chef T: Plantain Ravioli with Stewed Braised Oxtail & Scotch Bonnet Pepper
Martha and José were big fans of Chef T’s offering, complimenting the stand-out flavors.
Chef Zain: Snapper with Rougaille, Saffron Rice & Gremolata
Initially, José and Martha were hesitant about the huge array of flavors going on in this dish, but ultimately decided it worked well.
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Chef Julia: Date Upside-Down Cake & Plantain Bananas Foster
The plantains on this dish weren’t coming through as well as the hosts would have liked, resulting in Martha offering up some sage advice: take a wine bottle and pound unripe plantains to coax more flavor from them.
Blue Team: Chefs Katsuji Tanabe (Team Leader), Lee Frank, Jake Lawler, Peter Richardson
Chef Katsuji’s team was the only one that stuck to the original menu rather than their collaborative one … an executive decision that ultimately didn’t sit well with Katsuji’s teammates.
“I don’t really care what they’re thinking,” Chef Katsuji said in his confessional. “This cannot be a democracy. This has to be a dictatorship.”
Chef Lee in particular bristled under Chef Katsuji’s micromanaging, hands-on style, though none of the chefs were particularly thrilled.
Chef Peter: Endive Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette & Shaved Bottarga
Martha and José noted they wished the endives were crisper.
Chef Jake: Geoduck Sashimi Tostada with Pickled Shallots & Habanero
José offered up the main criticism here, which was that the tostada wasn’t crunchy enough. (Chef Jake noted in his confessional that Chef Katsuji’s “control freak” tendencies forced him to plate earlier than he’d wanted, resulting in the soggy tostada.)
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Chef Katsuji: Wood-Fired Grouper Marinated in Dried Chili Adobo
The fish was too cold, per José’s quick assessment.
Chef Lee: Pork Jowl Nabemono & Purple Potato
Chef Lee’s Nabemono proved “too sweet” for Martha’s taste.
Red Team: Chefs Michelle Francis (Team Leader), Emily Brubaker, Ronny Miranda, Christopher Morales
Chef Michelle told Martha and José that she was confident in her team’s collaborative menu, so she decided to stick with the new plan rather than revert to her original submission. Unlike Chef Zain, Chef Michelle struggled throughout the challenge with micromanaging, resulting in her teammates’ ire in their confessionals
Chef Emily: Lamb Tartare, Brioche & Chile Vinaigrette
Initially, José needed more moisture from this tartare. But when Martha said she had no problem with it, he corrected himself: “It’s not dry! I don’t know who’s been saying that this is dry.”
Chef Michelle: Seared Scallops with Italian Couscous & Pomegranate
Martha was a fan of the pomegranates, noting she eats “one a day.”
Chef Chris: Reverse-Seared Wagyu, Pommes Purée, Cauliflower & Foie Gras
Both judges loved the foie gras, with José noting that everyone should be listening to Martha at all times.
Chef Ronny: Goat Cheese “Fluff” on Brioche, Brûléed Tangerine & Berries
José and Martha complimented the team for assigning Chef Ronny the dessert, as they loved it so much.
Who went home in the Yes, Chef! premiere episode?
Chef Petrina Peart was eliminated at the end of the episode.
The second challenge saw the episode's "Most Valuable Chef," Chef Michelle, go up against Chef Katsuji, who she tapped for his lack of leadership skills during the first challenge. The two were challenged to create a dish from a world cuisine; from the options — Greek, Chinese, Italian, Jamaican, Korean, or Mexican — Chef Michelle chose Greek ("Because I'm Greek," she reasoned when asked, earning laughs from the judges).
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Throughout the challenge, Chef Katsuji did everything in his power to throw Chef Michelle off her game, and it worked: Chef Michelle's Red Snapper with Chorizo & Corn on Rice didn't fetch her the episode's top prize.
Instead, Chef Katsuji won the episode with his Avocado Nopales Salad with Chayote, Jicama & Tomatillo Sauce.
He'd previously promised Chef Michelle that he'd allow her to pick who was going home if he won, but he went against his word in the end. And rather than send his challenger home, Chef Katsuji said he chose the weakest chef of the bunch: Chef Petrina.
The judges had previously said in the episode that Chef Petrina's dish during the first challenge was their least favorite, with José noting how disappointing her gazpacho was to his Spanish sensibilities.
"I'm p---ed off," Petrina said. "Why wasn't I chosen [to participate in the final challenge] to begin with? Petrina's at the bottom; we're picking her, let her fight for her life. Instead, Michelle chose someone else and that person chose me. It was a cowardly way of making a decision."
New episodes of Yes, Chef! premiere on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC, following The Voice. Each episode will be available to stream on Peacock the next day.
