Picture the head chef of a busy restaurant, and you might imagine a hot-headed cook who rules their kitchen with a volatile temper.
But chefs with a short fuse have no place in the kitchen of Martha Stewart and José Andrés, who are pairing up to host a new cooking competition called “Yes, Chef!” on NBC.
“For far too long, the pressure of the kitchen has been an excuse for out-of-control behavior,” Stewart, 83, says in an exclusive preview clip from the new series.
“That kind of behavior doesn’t make a great chef. It holds them back,” agrees Andrés, 55, a Spanish American chef and restaurateur known for his humanitarian work.
“Yes, Chef!” will put 12 professional chefs to the test, judging not only their cooking skills but their ability to work together and keep their egos in check as they complete high-stakes culinary challenges.
The chefs have all been nominated by their coworkers, bosses, friends or family.
“These rising stars all have natural talent, but their egos, intensity, stubbornness or short fuses are holding them back from reaching their full potential,” according to an NBC release about the new series.
Week after week, contestants must prove they can keep their cool and work together, even as the competition heats up.
“In our kitchen, it takes a lot more than good food to win,” Stewart says in the preview clip.
The Emmy-winning lifestyle maven is also shown sharing a vulnerable moment with one of the contestants.
“I have been known to be a perfectionist, and that kind of holds you back sometimes,” she admits.
Each week, Stewart and Andrés will choose a Most Valuable Chef, or MVC, based on the chef’s cooking ability as well as their ability to improve their behavior.
In the end, one top chef will take home a $250,000 grand prize.
Stewart and Andrés have been bonding over great food for a while now. Back in February, she revealed on Instagram that Andrés had treated her to a “magnificent” home-cooked meal with his family in Toronto.
“Yes, Chef!” premieres Monday, April 28, at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, and will stream the next day on Peacock.
