Mission: Chef

Because I could, I watched Chef on a Mission. Simon Gault, master chef, goes to a different, typically unusual, place and gives the people there a different taste for dinner than usual. He tries to give them a restaurant meal, with "5% magic". Unusual places such as a fishing trawler, gas pumping station, secondary school...

The standard format is Day One: Simon arrives and does a bit of work that everyone else does, and eats with them too, to understand the job and get a sense of what the workers like (and he doesn't do the job well.. but does give it a go). Day Two: goes out and gets ingredients from around local supplies. Day Three: cooks up dinner and feeds them all. Then it ends with them holding up cards, giving him a rating from 1 to 10. Usually high marks, although the kids were more critical.

Unlike other chef shows, Simon isn't making a statement. He isn't trying microgastronomy. He isn't creating healthy only options. He isn't show casing spectacular items. What he is doing is giving groups of people an experience they might not otherwise get.

Which, on the one hand, makes the show stand out in that it is going for a more simple structure... but on the other hand... while it might be special for the people, it doesn't make for that amazing a televisual experience.

No sign of a second season on the website, so I'm guessing that like me, others feel that this show is missing that "5% magic"...

[END]