In this final episode of Chefs' Brigade Jason Atherton's (JA) team of relatively inexperienced chefs from England go head to head with the brigade of chefs from a top Paris, Michelin star, restaurant - APICIUS The episode demonstrates how much the chefs have developed individually and collectively over the six weeks.
SCENE 1: This scene introduces the restaurant and its head chef and the brigade sample its cuisine
SCENE 2: The brigade prepare for their challenge. Their first task is to collaborate without supervision and prepare a menu that reflects what they have learnt over the previous five weeks. JA steps back and lets the brigade organise and self manage their own ecology determining what dishes to cook and how to cook and present them. Each pair or trio of chefs invent, prepare and present a different dish to Jason Atherton and his assistants who judge the dishes against the standards of French haute cuisine. Jason is impressed with the performances of the chefs and tells them that they could not have produced such dishes 5 weeks before.
revealing how much he believes they have developed individually and collectively.
SCENE 3 The head chef at Restaurant Apicius reveals the menu that will be used in the competition. Jason and his assistants sample the menu and try to work out how the dishes are prepared. He also tries to imagine how the dishes might be improved. Armed with this highly contextual knowledge he returns to prepare his own brigade.
SCENE 4 Jason involves the brigade in selecting ingredients for the meal they will cook in the restaurant.
SCENE 5 JA together with his assistants work with the brigade to help them prep the food they have purchased for the food they will cook in in restaurant Apicius demonstrating. They encourage the chefs to pay attention to detail and demonstrate the standards they need to achieve. They also experiment with the chocolate soufle to make sure that they can cook it at the table in the way it is done in the restaurant. When all the prepatation has been completed JA assigns roles and responsibilities to team members.
SCENE 6 The Apicius restaurant brigade prepare and serve the dishes on the competition menu. Three experienced judges eat and discuss each dish and give an overall score for the quality of the meal.
SCENE 7 The brigade prepare the dishes in Apicius kitchens. JA demonstrates to each chef how their dish should be made and presented occassionally making small adjustments to the dish as it was cooked by the restaurant. The chefs work together as a team, each chef must practice and make perfect their dish. Everyone is focused and determined. Once service starts Jason acts as the director shouting out the orders as they arrive. He is the judge as to whether t he dish is of a sufficient standard sending back dishes to be prepared again if they do not meet his standards. He keeps pressure on individuals so that they can produce their best: 'it has to flow like a ballet". One member struggles and three others step in to help.
There is good communication between members of the team even though it is very quiet. The judges eat and discuss each dish comparing them to the dishes they had eaten the day before and give an overall score for the meal. The young chefs celebrate their enormous achievement.
There is good communication between members of the team even though it is very quiet. The judges eat and discuss each dish comparing them to the dishes they had eaten the day before and give an overall score for the meal. The young chefs celebrate their enormous achievement.
What are your reflections on the whole process?
Did it feel like a living process through which people developed and transformed themselves?