The Netflix series is a riveting watch for all food lovers. Five Star Chef is a cooking competition that offers the winner a very big prize: the head chef position at The Langham’s Palm Court restaurant in London. Judging along with Michelin starred chef Michel Roux are restaurateur Mike Reid and top pastry chef Ravneet Gill.

This series is ideal viewing for IWFS members as it shows intense competition throughout. You start to cheer for one chef and then simply have to keep watching to see if they win. It is a well produced British series that you can binge watch over dinner and still feel hungry at the end.

Link to the Netflix show

FIVE STAR CHEF: STREAM IT ON NETFLIX

Opening shot

“Only a handful of chefs in every generation have what it takes to get to the top,” says Michel Roux, Michelin starred chef at The Langham hotel in London. As he delivers this line in voice over, we see him cooking and plating dishes in the kitchen.

The gist

The competition starts straight away. Fourteen chefs make a dish that accompanies a concept which they want to execute for the Palm Court. It is an audition of sorts. Seven of the chefs are eliminated and seven go on to the competition phase, where they must develop the menu and cook for demanding guests in the restaurant.

The contestants come from all over the world, and the concepts they put together are often quite bold. Some aim for a fine dining tasting menu, while others lean into performance. One chef, Jordan, has a “three things” plate built around rabbit loin. Another, Lara, approaches her menu almost as theatre and performance, complete with an actor dressed as the White Rabbit. A chef from Texas brings an elevated take on Tex Mex, while another presents Congolese inspired cuisine.

The series is fast paced, full of personality, and gives a behind the scenes glimpse into what it takes to run a top London kitchen at the level required by The Langham.