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BURRELL: In today's competitive culinary world,
top restaurants need the best of the best to run their kitchens,
so they turn to me.
I'm Anne Burrell...
...and this is "Chef Wanted."
[ Printer whirring ]
BRIAN: Holy [bleep]
KELLI: Aah!
KELLI: Tommy's monopolizing the oven. I was pretty pissed.
They're burnt on the bottom,
and they're not cooked enough on top.
TOMMY: Oh, my God. I have a disaster on my hands.
BURRELL: This week, I'm at Tavern 1757
in scenic lakefront destination Seymour, Connecticut.
Tavern 1757 opened just eight months ago,
featuring Italian country cuisine
and an award-winning win list.
However, after recently losing their executive chef,
they were forced to close their doors.
Now owner Tony Mavuli and his son Tonino
are looking for a new executive chef
who can help them fulfill their original vision
for the restaurant --
a warm, rustic eatery that serves roasted meats
and fresh-baked breads from their wood-burning oven.
For the right candidate, this is not just a job.
It's a potential partnership and the opportunity of a lifetime.
Hello, gentlemen.
Hi, Anne.
Hi, Anne. Welcome.
What a beautiful place you guys have here.
Tell me what the story with this place is.
This house was built in 1757.
So, there's a lot of history and a lot of love
Exactly.
The chef that we originally hired, he left.
So we had to shut down a couple weeks ago.
I think that sounds like a very exciting job for a chef.
I have brought you four extremely qualified chefs,
and I would love to introduce them to you.
Fantastic.
First up, we have...
Brian Reilly from Cleveland, Ohio.
[ Sizzling ]
For me to get this job,
all I really need to do is just show them what I can do.
I'm Brian Reilly. I'm an executive chef.
Growing up with my huge Irish family,
I was always helping in the kitchen as much as possible.
A few years ago, my mom was diagnosed with cancer.
It was really defeating to me.
She didn't back down from it and beat it.
It gives me the inspiration to do the same with life.
Getting this job would mean, you know,
making my family proud of me, my mom, my dad.
I just feel like it's time for something big to happen.
Hello, Brian.
Next up, we have Kelli Daniels from Prairie Village, Kansas.
KELLI: I've had a knife pulled on me in the kitchen before,
so I'm not worried about having some healthy competition.
My name is Kelli Daniels,
and I'm the chef/owner of a food truck.
Having a food truck,
I'm hitting a ceiling as far as the food that I can do,
and I really want to get back
into the actual restaurant setting.
I started cooking when I was 11 for my dad.
Growing up under the direction of a chef
who happens to be your father is always an adventure.
He was pretty *** me.
I think he had some super-high expectations.
At times, I hated that,
but I'm pretty glad that I was held to that.
Now that he's passed away, for me,
as a chef and as a human being...
all I want to do is make him proud.
Next, we have Tommy Valdes from Brooklyn.
TOMMY: When I was a little kid,
I used to push a chair up against the stove,
jump on top, make my own scrambled eggs.
Well, here I am, 40 years later, still doing the same thing.
My name is Tommy Valdes, and I'm third-generation restaurateur.
Growing up, my father told me,
"Don't go into the restaurant business."
In 1982, my father passed away.
The first thing I did was apply for culinary school.
I really didn't know my father as an adult,
but I honor him in saying,
"Dad, even though I didn't agree with you,
look who I am today."
The most important thing is the passion I have for the food.
I've tried other things, but it keeps bringing me back in.
So, here I am, just waiting for a new opportunity to arise.
Welcome, Tom.
Last but not least, we have Ryan Escude from Dallas, Texas.
RYAN: Being an executive chef is a title.
You know, at heart, I'm a cook.
My name is Ryan Escude.
I've worked very hard to get the achievements that I've received.
The sacrifices that I've made got me to where I am,
but I'm not home as much as I should be with my son.
I'm not working,
so the job at Tavern 1757 would improve our lives.
I want to show my son that if you work hard,
dreams can happen.
Chefs, we have designed a pair of grueling tests.
And after this test,
only three of you will continue on.
And for one of you, the job interview will be over.
The original concept that we had
is to use our brick oven
and to have the smells really waffer
when you come into the door.
Bread is the basis of so many things in the kitchen.
So you will have 45 minutes to make
an interesting, creative, and delicious flatbread.
So, we are providing you the dough,
and everything in the kitchen is at your disposal.
Your time starts... right now!
Yeah! Let's go!
RYAN: For test one, Tony wanted us
to put a spin on Sardinian flatbread
that he used to eat.
It's difficult to make it something
that is gonna remind him of Sardinia,
yet a little more cutting edge.
I am making my Sardinia flatbread
with an eggplant caponata and a white anchovy/caper relish.
So, what else besides your caponata are you putting in?
My attempt is to do
a white anchovy condiment and olive tapenade --
three choices of a salty, a savory, and a sweet.
Yes, Chef.
You have one flatbread.
Three good ideas creates one bad outcome.
I decided to follow Chef Anne's advice,
because, after all, I'm here because of her.
TOMMY: That's what I'm talking about right there.
I've been in the business since 1983,
when my father passed away.
These new chefs out there can't even compare to us O.G.s,
what we call "original gangsters."
I can bring a lot of old-world food flavors to this place.
That's why I feel like I'm the right person for this job.
Moving right along.
I'm making today a flatbread with rustic vegetables,
cheeses, which everybody loves, olive tapenade.
It's gonna be flavorful and bold
and make sure I lay out all my flavors for them.
That's what I'm talking about.
My father had a pretty high bar for excellence.
Excellent was the only option for him,
and it's the only option for me now.
I'm making flatbread with figs.
I wanted to add some texture to my dough,
so I'm gonna crush up pistachios
and incorporate them right into the dough.
Aah!
I want the crispy crust
that you get from cooking on a brick surface,
so I'm looking forward
to getting my flatbread into this oven.
Trying to get this dough as flat as possible and paper-thin
so I can wrap it around some asparagus.
My family's background is Irish.
It's always rustic,
and it's always using what you have around you.
I'm making a roasted asparagus flatbread
with taleggio cheese sauce and some lemon on top.
It's creative but still the Italian roots.
Chefs, we have 20 minutes left.
I'm worried you're not gonna get done.
RYAN: It's nerve-racking.
There is a little bit of self-doubt.
You're trying to get a job, and I feel that I'm just messing up.
I just want to see you do a good job, all right?
So do I.
He's very shy and lacking in confidence.
He makes me feel like a mom, like I want to take care of him.
Get focused, work quick, and make me a delicious pizza, okay?
Come on. Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!
13 minutes! 13!
TOMMY: That's where the flavors are at, babe.
What do you have in here?
It's like an old-style New York bagel almost.
Wow. Are you worried about the blowout that's happening?
It's getting really oily in there.
BURRELL: So, what I see Tommy doing over there
is him having blowout
and then the oil going all inside the dough.
I see something
that it just is a big envelope filled with hot grease.
My panzerotti, it had an air pocket in it,
and the oil's getting in through it.
So, I had to pull it out at that point.
It was sticking to the pan. "Oh, my God."
I have a disaster on my hands.
[Bleep]
BURRELL: Competing in the hardest interview of their careers,
four chefs are vying for an executive chef position
at Tavern 1757.
They're in the middle of their first test,
creating a unique flatbread using local ingredients.
My panzerotti had an air pocket in it.
I thought, "Oh, my God.
It's just gonna explode and go all over the place."
Now I'm starting from scratch,
and I'm working on my second panzerotti,
which is gonna be better than the other one.
I love this dough.
At this point, I'm already worried
because getting this job
would mean making my family proud of me.
Yes, Chef.
Yes, Chef.
Let's go, you guys! Let's be smart about your time.
KELLI: I want the crispy crust
that you get from cooking on a brick surface,
but Tommy's really monopolizing the space in the oven.
I was pretty pissed.
I'm not gonna be able to get my flatbread into this oven.
Yeah, if you need to, put your dough somewhere else.
Oh, I just wanted the wood fire on it, you know.
But it's smarter to get something that can get done.
Plan "B" -- I jacked up my oven on my stove to 500
and put my flatbreads in there.
Five minutes to go, you guys!
TOMMY: Ooh, we're ready to go, man. Feeling good about it.
These young kids, they're running around in circles.
And I'm, like, I'm plated, waiting for 'em.
Give the command. I'm bagging this one.
BURRELL: Let's go! Let's go! Come on!
RYAN: It's a bit stressful.
All right. All right.
5 seconds. 5...
Go, go, go!
...4, 3, 2...1!
That's it! Hands up! Go! Go! You're done.
KELLI: I'm a little upset.
I didn't get my fair share of time in the wood-fire oven,
so I'm worried that I could go home.
BURRELL: Kelli, come on in.
Today I've prepared for you flatbread with figs.
This one has pistachios with taleggio cheese
and a salad of arugula and fig.
Cool.
I think adding the pistachios to the dough itself is interesting,
although I wish they had been smaller across the board.
Sure.
All overall, the combination of the flavor go very well.
Thank you.
I didn't get any time in the wood-fire oven.
Thank you.
All right. Brian, come on in.
Hi.
I've prepared for you a roasted asparagus flatbread
with whipped cheese
and a salad of turnip greens and herbs.
The dough could be a little bit thinner.
I think the flavors are delicious,
but I feel like the cheese sauce is a bit on the salty side.
Thank you.
Buona sera.
Sera.
I've prepared for you today a panzerotti Campidano,
named after a southern town in Sardinia.
I think you'll enjoy.
TONY: Very nice. I like the combination.
The bite that I had had a big piece of raw dough in there.
Okay.
Yeah, I think you definitely have a lot of flavors going on in there.
Thank you.
Okay.
My pleasure. Thank you very much.
RYAN: Hi.
The dish I made today is a grilled flatbread
with a white anchovy relish and eggplant caponata.
Yum! I think this is delicious.
Thank you.
I think you nail it.
Did you hear that? He said he thinks you nailed it.
You did an amazing job.
So, if you are here for the second test,
I want to see you come in and ferociously own what is yours.
RYAN: They had many great things to say to me.
I feel like I have just a little bit more confidence.
Thank you.
All right, chefs. Come on in, please.
Chefs, test number one is finished.
We've tasted, they've deliberated,
and they have decided.
KELLI: You don't want to hear after the fact
I lost because I couldn't get into this oven.
BRIAN: I'm confident in what I bring to the table,
but then again, you never know.
The chef the interview ends today is...
...Tommy.
Thank you.
I think that your idea was great.
I think that the execution got to you just a hair.
Well, thank you.
BURRELL: Tommy has the confidence,
but his dish had some technical difficulties.
And Tommy maybe didn't know
quite as much as he thought he did.
TOMMY: I went with the old-school, rustic-style flavors.
I thought that was a home run.
The execution of my dish did not come out
as smooth as I wanted to, but you know what?
I have a lot more knowledge than the guys in there.
They made the wrong decision.
I'm still a great chef,
and I think my father would be proud of me of what I'm doing today.
Seeing Tommy get eliminated made me very nervous
because he's a seasoned chef.
If I'm going to get this job, I have to bring my "A" game.
Test number two is going to begin right now.
At the end of this test, only two of you will continue on,
and for one of you, the job interview will be over.
KELLI: Chef Ryan seems a little flustered,
so for this test,
I think my biggest competition is gonna be Brian.
TONY: I want you to take these meats
and create delicious meals for our guests.
We want to see you guys get rustic
and creative and clearly delicious.
You have 60 minutes, and your time starts...now!
I want this job pretty bad.
I recently sold my business
and looking for my next adventure.
My dad owned restaurants, so I just grew up in the kitchen.
From having a food truck and catering business,
I miss the finesse of the actual restaurant setting.
Getting the job at Tavern 1757
would get me back into the restaurant environment.
I'm doing lamb for this second test.
It's definitely in my wheelhouse.
I grew up on it.
I am making a wood-roasted lamb leg
with smoked root vegetables...
[ Cork pops ]
...and a Chianti espresso sauce.
Smoking root vegetables
and balancing those with the Chianti espresso reduction,
it's risky business.
But it's a risk I wanted to take
because I don't think you win big unless you risk big.
Really, really psyched that I made it through the first test.
I really want this job.
I'm gonna do the best I can to bring my son here.
I am making grilled squab with potatoes.
I'm gonna grill the legs like skewers
and pan sear the ***.
Where's the carcasses?
The carcasses I've got in the cooler.
Lookit. Use all that flavor.
What about the little livers and all that?
What are you gonna do with those? Come on. Use them.
Be smart, huh?
Bah!
Behind you.
Growing up, my mom has always been an inspiration to me.
Getting this job would really make her proud of me.
For test two, I'm making miso-braised rabbit...
Ooh. Score.
...with baby turnips and carrots over soft polenta.
What are you making? What are you doing?
Using a little bit of miso, a little soy sauce,
Interesting.
Do you feel like miso and all that will fit in here?
Miso and turnips and miso and rabbits
have worked for me in the past, and I'm gonna do it again.
It's definitely important to me
to be able to use what I've learned,
'cause that is who I am.
So, for the owners to be accepting of that
is a high priority.
20 minutes left, you guys! 20 minutes!
Ryan, is it going well?
I think so.
All right.
It smells good.
My biggest obstacle for test two is gonna be the other chefs.
Chef Kelli and Chef Brian are really talented,
so I am nervous.
I'm pretty stressed out. I got to keep moving.
I'm dying.
BURRELL: 15 minutes!
I'm rushing around, trying to get this stuff done.
Oh, my God.
Ingredients are flying everywhere.
I got to get it together.
Are you gonna finish?
I'm gonna make it happen.
Yeah, you are. Otherwise, you're going straight home.
Son of a [bleep]
BURRELL: 15 minutes!
Are you gonna finish?
Yeah, you are.
Otherwise, you're going straight home.
RYAN: Oh, my God.
I feel like I didn't show enough confidence
through the first test,
so I need to have my nerves subside.
I think I can do it. I think I can.
What's the temperature of your meat at?
All right.
Well, make sure you want to have a good rest on it.
If I were you, I'd take it out,
because by the time we get to try it, it's gonna be dry.
It's actually a little under what I need it to be.
All right. 4 minutes, everybody. 4 minutes.
I really wanted to let my lamb cook as long as possible.
I was just nervous about doing
such a large piece of meat, like a lamb leg,
in such a short amount of time.
Oh, son of Sam.
Aah.
BURRELL: 15 seconds!
Come on, Ryan. Get it going.
Come on, Kelli.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1!
That's it. Hands up. You guys are done.
I was trying to see what the other chefs were doing.
It seemed like everybody was keeping it rustic.
Now I'm really hoping that they see my vision
with using the Japanese flavors in this dish.
Chefs, I'm really excited
by what I saw happening in the kitchen.
So, Ryan, you're up first.
RYAN: This is a duet of squab, has a potato-onion puree.
I made a stock out of the carcass.
BURRELL: I love that you added some color to the plate,
but those herbs, you know, the first thing you do
is pick it out and throw it on the side of the table.
And that's not really the way country folk roll.
This is like a country tavern.
With something like this, I prefer maybe polenta.
Okay, Kelli.
KELLI: Today I have for you wood-roasted lamb leg
with smoked root vegetables,
and the sauce is a Chianti and espresso reduction.
I wanted to go family-style for this dish.
I feel like that's what this tavern style would be about.
BURRELL: I like that.
I do like the combination of the reduction --
espresso and red wine.
For my preferences,
the lamb could have been cooked a little bit less.
I think that your seasoning is good,
and I think the thought of what you did was great.
Thank you.
Brian, you're up next.
I chose rabbit with white miso,
turnips, shiitakes, and a little bit of celery.
Seems like choosing the miso turned out to be a good idea.
My issue is that it looked a lot better when you were plating it,
and then it kind of all flattened out
and got kind of, like, light brown.
TONY: Thank you.
Good job, guys.
Thanks.
All right. Chefs, come on back in, please.
I commend all of you
because all of you did a stellar job in both tests.
But, ultimately, there can only be two chefs
that move on to the dinner service.
It's nerve-racking.
You're trying to get a job, and my competitors seem so amazing
that I just want to stack up to them.
The chef whose job interview is over is...
...Kelli.
Thank you.
Thanks.
BURRELL: Unfortunately, Kelli's time
maybe got away from her a little bit.
Even though it's a rustic dish,
it still seemed a little rough around the edges.
KELLI: I think it just came down to some finessing
that I didn't have time to do.
But I'm super satisfied with what I put out there.
[ Voice breaking ] My dad never got to see this level of my career.
As a chef,
the spirit of excellence that my father instilled in me
will likely be coursing through my veins till the day I die.
BURRELL: Congratulations.
The two of you have made it
to the toughest phase of this job interview --
the dinner service.
Ryan, you will be cooking tomorrow night,
and Brian, you will be cooking the following night.
So good luck and go write your menus.
Thank you.
RYAN: I was raised by a single mom.
I want my son to have more than I had,
so I need this job more than anything.
Going into dinner service, I had butterflies.
I hope that my menu's good enough
to stand up to Chef Brian's menu,
'cause he's very talented.
Tony gets a meat order. They had rabbit.
I'm just thinking about, "Oh, my God.
Like, I can do so much with this."
The rabbit, I could do the loins and then braised legs.
I need to show them I can be the executive chef here.
Hi, Ryan.
Staff, this is Chef Ryan.
ALL: Hello.
The first appetizer, I've got a poached shrimp frisée salad
with grapefruit dressing with chive and radish.
If you have poached shrimp in there, show me the shrimp.
'Cause right now, it just looks like something
that came out of the lawnmower bag.
Yeah.
[ Shakily ] Um, my first entrée is the duet of rabbit.
Listen. You're a chef. You know how to do this.
Tell us confidently about the beautiful food that you've made.
Okay?
Our duo of rabbit with a celery root puree,
and it's served with the fava beans.
Your rabbit's super yummy. It's cooked really well.
Thank you.
My second entrée is the 14-ounce grilled prime sirloin,
farro salad with the roasted oyster mushrooms.
It's cooked perfect. I like the combination.
Thank you.
The dessert I prepared is a lemon pound cake
with a dried cherry balsamic sauce and Chantilly.
Thank you.
I'm very excited to be here, and I really want this job.
I have a lot to prove to my son.
I want to do this for him, as well,
and I just want to work with you guys
to have a phenomenal service.
ALL: Thank you.
[ Applause ]
[ Indistinct conversations ]
WOMAN: Chianti.
All right, guys. How do we feel?
Good?
I need you guys to get my back tonight
because I want this job.
All right?
Let's have a good night. Let's do it.
It was very tough to communicate,
but I needed to show the owners and Chef Anne
that I can control the kitchen.
Quail, okay.
The focaccia with the grilled prime sirloin.
Shrimp.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
RYAN: Seeing a loud, bustling crowd in the dining room,
my confidence level was wavering.
God, look at that line.
But my son is my universe.
He is the best thing that's ever happened to me.
And this job would improve our lives,
so I have to own this kitchen.
Here we go. Here we go.
[ Printer whirring ]
All right.
First ticket, order in. We got a quail, poached shrimp.
Second course, medium-rare rabbit, two sirloin, medium.
It's "go" time, and I'm gonna make the best food that I can.
Fire three quail, poached shrimp.
MAN: Thank you.
Hello, guys. How you like the food so far?
Very good.
How are you liking the combination?
I am happy with everything.
Fire a quail, a poached shrimp.
Second course, you've got a sirloin, medium,
mid-rare rabbit.
When we started dinner service, there was the feeling of relief,
like it's happened.
And then we looked up at the rail.
Quail, a poached shrimp.
Second course, you've got a sirloin, medium, rabbit.
There were so many tickets.
[ Printer whirring ]
Ordering -- let me think. Let me think.
Okay, you've got four medium-rare, one well.
Three mediums, two medium-rares.
And take that as a medium for a different table,
because they're not ready for it.
Okay.
I don't know how it's gonna go down.
[ Printer whirring ]
[ Laughs ]
BURRELL: We have an issue with this being undercooked.
I swing by a couple of tables,
and I see quails that are grossly undercooked.
I don't know it that well.
No, but I know it well, and that is undercooked.
I'm like [Gasps] that's not right.
They're not fired yet.
You've got, uh, medium, medium, medium-well.
Ryan... We're not off to a good start.
Okay.
They're marked, but make sure that the fire is hot in there.
Yes, Chef. Yes, Chef.
And make sure these quail are done, 'cause this is not okay!
Guys, on the quail, we got to make sure that they're done.
I need a quail on the fly.
I'm feeling extremely embarrassed
that quail is coming back raw.
I'm freaking out because I can lose this opportunity.
Is that too red?
Yeah.
Will you please give us a chance to do it again?
No, do it again.
Make it look full, guys.
Ryan.
Ay, ay, ay.
The quail is, like, rare.
This is the second one I'm bringing back, you guys.
This is not okay.
I'm like [Inhales sharply] nail-biting for this kid
because I really believe that Ryan is a super-good cook.
But if he doesn't fix this, he's going home.
How is everything?
Yeah.
It's cold?
That's not a good thing.
MAN: 20!
Ryan, I'm not leaving until I get another quail.
Fire 41, 'cause I need it very much.
31 is in my ha-- It's 41.
The line's going down, and quail is coming back.
I don't want to lose this job.
Oh, God. This isn't medium.
Chef! Table 20 sent this back.
It is a cold piece of meat.
Oh, my God.
[ Sighs ]
BURRELL: Ryan!
[ Sighs ] Oh, my God.
Where is Ryan?
BURRELL: Chef Ryan is at the helm of Tavern 1757's kitchen.
If he pulls off this dinner service,
he just might become the restaurant's new executive chef.
Where is Ryan? Ryan?
[ Sighs ] Oh, my God.
I had to get myself out of the kitchen and get myself together.
It's really tough.
Then I had to regain control of that kitchen.
Yes, sir.
Touch.
BURRELL: Things are going so badly
that Chef Ryan took a little breather outside,
collected himself,
and then pulled up his big boy chef pants,
came back, and really embraced the situation.
This has got to go just a little bit longer.
RYAN: I'm not gonna allow this to cost me this job.
I needed to show them
exactly how to cook that quail perfect every time.
I'm done!
Nice job, guys. Keep it up! Keep it up!
Here we go. I think that one's done, and I think it looks perfect.
It's quite good.
Okay.
Thank you.
I think this one is gonna be way better.
It's very good.
Yay!
All right. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
All right. I'll take that steak.
Now I need a medium-rare and a medium.
Yes.
I gained control back of the kitchen.
Beautiful. Beautiful.
I'm so sorry about that. There's a new steak.
I'm sorry that I had to send it back.
Oh, no problem. Enjoy.
Just as good as my grandmother made it.
Just as good as your grandmother made it?! Wow!
I ordered the swordfish. It's excellent.
The steak is really, really good.
RYAN: How we looking? How we looking? Beautiful.
All right. I'll take 'em right here.
He's really taking control of everything.
Ryan has taken the reins of this kitchen and managed it.
Good God. One more slip, guys!
I'm spilling over with pride at the moment.
RYAN: Last table!
Three duos of rabbit. Done.
Very nice, guys.
I felt my confidence, and this is the place where I want to be.
So, you feel good?
I feel all right, yeah.
I saw you blossom, so I'd like to say congratulations.
Thank you.
Thank you.
BRIAN: Coming into dinner service, I don't want to let my mom down.
My mom's cancer has been in remission,
and she fought through it.
It gives me the inspiration to do the same with life.
[ Sighs ]
I think we can get away with doing this by hand, right?
I've been working for a long time
to build up my credibility as a chef.
I really want to win this
because I'm ready for a big change
with a solid backbone of a restaurant behind it.
Hey.
This is Brian.
How's everybody doing today?
Good. Good.
My first dish for the evening
is going to be a pancetta and double-smoked bacon pizza
with fontina cheese.
Okay.
Like, maybe, you know, the same volume of dough,
just maybe a little spread out more.
Yeah.
For the entrées, first dish
is going to be a three-bone rack of lamb
with cotechino sausage and green lentils.
The lentils with the cotechino in there are delish.
Last entrée is going to be
a whole, grilled trout stuffed with orange, fennel, and thyme.
Mmm. Nice.
Yes.
Did you get a bone?
Ooh, look. A whole lot of them.
So, just give a little check, see.
Now you're making me nervous. Sorry about that.
I really hope we got all these bones out.
Basically, if somebody gets a bone in their fish tonight,
it'll probably seal the deal for me
and I will not be advancing any further with this job.
And then dessert.
This is a galette
with a Barolo-poached pear and candied figs.
Guys, I'm really interested in this job.
This area looks great.
A big change in my life, and I think I'm ready for it.
And I really appreciate everything you guys are gonna do tonight,
and I would love your help.
Let's have a good service. Thank you very much.
Good luck.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
I've been doing this for a long time.
I'm ready to show them what I can do.
I need you guys with me,
and I appreciate everything you're doing tonight.
Thank you very much. Thank you.
The dish is very nice.
The grilled, whole trout.
The trout. No problem.
The pizza.
The pizza. Okay.
[ Laughs ]
[ Indistinct conversations ]
All right, guys. This is gonna be [bleep] crazy.
You ready?
MAN: Order in, Chef.
[ Printer whirring ]
First one, one pizza!
Got three cods.
Order in.
One trout, one risotto, three -- two lambs. Sorry.
Three trout.
[ Printer whirring ]
[Bleep]
I just realized a lot of these fish still have bones in them.
I looked at my trout, I inspected the first couple,
and then we found out
that the other 30 that I didn't inspect
all had bones in them.
Holy [bleep] Ohh, that's not good.
BURRELL: Chef Ryan is fighting through dinner service tonight
at Tavern 1757.
Success tonight could mean the executive chef position.
BRIAN: Holy [bleep] Ohh, that's not good.
I just realized a lot of these fish still have bones in them.
I looked at my trout.
I inspected the first couple and then found out
that the other 30 that I didn't inspect
all had bones in them.
I'm gonna have to go back through,
open them up, make sure the bones are out
before they go out to any guests this evening.
This kind of blows a little bit.
I had my staff taking the bones out as quick as possible.
Try not to lose all the filling, okay? Very delicate.
Finally got all the bones out of the fish.
Okay.
But now I realize that we're falling a little bit behind.
Chef, I have a table of special people.
And then, boom, right away, we get a special order.
I have my friend Koren Grieveson,
who's a famous chef, James Beard winner from Chicago,
and they want a vegetarian pizza.
Vegetarian pizza? Not a problem.
Yeah, I can do that right now.
Chef Anne comes and tells me
that she has a VIP table out there,
and they'd like to order some veggie pizzas.
The tickets are just piling up.
I'm a little worried at this point.
We've got vegetarians, no meats, same sauce, same cheese.
Super important. Thank you.
8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
Hey, Joe! Just keep firing pizzas right now, okay?
I got a [bleep]load.
The wood-burning stove is not directly next to the line.
It was real hard to watch what was going on.
BURRELL: That's the vegetarian pizza?
BURRELL: Is it done enough?
It does not look evenly done. Like, those white sides?
No, it's not. You're right, Chef.
He's got two more coming right now.
No way.
Hey, I need those other two on the fly, okay?
Make them perfect.
And I'm already worried about the pizzas that are going out
because I can't even really see them from where I'm at.
Second courses are coming in.
I'm getting a little stressed out.
Too rare for you, right?
All right. We get you another one.
Lamb leg, cooked a little more.
BRIAN: Yes.
BURRELL: You know, food is kind of going out,
but then I see a lot of food coming back.
There's been a lot of food sitting here for a long time.
So, I'm just really not quite sure
if the chef is even sure what's going on.
Take this one right here. This one's, like, mid-well, okay?
Put this in the garbage.
Like, you got to just refire the whole thing.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
Good? Enjoy, folks.
Brian is really having a tough time
kind of digging in and getting things going smoothly.
When you feel like you have to put your hands on everything,
then you don't get your hands on enough.
And, you know, once one domino starts falling down,
they all sort of go in progression.
Was the dough cooked enough?
It looks like it's burned on the bottom
WOMAN: A little bit.
Yeah, a little bit doughy on top.
It has a burnt flavor?
Listen. You're kind of in a mess right now.
If you take the time
to show your cooks what you want them to do
and then move on, show another cook what you want them to do
so then everyone knows their job,
because right now, you can't do everything.
You need to come over here and look at these pizzas,
because what's going on over here -- Look at this.
Come here.
What's going on with these pizzas
is they're burnt on the bottom,
and they're not cooked enough on top.
I was really hoping for the best,
and it seems like the worst was happening all around me.
It's safe to say the [bleep] has hit the fan at this point.
People are complaining about this, and they are not happy.
Okay. All right.
Like Koren's table said their pizza
was burnt on the bottom and raw on the top.
No, not sorry.
This is your chance to get this job or not.
People are complaining about this, and they are not happy.
No, not sorry.
This is your chance to get this job or not.
So let's fix this now before it's a lost cause, okay?
Yes, Chef. Right now.
Getting this job would mean, you know,
making my mom and my dad proud of me.
I can't lose this opportunity.
I realized what the problems were with the pizzas.
They're just going a little too far back.
Showed the guys how to brush down the stones,
showed them to watch for the hot spots.
And I keep rotating them that way?
Yeah. I would just do one at a time, though.
After everything that's been happening
from the beginning of dinner service,
I'm a little frazzled.
But losing is not an option.
Right here. Fly in.
Joe. These pizzas look good. Thank you.
Sir, right behind. Hey, y'all. Sorry about the wait.
I got some vegetarian pizzas here for you.
Thank you.
When my mom was diagnosed with cancer,
she didn't back down from it.
That really inspired me.
She is a fighter, and so am I.
We're getting ready to push out the next course.
I'm turning this kitchen around,
show these guys that I really want it.
And we're gonna go from there.
Once I've showed the guys what they needed to do,
they were able to focus on making sure
that the food was absolutely perfect.
The pizza is wonderful.
It's crispy and flavorful, and it's delicious.
Things seemed to look like
they're gonna be on the up and up
and I could get this job.
That is really, really good.
Overall, it was really delicious.
Ryan has the strength and wherewithal
to be able to say, "I've got it. I owned this."
All right. Hi, folks. How is everything?
Delicious!
Right here. Right here. Right here.
BRIAN: Dinner service was a little bumpy,
but I hope that the owners take into consideration
the first two tests,
and I hope that they see that my food and my style
is exactly what the Tavern needs.
Guys, last ticket. Let's get this done.
I appreciate everything, helping me through this awesome night.
Thanks, Brian.
Overall, these guys both had some strengths and weaknesses.
What do you think?
They both are very talented guys.
He found his stride.
I agree. His food was delicious.
I was just worried about him being so timid.
Across the board, I loved Brian's ideas.
He was the clear winner on both of the tests that we saw.
Great flavors.
So, you guys know what you want to do?
Yes, we do.
Then we'll let them know.
Chefs, never in my time
of doing these very intense job interviews
have I seen such a close race.
You truly both are very talented.
Chef Ryan, you did a fantastic job with dinner service,
but I wish we saw the confidence from the beginning.
Chef Brian...
But, unfortunately, we have to have only one executive chef
in the Tavern 1757.
Congratulations... Brian.
Thank you very much.
Yeah, man.
Good job.
I really believe that Ryan is a super-good cook.
He just has to let the world know that he has the confidence.
RYAN: I am disappointed.
I did the best I could, so it is quite a letdown.
I now have got to find a job and pick up and move forward.
One day, I think that my son will realize
whatever profession he chooses
that he needs to just do the best that he can,
and eventually he'll get there, just like I will.
Congratulations, Chef!
Pack your bags.
Right?
Thank you.
I cannot be more excited about this.
I got something for you, Brian.
Say hello to your new staff.
Thank you very much.
This is one of the best things that's ever happened to me.
I couldn't have done this without you guys today.
Sorry. Sorry. It's a little overwhelming.
My family has a reason to be proud
of everything that I've been working for,
and I can start doing big things.
[ Cheers and applause ]
White is my color.
BURRELL: For updates and more, go to...
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