"Take Home Chef" (2005) TV series

Director:

Matthew Barbato

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | unknown

Genre:

Reality-TV

Plot Keywords:

TV Series Pilot

Cast

Curtis Stone

...

Himself (2 episodes, 2006)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Mike Mathis Productions

Chef with Aussie charm provides a highly entertaining show

Although I have seen this on several occasions, I'm writing this mainly on behalf of my husband who loves this show! From my few viewings, I can see how the program effectively combines humour, romance, and drama with great cooking.

For those who have not seen this show, a little introduction --- The young male chef named Curtis visits a market where he chooses a female shopper, explaining to her that he would like to cook a gourmet meal for her and her husband/boyfriend or sometimes a female friend. He then pays for all the culinary ingredients, goes home with her and proceeds to prepare the feast, in the process providing her (and viewers) with his cooking tips. The woman generally sees to it via telephone that her husband's return is delayed until dinner is ready. Naturally this unsuspecting male receives the surprise of his life when he arrives home, and the couple is then wined and dined in style, compliments of this 'take home chef'.

I note complaints here that the entire show is a setup, but it wouldn't be practical to have a truly random selection. Some complain that the girls selected for his surprise dinner preparations are too pretty and others that they aren't pretty enough! However, the selections seem to me quite reasonable, and the little scenarios where they surprise the men in their lives with this gourmet feast are cute. It's always fun to watch the man opening his door to discover this good looking chef and his television crew!

I've also noted complaints about the kitchens being generally quite luxurious and while I haven't watched that many episodes personally, my husband claims that such is definitely not the case. I recall him remarking to me at the time that one kitchen was really very modest, and he actually felt quite sympathetic for the female guest in that episode because of it.

The cooking is always intriguing with no question as to this chef's considerable skills! Curtis himself is handsome (my own opinion here!) and unquestionably charismatic but also seems like 'just a really nice guy' -- not phony but truly personable, highly skilled yet modest, loves his work, shows genuine interest in the people on his show, and has a relaxed and refreshing air. Sometimes the women flirt a tad with him but he never reciprocates -- nothing is ever offensive.

I'm not much of a fan of cooking programs myself but of all the ones I've seen, this one with its little story in every episode most appeals to me, and my husband watches it faithfully every day. Great show, Curtis, I'd love to see you in MY kitchen!