Meet the Yes, Chef! Competitors: Who Will Be Cooking to Impress Martha Stewart & José Andrés?
From a seasoned restaurateur to a former Chopped champion, find out who will be serving up some competition as the cast in NBC's Yes, Chef!
A dozen talented chefs will soon be stirring up some competition in the kitchen in NBC’s Yes, Chef!
The all-new cooking competition from the producers of Bravo’s Top Chef will pit 12 highly skilled chefs against one another as they take on a series of intense culinary challenges that bring on the heat. They’ll be helped along the way by culinary legends and Emmy-winning chefs Martha Stewart and José Andrés, who judge and co-host the series.
But there’s a catch. All 12 contestants — who were nominated by their colleagues or loved ones — are also battling their own personal issues that are holding them back, whether it’s a big ego, a hot temper, or a lack of confidence. To come out on top and take home the $250,000 prize up for grabs, the chefs will not only have to out-cook their competitors in the kitchen, but they’ll also have to find a way to rise above their own personal challenges.
When does Yes, Chef! premiere?
To catch all the delicious drama on the menu, watch Yes, Chef! when it premieres on Monday, April 28, at 10/9c on NBC, following The Voice.
Fans can also stream episodes on Peacock after they become available the next day.
Who's competing in Yes, Chef! Season 1?
The list of chefs who will be battling it out in the kitchen is in! To find out more about who will be competing on Yes, Chef!’s first season, read on below:
Emily Brubaker
Emily Brubaker is the Resort Executive Chef at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. A classically French-trained chef with a focus on American, Italian, and French fine dining, she has worked with multiple culinary legends and is passionate about sourcing quality ingredients to create exceptional, elevated dishes.
Emily tends to become impatient and stubborn with her staff, which has created a glass ceiling in her career alongside her self-confidence. Her husband, Jake, thinks that Yes, Chef! will help Emily grow in her career.
Julia Chebotar
Chef Julia Chebotar is a private chef in New York who specializes in elevated dishes with organic and health-supportive ingredients. Julia won Chopped in 2019 and Kitchen Crash in 2021, so it’s no surprise that she loves competition.
Julia’s competitive nature and blunt approach to things makes it hard for her to work with others, so her friend Lauren hopes that Yes, Chef! will help refine her confidence and learn to collaborate more effectively.
Michelle Francis
With more than 27 years of experience under her belt, Chef Michelle Francis is the sous chef at Jarin Los Angeles. Specializing in Mediterranean cuisine, she has worked in various positions in the fine-dining world.
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Michelle struggles with perfectionism and doesn’t always play nice with others, but knows that that if she doesn’t change, it may get in the way of her dream to be a traveling chef. Her daughter Sophie hopes that Yes, Chef! will help Michelle with maintaining respect, even when others upset her.
Lee Frank
James Beard Award nominee Chef Lee Frank is the Executive Chef at Otis in Exeter, New Hampshire, specializing in American farm-to-table dining. Lee also previously appeared on Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay, walking away victorious on the latter appearance.
Lee has a chip on his shoulder after being overlooked in the past. His sous chef, Jonathan, thinks that this resentment is hindering his growth in the industry, especially with Lee’s goal of starting his own restaurant group. By entering Yes, Chef!, Lee wants to show his community that he’s not just a great chef, but he’s able to improve on his self-doubt.
Torrece "Chef T" Gregoire
Chef Torrece Gregoire, or Chef T as she’s better known, is the owner and chef at Union 41 in Bristol, Virginia. Along with headlining food festivals, she previously appeared on two seasons of Hell’s Kitchen, where she made a name for herself due to her no-holds-barred attitude, which ultimately played a role in her eliminations both times.
Chef T dreams of being a James Beard Award winner and realizes she needs to tone down her temper to achieve this. Her line cook Alex nominated her for Yes, Chef! believing this will give her the opportunity to become a more effective communicator.
Zain Ismail
Zain Ismail is the Executive Sous Chef of Fork n’ Film, an immersive dining and cinema experience in Los Angeles. Zain’s dishes have an exotic influence on account of her ties to the island of Mauritius, where her family is from.
Zain is unfiltered in the kitchen and tends to come across harsh when dealing with others — something both Zain and Cole, her Executive Chef, want her to work on. With goals of landing on prestigious chef lists and opening her own restaurant, they hope Yes,Chef! will help Zain soften her attitude.
Jake Lawler
Chef Jake Lawler is the Executive Chef at Vintage Brewing Co. in Madison, Wisconsin, where he curates menus for five different restaurants. With experience in Michelin-starred kitchens, his specialty is French and Italian cuisine.
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His friend and front-of-house manager, Brandon, has seen Jake’s defensiveness and temper lead to a negative impact in the kitchen. Brandon knows Jake has the potential to excel with this experience on Yes, Chef!
Ronny Miranda
Chef Ronny Miranda currently serves as the Conference Lead Chef at the Culinary Institute ofAmerica at Copia in Napa, California, which has been hailed as a foodie wonderland. His dishes are influenced by his Portuguese heritage, but he lacks the self esteem to find his own identity as a chef.
Combined with his tendency to get easily frustrated with his colleagues, Ronny acknowledges a reputation that he’s eager to change. His boss, Courtney, nominated him for Yes, Chef! in the hopes that the experience will help him embrace his authentic self in the kitchen and become more confident.
Christopher Morales
Chef Christopher Morales is currently the Executive Chef at Gregory’s Steakhouse in Cocoa Beach, Florida. He specializes in fresh fish, steaks, and homemade pasta. Although he never went to culinary school, Christopher has worked in high-end kitchens across the country and landed on the Los Angeles Times Best Young Chef Under 30 list.
Christopher’s former sous chef Zach nominated him because of his militant style of running his kitchen and harsh critiques of his staff. Zach and Christopher are hoping that this time on Yes, Chef! will help him be a better mentor and leader in the kitchen.
Petrina Peart
Chef Petrina Peart is the Executive Chef at the Wyoming Governor’s Mansion, with her work being recognized in publications such as Cheyenne Living and Cowboy State Daily. While she’s experimental in her dishes, Petrina struggles with perfectionism, often setting impossibly high standards for herself.
Her brother and sous chef, Hubert, nominated her for Yes, Chef! hoping she’ll learn to embrace mistakes and trust in her abilities. For Petrina, this competition is more than showcasing her talents, it’s about overcoming self-doubt and realizing that one misstep doesn’t define her.
Peter Richardson
Chef Peter Richardson isa private chef from Long Island, New York, who specializes in kosher meals. At only 23, Peter is often the youngest chef in any kitchen and on the receiving end of disrespect from fellow chefs, which doesn’t help his short fuse.
Dov, his boss, nominated him for Yes, Chef! out of both admiration and concern for his outbursts. For Peter, joining Yes, Chef! is about more than just winning; it’s a chance to grow as a person and in his craft.
Katsuji Tanabe
Chef Katsuji Tanabe is a seasoned restaurateur, owning 13 establishments across the United States that showcase a diverse range of cuisines. Known for his competitive spirit, he has become a familiar face in televised culinary showdowns, appearing on Top Chef, Top Chef Mexico, Top Chef Junior, Bobby’s Triple Threat, Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, and Cooking Under Fire.
In the kitchen, Katsuji has a reputation for pushing buttons that led his business partner, Esther, to nominate him for Yes, Chef! Both agree that if Katsuji wants to sustain his upward trajectory, it’s time for a change.
How does Yes, Chef! work?
Each episode of the innovative new cooking competition from Magical Elves will feature two challenges. The first, known as the Main Challenge, will be a team-based exercise designed to test the competitors' leadership prowess. The winning team will be chosen by José and Martha, who also serve as executive producers of the series. The celebrity hosts will select one chef from the episode's winning team to be crowned Most Valuable Chef.
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The Most Valuable Chef will then go on to compete in a cook-off challenge of their own and will be asked to make an important decision along the way that will have a “significant impact” on which chef will have to step back from the stove and walk away from the competition for good.
The chef who finds the secret ingredient necessary to succeed in the kitchen — and improve on a personal level along the way — will walk away with the $250,000 prize, provided by granola brand Purely Elizabeth.
Yes, Chef! premieres on Monday, April 28 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC following The Voice.
