Posted by Boston Herald, MA on November 16, 2009 at 08:11:39:
Chef Academy’ a tasty addition to Bravo’s menu
By Mark A. Perigard
Monday, November 16, 2009 - Added 21h ago
Boston Herald TV Critic
Mark Perigard is the TV critic for the Boston Herald.
Series premiere tonight at 11 on Bravo.
Are you tired of stale food contests? Bored with the same old quick fire challenges? Sick of chefs who curse more than they cook?
Bravo has heard your plea for diet relief. Its latest unscripted series “Chef Academy” is a surprisingly satisfying treat.
Cameras follow French chef Jean Christophe Novelli as he establishes a cooking school and trains nine students in the culinary arts.
Novelli, as the series reminds us often, was once named the sexiest chef in the world.
One must wonder how many years ago this occurred. Novelli most resembles a thinner Alfred Molina, best known as Dr. Octopus from “Spider-Man 2.” His accent is so thick at times that Bravo’s subtitles could use subtitles themselves.
In Los Angeles, his heart is set on meeting only one celebrity: Columbo.
(Presumably his portrayer, Peter Falk.)
“This man is the biggest man ever in American cinema,” Novelli raves. “And he’s so intelligent. The cleverness of the show is unique.”
“Are you sure he’s still living?” wonders his new American assistant Joel, who once worked for Tori Spelling.
(For the record, yes, although at 82, Falk reportedly suffers from Alzheimer’s and probably won’t be popping up here to take advantage of Novelli’s offer to cook for him for life.)
Among those vying for a slot at Novelli’s school are Kup, a Navy submarine cook, Tracie, a TV commercial producer, and Suzanne, a California housewife who looks as if she got lost on the way to an audition for Bravo’s “Housewives” franchise.
Novelli issues the candidates a deceptively easy challenge: Cook an egg, in any style, within five minutes.
“Do it like you’re just about to save your life,” he advises one applicant.
What they fail to realize is that Novelli is more interested in how they react under pressure. (Spoiler: Most flame out.)
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“Quite frankly, he’s a little frightening,” Suzanne decides. “I’m hoping it’s jet lag. He’s French. You know how the French are.”
With the students picked - some obviously more for their personalities than their cooking prowess - Novelli introduces them to the one rule of the Academy: Fail three tests and they will be kicked out.
They then must prepare their signature dishes for him. In one, Novelli pulls out a strand of the cook’s hair.
Yes, some have so much to learn.
Novelli can be tough on his students, but he also can be complimentary, even supportive, as needed. As the one-time host of the United Kingdom’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” he has TV experience. Unlike Gordon Ramsay, he seems to genuinely like people. His “Chef Academy” might satisfy late-night TV cravings.
- mperigard@bostonherald.com
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