Chef!

I have worked my way up in the kitchen brigade over the last ten years and am now Chef-Patissiere at a four-star (US system) establishment and must say that I see many similarities with my profession and this series. Granted, Gareth Blackstock (Lenny Henry) exaggerates the tension for the purpose of comedy, but truly good humour is rooted in truth. I only wish I were as quick-witted about my sarcastic comments and scathing remarks as he. It's a slightly exaggerated, comedic portrayal of actual kitchen antics, and I think it is well represented. The characters are all believable, with the exceptions of Cyril and Reneé. The only character lacking is the slow-witted scullion (dish machine operator). I love the show! I give it four and a half of five stars.

Chef Gareth Blackstock cares about nothing so much as preparing the finest meals for the guests at his restaurant, often to the frustration of his beautiful, intelligent wife and long-suffering staff. Chef understands how difficult he can be in his never-ending quest to be the best. He describes himself as knowing nothing else: he has no hobbies, doesn't help out friends, or go out at night. In fact, he (loudly) describes himself as "a personality problem under a silly white hat." The humor is rapid-fire and intelligent, as Chef verbally eviscerates anyone who dares to come between him and a perfectly prepared plate of food. Lenny Henry is acerbic perfection as Chef Blackstock, exhibiting both broad humor and extremely dry, biting wit, and still remaining a sympathetic character. Highly recommended for Brit-com lovers and anyone who enjoys sly, rapier sharp, lightning fast wit!

When you get down to it, a Chef is an artist. They take ordinary ingredients and make extraordinary tasting dishes out of them. And like all artists they can be temperamental, demanding and demand nothing less than perfection from those around them. And if you've worked in a restaurant or kitchen at any point in your life you've run across such a person. Lenny Henry delivers this in "Chef!".

The plot is rather simple. Lenny Henry plays Gareth Blackstock, the head chef at the celebrated Chateau Anglais. It's a very exclusive, and expensive, restaurant. Gareth treats his staff like dirt, demands the very best from them and doesn't accept anything less than perfection. But that's only because he doesn't accept anything less than perfection from himself. Gareth is scathing in his critiques, quick-witted in his comebacks and not one to suffer fools gladly. Surrounding him are colorful characters that you find in all sitcoms, chief of which is Everton played by Roger Griffith. He's an aspiring chef with talent but he's a bit of a bumbler and often times is the source of Gareth's ire.

There's three seasons and I find the third to be the weakest of the lot. See it if you're a completionist or just stick to the first two if you want to laugh.

Excellent show by Lenny Henry. Good thing show only lasted three seasons so he didn't have to kill Everton! :) Seriously, Lenny Henry was perfect as the sarcastic, egotistical, but excellent Chef! who has to deal with blundering fools, drunken assistants, and of course a wife who makes Sybil Fawlty look like Mother Teresa. And those are on the good days!

Gareth Blackstock is the absolute monarch of his own little domain, the kitchen of an exclusive restaurant, 'Le Château Anglais'. He is a reasonable, patient man - as long as the dishes prepared by his staff are perfect. When they aren't, sit back and enjoy. The man turns into a Shakespeare of insults, an endlessly inventive master of invectives. Unfavorable comparisons, comments and suggestions (never descending to R-rated cursing) erupt from his fertile brain and verbally flay the unfortunate target of his ire. No one is immune, not his customers, not his long-suffering employees, not even his boss. Nothing stands in the way of his all-consuming passion for cooking, except (sometimes) his wife Janice. If you enjoyed Fawlty Towers, have any interest in cooking, or wish to hone your insults to the highest levels, this is your cup of tea.