The knives were out last night on TV3’s newest reality show Celebrity Head Chef. After spending weeks working with some of the best up-and-coming chefs in the country, Conrad Gallagher has now turned his attention to the gastronomically challenged 'celebs' of Ireland and is rather courageously ready to let them loose in the kitchen.
With Take Me Out’s Ray Foley presenting, last night’s episode served us up an appetizer of what’s to come for the next five days. With the prospect of bagging cash for their chosen charity on the cards, the six celebs were definitely ready to swap a week in Crystal for a week in the kitchen. So let’s check out who’s on the menu.
First up is Brazilian nut Wagner (it’s pronounced Vagner Louis Walsh) from the X Factor. Perhaps he was still in X Factor mode last night, as he seemed to presume he needed a sob story about walking in the rain penniless, to secure his spot in the top six. Conrad Gallagher started off by tasking them with compiling an appetising starter, to impress him. Wagner went for cod balls, although he’d much prefer to take a woman out for dinner than to cook himself. We like him already. His main course was all wrong though. Another whack at producing sumptuous salt fish fizzled and flopped, leaving him our back bencher for the time being.
Next up is the most famous keyboard playing mammy in the country, Mary Burke from Crystal Swing. While we’re used to seeing her work her magic on-stage, her cooking skills will be now put to the test. In typical Irish mammy form, Mary plated (or bowled) up soup for starter. Talk about a meal and a half. The soup was so thick it looked like Conrad was having problems getting the spoon out of it. Not surprisingly, she went for fish pie for her main course. After already hearing complaints from the head chef that she was playing it too safe with her traditional cooking, it looked like Mary was getting a tad disheartened. Don’t fret Mary, where would we be without mammy food?
How Low Can You Go presenter Michael Hays sauntered into the kitchen with all the pizzazz of a Michelin starred chef. Unfortunately for him, he bit off more than he could chew with his pan seared scallops starter and really needed to prove himself with his pork main course. He ended last night’s show pretty delighted with himself, after being named the winner of the challenge.
Known for her line "Daddy can’t buy you cop-on in Trinity College", former Apprentice candidate Geraldine was next up. After declaring she’s not much of a cook, she may have undersold herself deliberately. Conrad seemed pleased with her prawns in coconut milk main course, but thought it looked like a dog’s dinner.
Next up was panto queen Twink to show us what she’s really made of in the kitchen. Adele King is already rubbing the others up the wrong way for becoming the teacher’s pet so soon in the programme. Getting off to a bad start by not being able to turn on the over, she recovered quickly and was one of the show’s strongest performers. With her adventurous flair for cooking and natural abilities, she’s definitely one to watch. Although the others weren’t so taken with her as Conrad was. "This isn’t the Adele King show" Kohlin (who?) exclaimed half way through the show.
Finally it was the turn of top Irish model Kohlin Harris to take to the stove. Somehow, he even managed to make his chef’s hat fashionable. He seems to be a bit too opinionated for his own good. Announcing that he was cooking lasagne for his main course, he explained that is reminds him of the Irish fashion industry; all orange and fat. Has someone gotten too big for their Calvin Klein boots?
My money is on Twink to take the top prize. She’s already wrapped up the hardest part and won chef Conrad Gallagher around.
Sarah Carty
