Did Watching All Of 'Selena + Chef' on HBO Max Make Me A Better Chef?
Say what you want about Selena Gomez as a popstar… all I know is that on Selena + Chef, she is a normal young human trying to make the most of her quarantine life. From her small cast of friends to her adorable grandma and grandpa - this a show that brings levity in the dark of the pandemic. Also, damn is she likable. I was a little old to know Selena through her acting or her music as a kid… she often references how being a popstar has afforded her certain luxuries but also pain especially in love. She seems pretty grounded and surrounded by people that genuinely love her. It’s sweet to see.
Click image for recipes from the show on HBO Max
Another reason I enjoyed watching both seasons AND the special Thanksgiving feature… I am a legit foodie. Yep, no shame. I am a person that stans on more chefs than Hollywood celebs. In this fun HBO Max unscripted show, Selena uses her celebrity and her generosity to ask some of the world’s best chefs from Kelis (whose food, not milkshakes, brings everyone to her farmyard) to LA-based French restauranteur, Chef Ludo, to teach her how to cook mouth-watering dishes at home via ultra-fancy Zoom (it’s not actually Zoom but it is a live stream between Selena and the chef at home, on remote rigs with no production crews - for COVID safety.
The social impact aspect of the show is super admirable. Selena donates what I believe is her appearance fee of $10K per episode, to the chef’s charity of choice, as a thank you for engaging with her. She also gives a few minutes of air time to the chef’s non-profit, which I really appreciate. Here’s a non-profit I particularly admired that was donated to a couple of times: World Central Kitchen founded by Chef José Andrés — an eccentric character with a huge heart. To date, WCK has provided over 36 million meals in more than 400 cities.
I also love witnessing the BTS moments woven into the show, like when she turns on the cameras that are set up all around her kitchen to open each episode, to mishaps with her friends in the kitchen (spoiler alert: there’s always problems with her very expensive oven). Also, seeing her open her door to grab groceries that were left on her porch for her… what a dream! Love the not-intended hijinks from Selena and friends, like her grandfather's lowkey jabs.
By the end of season one, you’ll know the inside jokes like these knives:
Link to purchase on Amazon (affiliate link)
Ultimately, this is a cooking show. So did I end up a better chef?
Uh, yes. You bet it did. Why? Because this wasn’t produced with food designers and full production sets — real chefs were cooking in their own real kitchens teaching a person who didn’t even have basic knife skills. By slowing it down, cooking in a real and casual way, it was not only enjoyable to watch but I was inspired to make amazing recipes that I’ve since recreated at home. Here are a handful of the recipes I’ve done:
Nancy Silverton's Braised Leeks
Jordan's Chicken Adobo with Jasmine Rice
I hope you give it a watch and that brings you some joy or at least a bomb dinner idea.
ps. I even have a better handle of my knife and was inspired to get a few new Global Knives (as much as rainbow knives are fun to look at, a real chef’s knife set really makes cooking a lot more enjoyable.)
xoxo,
Christianne AKA MiLOWE MOM
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