49-year-old father of two, Charlie is a walking kitchen disaster. For years, Charlie relied on his Italian-born wife to do all the cooking but when he was widowed two years ago he suddenly found himself having to feed his two teenage children. However, his cooking’s so bad that Charlie’s kids have no option but to cook for themselves. Charlie has no idea how to follow recipes and when things go wrong he simply can’t handle the pressure.
Using the same ingredients, Jun cooks an artichoke and tomato risotto topped with Italian ham in less than twenty minutes. The dish introduces Charlie to some basic skills – and the ham doesn’t even need cooking.
At Jun’s training kitchen, Charlie is shown how to cook a variation of the risotto he’s already attempted. Charlie is a dedicated pupil but he loses his temper quick and gets frustrated at his own mistakes. He needs to learn to stay cool under pressure or he’ll fail in the competition.
Charlie sets to work putting into practice all he has learnt for a dinner party but makes a crucial mistake when he forgets to put the oven on. Whilst it takes longer than anticipated, he eventually gets the meal to his hungry guests who are shocked that he’s finally served an edible meal.
Charlie is then sent to meet Pasquale Amico, head chef at the Via Condotti restaurant in London. Pasquale is a treasure trove of industry secrets and gives Charlie some top tips on how to simplify things, improve presentation and most importantly avoid disaster.
The day of the competition finally arrives and Charlie’s confidence starts to wobble. Up against two internationally-experienced chefs he’ll need to stay cool under pressure to have any chance of success. Jun and Pasquale watch the competition from a secret room, desperately hoping that their panicking protégé will prove he’s as good as the professionals.