About Us

Learn more about your favourite cooking show

n

About Us

BATTLE OF THE CHEFS is a Zimbabwean Reality Cooking competition TV series put together with a CAN DO Attitude of Zimbabwean Creatives working with Chefs to create a world class product. The show which is open to both professional and amateur chefs features sixteen contestants competing across five rounds for the ultimate prize.

Show Format

The cooking show uses a progressive elimination format. Each season starts with sixteen contestants, with one chef eliminated in each episode until four finalists remain to battle for the title of Best Chef in Zimbabwe.

Each episode features three challenges designed to test the chefs’ technique, creativity, and knowledge of food and flavour. The expert panel of three judges score the chefs’ efforts during the episodes. In the end the chef with the highest score wins either an advantage or a prize; and the chef with the lowest score is stripped of their chef’s jacket.

In the Technical Challenge the chefs are asked to produce their take on a basic dish. In the Innovation Challenge, they are given a basket containing three key ingredients they must use to create their most innovative dish. In the Set Recipe Challenge, they are given a somewhat complex recipe to follow.

i

History

The reality cooking competition show, a brainchild of Joseph Bunga, premiered on August 30, 2015 on Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC). In its first season, Battle of the Chefs was bankrolled by its initiator.

It has grown to become one of the best Zimbabwean reality television shows and due to its ever increasing viewership, popularity and success of its first season, the show has managed to bring on board TM-Pick ‘n’ Pay as one of its sponsors.

*

Variant Format

Season 1 of the show had sixteen teams, each consisting of two individuals. In each episode, a team of chefs were required to prepare three dishes: starter, main course and dessert.

Starting with season 2 and onwards, the Judges Masterclass Round features an Identification Challenge where the chefs are expected to identify a number of mystery ingredients, as well as the Replication Challenge where the chefs must watch one of the judges give a recipe demo and then replicate it. In the Semi-final Round there is a Shopping Challenge, and the Innovation Challenge requires the chefs to produce a creative platter of multiple items. The finale requires the chefs to produce a signature three course menu.