Selena + Chef is Embracing the Struggle and Joy of Learning How to Cook
Selena Gomez is putting a new spin on how viewers will follow along by accommodating various cuisines from Korean breakfast tacos, matcha chocolate chip cookies, dog glaze biscuit treats, and everything in-between with her unscripted HBO Max series, Selena + Chef. During quarantine Gomez, decided to improve her cooking skills, and what better way to do it is to have expert chefs remotely guiding her step by step on their signature dishes. In her intro, Gomez states that she loves eating but claims that she is not very good at cooking, but that doesn’t stop her eagerness to learn the recipes and the chef’s terminology.
The show captures vulnerable moments between Gomez and the chefs in sharing personal stories in reasoning why they fell in love with their passions. At the end of the episodes, Gomez donates $10,000 to each food-related charities that the chefs highlights. In addition, the series captures her mishaps that include oven fires or burning her matcha chocolate chip cookies, because she didn’t realize that her oven has a convection switch that prevents that from happening. Gomez made it clear that she is making a fool of herself on the show, but she hopes those moments will bring some sort of happiness to the viewers during this unpredictable time.
“The goal for the viewer is to have fun with her and go on that journey with her, either vicariously or in trying to make those meals yourself, you can absolutely do that. Or if you just want to watch a fun cooking show with Selena Gomez, I think it works in that regard as well.” said, an executive producer, Aaron Saidman in a recent interview.
There are 10 episodes, filled with delicious recipes viewers can make at home. In episode four, Chef, Roy Choi teaches Gomez how to cook Korean BBQ Short Rib Breakfast Tacos. The marinate ingredients intimidated Gomez at first but Choi reassures her that all the ingredients will go into the blender and after that, the preparation will be easy to follow. The white flour tortilla taco is filled with slices of short ribs, eggs, tater tots, onions, chili, and cilantro. The food truck style dish is served with a side of tater tots that Gomez, her roommates, and grandparents raved about.
In episode 3, Chef Candice Kumai is showing Gomez how to bake matcha chocolate chip cookies. Matcha is a Japanese powdered green tea leaf that is mixed into a gluten-free cookie batter that makes it more flavorful. Just like regular cookie batter, matcha cookies are prepared with its ingredients the same way. These delicious cookies are a healthier version that will satisfy your sweet cravings.
Viewers will see a genuine side of Gomez with her vibrant and humbleness personality that makes her relatable to watch. Her casual cook along with top-tier chefs is an informative cooking show that embraces both the struggle and joy of learning how to cook.
