All language subtitles for Chef.Swap.at.the.Beach.S01E01.1080p.WEB.h264-BAE en

[narrator] This is
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

60 miles of beautiful,
sunny beaches,

attractions, and more than
2,000 restaurants.

With amazing culinary options,

the beach has became
a true foodie destination.

Our host, chef Amanda Freitag
loves Southern hospitality,

great food,
and healthy competition.

So she's here to set up
a Chef Swap challenge.

I'm Amanda Freitag and this is
Chef Swap At The Beach.

[narrator] Today, Amanda will
take two local chefs

out of their comfort zones

and swap them
into each other's kitchens.

What?!

[Amanda] On each episode,
our chefs will

have no idea where they're going

or what food they'll cook.

Maybe an appetizer,
an entrée, or a dessert.

[narrator] They'll grab
only one ingredient

to bring with them,

and they'll have just 60 minutes

to make Chef Amanda

and local culinary experts
Dylan and Johanna

a dish that might earn them

their very own Chef Swap knife,

and major bragging rights.

[Amanda] It's time
for Chef Swap.

Today on Chef Swap At The Beach,

we have two successful women
with incredible stories.

I think I am potentially

the most fortunate human being
who's ever lived.

I was as black sheep as
a human being has ever been.

And about 26 years ago,

three blocks from here,
I found myself homeless,

struggling with
a drug addiction,

in just really awful shape.

But I have been loved on
and cared for

by this community in ways
that would blow your mind.

So, we offer something
called the Number One.

One of our patrons
can add a Number One

to their bill for five bucks
and then we pitch in the rest,

and a struggling neighbor
can come in

and they can sit down

at the table
and order Number One,

and be served
just like any other guest.

We were so excited
when we realized that

the number one seller here
is the Number One.

I wish I could say that going
to a homeless shelter was like

the most humiliating thing
in my life, but it wasn't.

It was actually an opportunity
for a new start for me,

and one I'll always
be grateful for.

My dad came over from Greece
when he was 16,

and he bought
his first restaurant at 19.

Me, my brothers and sisters,
we used to run around

the restaurants,
behind the counters,

and be in everyone's way.

I started working when I was 13,

as a server, at our place
called Coney Island.

So it was a hot dog place.

I took it over
and I learned a lot there.

And I made
a lot of mistakes in there.

And when I came here,
we ended up we could
really be successful

because I already learned
a lot of lessons.

In the middle of summer,
he started getting sick.

And he didn't know
what was wrong.

And then he got diagnosed
with pancreatic cancer,

stage four, right off the bat.

[sniffs] And it was like

the whole world
crumbled on top of us.

He was, like, invincible.
It was Daddy!

He was my hero, yeah.

Well, I didn't expect for him
to be taken so soon,

but I hope that he, you know,
he sees what we're doing

every day and he's proud.

You know, we get up and...
My family and I,

and we just take care
of everything that he built.

[Amanda] Our chefs are about
to get a big surprise.

- Jamie!
- Hey!

- [both] Hi!
- Hi, Amanda!

- How are you?
- I'm great.

It's time for a Chef Swap.

All right!

In this envelope it tells you
where you're gonna cook,

what you're gonna cook,

- and what chef
you're swapping with.
- Okay.

Okay, wait. Before you
open the envelope,

you can take one ingredient
from your kitchen with you.

I'm gonna go with rosemary.

- Rosemary?
- Yeah!

Well, it's my Mediterranean
seasoning blend

I think I'm gonna take.
It has a little salt, pepper,

some oregano,
and some other things

that I just... You know,
it's a secret.

- So can we keep it that way?
- Okay.

- Let's see if it'll work
with that.
- Okay, let's see.

[laughs]

Winna's Kitchen with
Chef Jess, cooking breakfast.

That's crazy.

Johnny D's, and Chef Jamie
for breakfast!

- Yes.
- Great.

I love that.

- One more thing.
- What's that?

Your Chef Swap challenge

- starts right now.
- Ah!

Let's go then!
What are we waiting for?

[Amanda] Our chefs
bring one ingredient

and have 60 minutes

to swap restaurants
and create a dish that will be

a star on that menu,
judged on taste, integration,

and creativity.

- Hi, Jess.
- Yes!

-Courtney, nice to meet you.
-Hi, Courtney.
Nice to meet you.

- Let me show you around
the kitchen of Johnny D's.
- Awesome.

-Hey, how are you?
-I'm good, I'm good.
I'm Jamie.

-Jamie. Kinsey.
It's nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.

- So I'm gonna give you a tour.
- Okay.

- I know our kitchen's a little
bit smaller than yours.
- It's okay, I love it.

This is cooler number one.

Your peppers, your Italian,
then you have
your fruits over here.

You got blueberries,
strawberries, cantaloupe.

Chicken, shrimp, beef.
Obviously some country ham.

Okay. Ooh, that looks...

Lord, I'm gonna get
some exercise today.

[Courtney] Your eggs over there.

Roll meats down here.

So, back here is where we keep
all our dry storage.

- Okay.
- Over here.

Uh, we have, like,
40,000 cheeses.

Okay, so, have two avocados.

Don't use those, I need those.

Okay, those are
all yours then. Perfect.

- Jamie, are you ready?
- I'm ready, I think I'm ready.

- Do you know
where everything is?
- Yes.

All right. What's this?

That's my seasoning blend

- I was telling you about.
- Oh, let me see.

You're not gonna tell me
what's in it, right?

Maybe later.

- All right,
so you're feeling ready?
- Yes.

- You know what I'm about
to say to you.
- I know.

- You have 60 minutes.
- Okay.

- How you feeling?
- I'm good.

I have tons of ideas.

Lots of ingredients.

A lot more than you're used to.

Yeah, I'm gonna get
my cardio today.

- You better start cooking.
- I'm ready.

[Amanda] Our chefs can use
anything they want

from each other's shelves,
if they can find it.

I know they have to have
some kind of hard cheese.

Ooh, I'mma tell you,
I've always been scared

to get stuck
in one of these things.

We do not have one of these
at our restaurant.

So I have no idea
if I'm using it properly.

Lord, this is time
I don't have to be waiting.

Boy, I hope nobody from
my restaurant comes

and sees this
'cause they'll want one.

So, I'm gonna make
some potatoes,

but I'm gonna use
my seasoning blend.

I really like everything is
right where I need it,
I don't have to move.

It's nice.

- Tell me your name?
- Jesse.

Jesse? I'm Jess.
It's nice to meet you, bud.

- Nice!
- You too.

Hey, Jess. How's it going?

It's going.

- What are you doing up here?
- I'm testing out this.

They had a nice little,
like, sausage product.

What is your dish?

Oh, it's gonna be
a breakfast meatball.

It doesn't have
a fancy name yet.

But a maple and mustard
breakfast meatball

and do, like, an infused,
sweet, rosemary caramel

and plate it on maybe some
kinda little French toast.

- Wow!
- It's still in progress.

A breakfast meatball.

Jess is really showing up with
a highly creative dish.

Meanwhile, Jamie is
laser-focused.

- How you doing?
- [Jamie] Oh, my...

Take a breath, take a breath.

Yeah, 10 minutes has passed.

- Okay.
- Tell me what
you're putting together.

All right, so,
I'm really making a dish

- kinda for my mom.
- Oh!

Because I'm so proud of her
and how she handled everything

you know, after my dad passed.

And she's just really
a rock star.

My dad always said, like,
"I could never do this
without your mother.

I could never do this
without your mother."

She loves her lemon potato,
she likes...

I love lemon potato!

I used the seasoning blend,
I took the lemon potatoes,

home fried, and use a little
lemon juice at the end.

And then we're gonna do,
like, a Mediterranean toast.

And you still have
a solid 45 or more.

- Okay, I love it.
- Okay?

Don't let me run out of time.

[Amanda] With over
10 minutes gone,

Jess has to get
her meatballs cooking

and Jamie needs to focus
on her potatoes.

This right here is the best
invention in the kit...

I lied, it's not the best
invention in the kitchen.

How much time do I have?

Jess, you got
about 45 minutes left.

- Okay, these are gonna take
about 20 minutes, I think.
- Okay.

We gotta hustle, hustle.

- Yes, ma'am.
- Feeling good?

All right, where's
that rosemary? Let's see.

[Jess] It's coming!

[sing-song voice] Turn you up!

I want you to cook fast!

Ah. Smells so good.

[Jess] At Winna's Kitchen
we do elevated comfort food.

A lot of local, organic,
fresh ingredients.

A lot of fresh herbs,
fresh vegetables.

Being fast is not
my strong suit.

We change our menu regularly

to incorporate what's fresh,

but to also expose our community

to some food they're not,
you know, always eating.

I was so happy when I saw
these little suckers here.

I love myself cherry tomatoes.

We're obsessed with them.

- I'm obsessed with it.
- It's a situation here.

[Jamie] At Johnny D's we make

a little bit
of almost everything.

We have a page
devoted to our waffles,

we have a page
devoted to our Benedicts.

My favorites are
the red velvet waffle,

the cinnamon waffle,

the chipotle bacon skillet.

I love the sweet
and spicy omelette,

my churro French toast

is one of my favs, hands down.

So I'm gonna put a little
garlic and onion to the pan.

First I'm gonna cook it down
a little bit.

And then I'm gonna add
my sliced cherry tomatoes
that I made.

And, just to kind of top over
the avocado toast at the end.

[Jess] I don't want anybody
to get a big fat chunk of

frickin' rosemary.

That's no bueno!

That mustard.

I'm taking way too long
to make these meatballs.

I need a sheet tray!
Sheet pan!

- So, we're almost
halfway there.
- Mmm-hmm.

- We sure are.
- Which means you have half
the amount of time.

- Yes, it does.
- To finish the meatballs.

Are you ambidextrous there?
Do you use both hands?

[Jess] I do, but only because

- I broke my wrist...
- What?

- A few weeks ago.
- You broke your wrist?

Where's your cast?

That's up for discussion.

- You took it off?
- I did.

You took your cast off.

I had to cook!

Oh, my God!

That is a hardcore chef
right there.

That's one word for it.

And what are you
taking shots of over here?

- Maple syrup.
- Oh, yeah?

[both laugh]

All right, well, that should
get you going.
A little sugar rush.

[Jess] I have a sign when
you walk into my house

that says, "Welcome to
our beautiful chaos."

- Oh, nice.
- So I'm made for this.

This is beautiful chaos
right here.

Your mom's not gonna
give you the recipe,

but maybe she'll give me
the recipe?

So it's Greek,
it's lots of lemon.

She puts a lot of lemon,
and salt, pepper, and oregano

on everything that she makes.

- Salt, pepper, oregano.
- Everything that she makes.

That's her mix.
There's gotta be feta in here.

There... Come on.

- Okay, that's a yes.
- [laughs]

- We know why, we know why.
- Of course there's feta.

Everything's "betta" with feta.

What do you think
about this kitchen?

You are bouncing
off the walls in here!

I love it in here,
because it's nice to be able
to focus on one dish here.

- Everything's at
your fingertips.
- Yeah.

Yeah, because at my store,
I gotta do some running.

Yeah, well, you're fast.

I have a feeling
you might finish

with a little extra time.

I might finish a little early,
I might finish a little, yeah.

[Amanda] I think I'm gonna
have to tell Dylan and Johanna
to come early.

Yeah, maybe you will.
Tell them to be ready for me.

Okay! [laughs]

[Jamie] Get that nice
and grilled on both sides

so it's ready
for when I need it.

[Jess] I've got to go faster.

So I'm just getting a little
brown on this bread right here

'cause I wanna make
an avocado toast.

[Jess] This grill is perfectly
seasoned. Y'all are awesome.

Is that how big I want these?

I want to know how much
shrinkage I'm gonna get.

Thank you.

♪ 6'2" in a compact ♪

[in sing-song voice] Water!

While this is starting
I might go check
my meatballs right now.

Poor thing's such...
Oh, look how pretty they look!

Look at them, beautiful!

This is gonna be my little
secret ingredient over here.

Go check on them.

I'm gonna make it!

[in sing-song voice]
I'll make it! I'll make it!

Sugar is my arch enemy.

I will be ruining this caramel
in a hot second, you hear me?

When my mom used
to make dinner for us

we always had a little
cucumber, onion, feta salad.

So that's kinda what I'm gonna
top the avocado toast with.

So I'm gonna put my
Mediterranean salt in there.

And then I'm gonna squeeze
a little lemon juice.

And I like to make this
a little bit early

to allow those spices
to open up a little bit,

and that acid will help do that.

'Cause the longer it sits,
the better it tastes.

And I usually put
red wine vinegar so it's like

almost the same amount
of the lemon,

and I only put
a little bit of olive oil.

I need to be able to feel
all the different ingredients,

like when I'm eating them,
I don't want anything to just

kind of mush together
or anything like that,

so I always try to make
a little, you know,
texture in the dishes,

so your palate is nice
and happy when it's eating.

I like to cook to make
other people happy.

That's what makes
me happy, you know?

My son James is 10.

And when he was three he was
diagnosed with autism.

He was the most superest
picky eater known to mankind,

but, you know, I get so excited,

'cause he's so happy, he loves
to eat now, you know?

It's nice for us
to be able to provide

an environment where parents

who have autistic family members

know they can have
a judgement-free zone

so they have
an opportunity to do

little things
like go out to eat.

Will you murder me if I move
one of your plates?

No. Mmm-mmm.

It's your kitchen.
I'm just living in it.

Just coming to see
where you're at,

because looks like
you're plating. Is that true?

I am getting ready
to start doing a little...

Are all your
other elements ready?

Um, except for my egg.

- So I'm gonna
get those started.
- Are you frying egg?

- Oh, yeah. That's my favorite.
- Okay, nice.

Do you think this dish
would work on this menu?

It's so smart
that she did toast,

'cause we are
a very toast-heavy menu.

- So I really thought that was
a perfect idea.
- Okay. Okay.

What are you worried about
right now? Anything, Jamie?

- I don't think so.
- You feeling good?

- Calm, cool and collected.
- Yes.

I'm just kinda nervous for you
to try it, that's all.

Okay, Jess.
You have 20 minutes left.

What's worrying you the most?

Oh, my caramel over there.

- You're worried about
your caramel?
- Give me a little bit.

[Amanda] It looks good now.

- It's going, it's going.
- It's going?

It's going. I got this caramel
tiniest bit, little bit

like it's gonna break down
a little bit, but we're good.

I make my daughter
make the caramel

at the restaurant.

I have an awesome daughter!

I get to go around and cook
and do the fun stuff,

and the restaurant stays open

because her butt shows up here
and works her tail off.

She's the best. She's my girl.

I hope I'm just like you.

[choked up] I hope that
I'm half the person you are.

I hope that I can always honor
you in what I do with my life.

You do already.
You're better than me.

I love you.

[softly] My best friend.

[narrator] Learn more about
the chefs and restaurants

featured in this show
at chefswap.com

[Amanda] Time is almost up.

Chef Jess is scrambling to get
her breakfast meatballs done.

Will she finish in time?

Jess, you got 10 minutes left.

- 10.
- Ah!

I'm going go-go-gadget fast.

[in sing-song voice] I got to
have some caramel!

Look at these cute little
baby French toasts.

-Jess, you're plating.
This is good.
-Ah!

- Where's your sauce?
- It's right there.

- Can I taste it?
- You may.

I'm cheating a little bit.

Are you happy with it?

I haven't tasted it yet.

You have to taste it
before you plate it!

Jamie's taking a big risk

by trying to cook the perfect
egg in competition.

[Jamie] And I like my eggs
to be a little bit crispy
at the bottom.

And ladies, you said
you didn't have micro greens,
I heard you right.

- Little bit?
- No, ma'am.

I'm gonna put a little
fresh basil on it, then.

[Amanda] All right Jamie,
you almost there?

- You ready?
- Yes, I'm just making it
nice and clean for you

since I finished early.

- That's it? It's done?
- Yeah, that's it.

- It's that New York hustle
right there.
- That's it.

- So the dish title,
Mama's Toast?
- Mama's Toast.

-I think I like that.
I love that.
-Okay.

It tastes great.

And now I get the rosemary
on the back, yeah.

- Yeah, okay.
- It needs a little salt

and I'm garnishing
with rosemary,
so I'll be good to go.

[Amanda] Dylan and Johanna
are at the table.

Oh, yay!

And you have
exactly five minutes left.

Oh!

Y'all see this?
This is what happens

when you don't use
parchment paper!

Because you're in a hurry.

But I would've been past time
if I put
that parchment paper down.

Ah!

My name's Jess, I'm a genius.

I pick up hot things.

[Amanda] I'm a little bit
worried about Jess.

She seems frazzled.

I'm okay, except I don't wanna
make these plates
look like a mess.

Okay, this is it.

This is the two-minute warning.

- I'm here.
- You're here.

Is that it? Are you gonna
garnish it with anything else?

No, it's gonna have rosemary
on it on the top.

[Amanda] So Courtney and I
are gonna take the plates

as soon as they're done,
so you let us know.

Okay, I'm coming. Literally,
I'm throwing this down there.

Not throwing it.
I'm gracefully placing it
on the plate.

Done! Ready.

[Amanda] Time to taste.

Dylan and Johanna
will help me decide

who rose to the challenge.

Fresh off the bat, I think
it just looks beautiful.

- [Dylan] Absolutely gorgeous.
- [Johanna] It's gorgeous.

It's like a palette of color.
I love it.

[Amanda] We will be judging
each dish on taste,

integration, and creativity.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

- Slam dunk.
- [Johanna] Mmm!

[Dylan] The creaminess
of the avocado,

the lemon hitting
the potato, amazing.

[Amanda] So you got
the lemon in the potato?

Lemon in the potato
is delicious.

I didn't even tell you
that was in there.

It's a kaleidoscope of color.

- I eat with my eyes.
- A kaleidoscope!

Yes, and so this is,
"Come in and get some."

[Amanda] It's so colorful,
and I think this is like,

Jamie is so lovely and warm,

and she brought that
Greek heritage to the plate.

So the only thing,
my only criticism is that

the toast could have been
easier to cut through.

- I kinda struggled with it.
- Uh-huh.

It's just the toast
is a little bit rubbery.

So maybe remove the crusts
on the toast.

- Make it a little softer.
- Maybe so, yeah.

The fact that Jamie was able
to come in here,

out of her element,
brand new kitchen,

and be able to put this
together on a plate

with such execution,
such balance,

- such depth
of flavor, she's...
- Right.

She's a chef among chefs.

[Amanda] My question is,
did she play it too safe?

The ingredient that Jess
brought with her was rosemary.

- [Johanna] Mmm.
- She used it

inside of the meatball,
she has it as a garnish,

she also put rosemary
in the caramel.

- Which is all over the top.
- Interesting.

Love it.

[chuckles]

Mmm. I love it.

Pork sausage meatball
is just simply delightful.

I love pork.
My family used to raise hogs.

And so this is
some good-tasting pork.

I have to say,
I'm pleasantly surprised.

I was really worried because
I did taste the caramel,

and it's super sweet.

- Mmm-hmm.
- Uh-huh.

[Amanda] Right? So I was like,
how is this gonna play?

And it's perfectly balanced.

Jess is so hardcore.
What you guys didn't see,

she took her cast

off of her broken wrist
to come and do this.

She is tough.

And she was singing
in the kitchen.

She held up
under all the pressure.

Honestly, like, I can kind of
see that on her plate.

Like, she's sweet, she's salty,

you know, and she's bold,
she's not afraid of anything.

I would have liked
maybe a heavier crunch

on the bread,
maybe to counteract

the texture of the meatball
and then the caramel.

There's nothing like this.

Nothing that I've tasted, no.

And nothing I've tried before.

And I eat a lot,
my hips prove that.

This is exceptional,
and it stands out

in the breakfast crowd,
without a doubt.

Why was it important to you
to do this?

My daughter is really

kinda the heart and soul
of my restaurant.

And I really want
the restaurant to succeed,

and for her to have something
that she's proud of.

Our restaurant seats,
like, 40 people.

Our kitchen's
the size of a closet.

So to be able to come in here

and see, like,
their organization

is fantastic, like,

I was a little trepidatious.

You know, they're well known
in the community.

We're kinda like the new guy
on the scene.

And it was a great time and
a real learning opportunity.

Okay, so what happened?

This was super fun.
It was my first time
doing something like this.

So it was really exciting.

I was so nervous at first,
but once I started cooking

I was like... The nervous
feeling went away.

It didn't seem like it,
because you were
moving around so quickly.

No, that's my speed.

- That's your speed?
- That's my speed
when I'm working.

We also wanna just give you
our condolences

- about your dad.
- Thank you so much.

And you know it means a lot
to me because of my dad.

- He would've loved this.
- I know he would've.

Oh, my God, he would've
been walking around,

like, in all his glory today.

You have so much of him in you.

I wish you could've met him.
You would've loved him.

I would've. I can tell.

- My Daddy. Thank you so much.
- You made him proud.

Thank you so much for coming.

[Amanda] This decision
was nearly impossible,

but we are ready to award
the Chef Swap knife.

Chef Jess, Chef Jamie.

Thank you for participating
in Chef Swap.

Your stories were
very emotional and inspiring.

There were a lot of tears,

and there was a lot
of amazing cooking.

Chef Jamie,
you gave us Mama's Toast.

Lots of lemon, lots of potatoes,

lots of secret spice.

Jess, you went so creative
with your pork meatballs

on French toast, and you had
the help of some great teams.

Kinsey was helping you
and Courtney was helping you.

- Really appreciated Kinsey.
- Courtney was fantastic.

[Amanda] Jamie,
you've really truly made

your whole family proud of you.

Those who are here,
and the ones who aren't.

Chef Jess, we love your story,

which was so inspiring
to all of us.

I had a great time.

Chef Jamie, Chef Jess,

our Chef Swap knife goes to...

- Chef Jess.
- [gasps]

[applause]

- Congratulations.
- Thank you.

Congratulations.

Thank you so much, wow.

How do you feel?

- Stunned.
- [all laugh]

I'm so happy for you.

Jamie is... I just have
so much respect for her,

and what she does,
so to even just be

able to compete with her
just means so much to me.

[Amanda] Jess's very creative
use of rosemary

in her caramel
gave her the winning edge.

[applause]

I'm Amanda Freitag.
Join me next time

as we put two more amazing
Myrtle Beach chefs to the test

on Chef Swap At The Beach.

For more on the chefs
and restaurants featured

in this episode,
visit chefswap.com