A cooking contest that tasks chefs with preparing brunch—the scariest first meal in most professional kitchens—looks at first like a recipe for Sisyphean pain. However, Dan Levy, co-creator of Sheet Creek, “The Big Brunch” immediately establishes itself as the complete antithesis of that grim picture, with its emphasis on harmony and warmth above all. Drawing on Chet’s last-day ideals of staying true to oneself, this sweet twist on Top Chef’s formula doesn’t quite bring the drama—but for those craving something less, “The Big Brunch” should prove even tougher in Resistance from that last mimosa.
The eight-episode series (premieres November 10 on HBO Max) will introduce Levi’s 10 contestants who “each make a huge difference to their community,” though only one will win the (impressively large) final prize of $300,000. Here, “The Big Brunch” establishes altruism as his ultimate goal. Over time, her definition of what it means to “make a difference” varies widely from person to person, making it difficult not to judge one chef’s dream versus another. Opening a pop-up bakery during the early days of COVID is impressive, but is this person more “worth” of money than, say, a chef hoping to buy the poor church that hosts his adjacent garden and meals for the needy? It’s none of the contestants’ fault that their stories end up conflicting with one another, but if the show sees a second season, it’s best to make sure the cast and mission statement better align.
As confusing as its broader goals may be, “The Big Brunch” finds a groove where the culinary competition emerges most quickly. Given his years of hosting experience (including “The Great Canadian Baking Show”), Levi’s charm comes as no surprise as he takes the driver’s seat. Joining him as judges is restaurateur Will Guidara (formerly Eleven Madison Park) and prolific recipe developer Sohla El-Waylly, with El-Waylly in particular showing how comfortable and knowledgeable she is as a chef and as an on-screen salad. Equally important in balancing things is David Korins’ brilliance set design, which features a sky-blue tiled kitchen, a Parisian bistro-style dining room and bar to host the judges (and their late cocktails), and a sliding partition that separates the two when it’s time for deliberation. Even knowing it had to be a ready-made kitchen and not a real one, I still had a mid-season shock when the cast of it made its way out to the parking lot for an impromptu farmers market.
As for the brunch of it all, the brief happily proves more varied than not. What could have been just a display of egg preparations is instead a celebration of family-style meals and the various traditions that can make a midday meal so Important. There can be many ways to serve brunch, so season two should find more creative ideas to expand the idea. Given how he handled the first eight episodes, “The Big Brunch” took its place at the next table.
“The Big Brunch” begins with three episodes on Thursday, November 10.
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