Created by: PAUL GERARD. Chef/Owner: Exchange Alley. exchangealleynyc.com/
Produced by: Zero Point Zero Productions zeropointzero.com/
LOGLINE: In a world where chefs have become rockstars, one man gives us a backstage pass to the guts & glory of the roadies...prepare to tour the world of fire & knives!
CONCEPT:
Chef Paul Gerard will work for food! He has been in professional kitchens for more than 25 years and he is tired of cooking shows that focus on being a "chef", and don't show the moxie it takes to be a cook. Cooks are the embodiment of the suffering behind every chefs "passion", and the core of every culture as we revolve around food. Without them, the show does not go on.
As Head Chef of Soho House New York he's well aware of what it takes on a daily basis to keep demanding New Yorkers and epicurean enthusiasts fed with consistently good food: a diligent spirit, vigilant heart, true love for food, the ability to take a punch... and a gang of great cooks to execute his dreams and designs. Armed with nothing more than a knife kit and attitude, Paul drops in on cities around the world and immerses himself in the busiest and meanest kitchens and food hubs that city has to offer, putting his finger on the pulse of the people through the heart of the public house. Paul knows what it takes to be a chef, but does he still have what it takes to Work The Line? If his mind, gut and body don't tell him the unforgiving kitchen crews from Hoboken to Hanoi certainly will.
FORMAT:
Work The Line is one part kitchen docu-soap and one part stand and stir on steroids --cook or get cooked. Paul arrives in each city and seeks out the local culinary Don, this respected chef, cook or food writer/blogger will set him on his course to the cities best, busiest or beastly kitchens. From low-end high-volume eateries to high-end fine dining restaurants, Paul has to immediately assess his situation, insert himself, learn the food and get cooking. He'll take us through the ins and outs of the swinging doors we never get to peak behind, be taught signature dishes by renowned chefs, learn local staples, and cook hundreds of meals from sublime to taboo.
The kitchen crews in these restaurants have no time or patience for newbie's. Paul is there as a conduit to local culture & cuisine, but when the bell is rung he has to earn his keep, do a job well and earn the respect of those in the trenches with him. At the end of the day it is the kitchen crews that measure Paul's success or failure -- did he hang and represent or is he an aging burn-out who can't cut it anymore...will he get the invite to the local chef watering hole or should just take his knives and get the hell out of town?