NBC Puts Chefs on 'Chopping Block'

Zap2It.com | March 18, 2008

Marco Pierre White

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Culinary competition features British chef Marco Pierre White

NBC is firing up its own take on a cooking competition, ordering a series called "The Chopping Block" for next season.

Like FOX's "Hell's Kitchen," the new show will pit two teams of chefs and would-be restaurateurs against one another, under the watchful eye of a renowned chef from Great Britain. For "The Chopping Block," that will be Michelin three-star chef Marco Pierre White, who served as a mentor to "Hell's Kitchen" host Gordon Ramsay (and replaced him as host of the British version of the show).

"I am lucky enough to have realized my dream, and I will never achieve anything greater than three stars Michelin," says White, who retired from the kitchen in 1999 to oversee his restaurant group; he's also written several books. "What excites me today is creating opportunities for others to fulfill their dreams and visions."

"The Chopping Block" will feature two teams of four couples who will run adjacent restaurants in Manhattan. The teams will compete in a variety of challenges, from creating an opening menu to demonstrating skill with a variety of cuisines. One couple from the losing team will be sent packing each week, with the winners earning the right to open their own restaurant in the city. White and a panel of judges will determine who goes home each week.

David Barbour and Julian Cress of Granada America will serve as executive producers. The two created a show with the same title but a somewhat different format for Australia's Nine network. Granada America also produces "Hell's Kitchen" and "Celebrity Fit Club," among other shows.