Chef Vicky Ratnani and actor-comedian Gaurav Gera cook up a world class meal as Zee Café launches ‘Chef vs Fridge’

Mumbai: It’s time to sharpen those knives, wear your apron and don the chef’s hat! In this playground for the foodies, it’s a game of imagination and innovation with plenty to mix and match. Come Sunday, 25th April, Zee Café brings the ultimate cook-off to your television screens with the launch of the unique cooking competitive show, ‘Chef vs Fridge.’ 

Based on the daily challenge posed by the fridge, the show comes with exciting new themes every week featuring extraordinary dishes made from the limited ingredients available in the fridge that are an absolute feast for the eyes.   

Airing as part of the channel’s special block ‘What The Food’ that brings MasterChef Australia S10 weeknights at 9, the homegrown production is set to air on Sundays as 8PM on Zee Café and 10:30PM on Zee Café HD along with 5 other ZEE channels viz. Zee TV, Zee Zest, Big Ganga, Zee Telugu and Zee Marathi in English, Hindi, Marathi and Telugu respectively and stream on ZEE5. 

Coupled with irresistible food, the repertoire of flavours and creative meal combinations, Chef Vs. Fridge promises to take viewers on the ultimate sensory experience that is sure to make every foodie drool.

Chef vs Fridge takes viewers on one delicious journey alongside some of the youngest and innovative culinary wizards. Each episode brings a new twist on the menu with a different theme that challenges the imagination of the contending Chefs. With the limited ingredients available in the fridge aka. ‘Serial Chiller’ on the show, the two chefs battle it out to create extraordinary dishes for a winner to be declared at the end of each episode. Coupled with an exciting digital contest for viewers every week, the shows interactive and entertaining format makes it an absolute feast for viewers to tune in.

In a light-hearted campaign film featuring the ace celebrity Chef Vicky Ratnani and actor-comic Gaurav Gera, the channel unveils its latest original that promises the ultimate we-time experience for viewers. The entertaining ad film features Gaurav Gera all prepped up for a Mexican cooking experiment. 

With only Idli and tomatoes available in his fridge, a surprised Gaurav is confused and caught off guard. It’s then that Chef Vicky Ratnani comes to the rescue with a unique dish suggestion that mixes the south Indian staple with the quintessential Mexcian ingredient. The film culminates with the judge-host duo revealing the show’s theme in chorus, ‘Ab fridge lega sabki class, chefs banaenge kuch world-class.’

Sharing his views, celebrity Chef Vicky Ratnani said, “I am extremely thrilled to be back on set with Chef Vs. Fridge. This is a show made with a lot of love and it's unlike any other cooking competitive show. The unique format brings exciting weekly challenges and it's been great fun to see the innovative food creations stem from completely random ingredients found in the fridge. It's every foodie’s delight to experience food that is a feast for the eyes and here's a show that one surely cannot miss. I'm thrilled to have collaborated with Zee Café for the show and it was extremely fun working with the talented Gaurav Gera on set. We hope fans will enjoy the show as much as we did making it.”

Commenting on the same, actor-comedian Gaurav Gera said, “Being a foodie myself, I’m elated to be a part of a show that’s all about the sizzle and simmer. It’s been a lot of fun discovering unique dishes and interacting with some of the most talented young chefs. There’s fun, there’s food and there’s definitely a lot of frolic in Chef Vs. Fridge. I’m delighted to collaborate with Zee Café and I’m certain that fans are certainly in for a treat. It was great working with Chef Vicky Ratnani who opened the doors of the fridge to a new challenge every week. There’s loads of fire and grill in this kitchen. Stay tuned.”

Speaking about the launch, Kartik Mahadev, Business Head, Premium Channels, ZEEL said, “A show as refreshing and exciting as Chef vs Fridge needed the communication to bring the experience of the show alive in a very relatable manner. The fridge as a device helps build that relatability as all homes deal with an everyday problem of “what to cook today?” with ingredients in the fridge always throwing a challenge at the cook. A good cook learns to imagine and innovate with what they have. The ad film captures this everyday experience in a light-hearted and entertaining banter between Chef Vicky Ratnani and Gaurav Gera. With the innovative format, creative food combinations and weekly plating challenges we are certain that the show will be loved by our audience and deliver value to our partners.”

In line with the announcement, the channel has onboarded leading sponsors for the show. Presented By Haier, Co-Powered by Lifebuoy and Parle Platina Hide & Seek, Cookware Partner Prestige, Spice Partner Catch Salt & Spices and Gifting Partner The Gift Studio, the show promises to be a unique platform with multiple integration opportunities for brand partners. 

Featuring an extraordinary line-up of contending chefs who each come with an inspiring story to tell, the show has loads to look forward to in this exciting kitchen. From an investment banker-turned-chef and a self-taught baker to a cake designer and an LGBTQ Activist raised in the slums of Mumbai, the show gives many such talented chefs a platform they truly deserve! 

Explore innovative, imaginative cooking with extraordinary deliciousness as ‘Chef vs Fridge’ is set to air starting 18th April, Sundays at 8P M only on Zee Café and 10:30 PM on Zee Café HD along with Zee TV, Zee Zest, Big Ganga, Zee Marathi and Zee Telugu in English, Hindi, Marathi and Telugu and Zee5

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