If you love the Great British Bake Off (GBBO) or Best Home Cook, then you will absolutely want to tune in for The Great American Recipe on PBS! Not only do we get home cooks showing the world the meals that they are known for at home, but it is done in a way that feels less like a competition and more like friends gathering to show off their cooking chops.
Hosted by Alejandra Ramos, the cooking competition is being judged by Chef Leah Cohen, Chef Tiffany Derry, and Chef Graham Elliot. There are 10 home cooks, and each cook is bringing their own signature dishes to the table. And with the first episode being called, “If I Were a Recipe,” you know it is going to be all about that homestyle cooking with a flair.
In this first episode, we get two challenges, the first being one where the cooks have to create a dish that will express who they are on a plate. Then the second challenge is one where they have to take a regional dish and put their own spin on it.
The Great American Recipe brought the fun and comfort in their premiere episode on PBS
Much like what we see on GBBO, the cooks on The Great American Recipe all seem to be friendly with each other. This may be a competition, but these people have connected over their love of food and cooking. We get to see those moments where they are chatting with each other (although this episode was definitely more about introducing our cooks), and we get to see them doing their very best to show off what they can do, even when things don’t go the way they expect them to.
And while we hate to think about it, yes, there was an elimination by the end of this first episode. Even as we are just getting to know these home cooks, we sadly had to say goodbye to Christina McAlvey, whose “Fili-fusion” food simply didn’t give the judges enough of her story.
After just this first episode, we are already excited to tune back in next week (July 1) for the second episode, “The Daily Dish,” to get even more of the cozy vibes that we love from GBBO.
Did you tune in for the premiere episode of The Great American Recipe on PBS? Will you be watching the rest of the season? We want to hear what you thought of this episode and the show as a whole.