Original subtitles

Riverbend, New Orleans.

At the heart of this historic uptown

neighborhood is Blake's Place, owned and run by Blake.

All right, we got two red beans just walked in.

I need a catfish platter.

Blake's Place is a Creole Italian restaurant.

Coming to the restaurant, you will feel like you're

in New Orleans, and you will feel like going

to get some great cuisine.

I originally started on my food truck, Tasty Treat.

And I would use social media to let people know where I am,

show them my food.

And then from there, I opened my first casual dining

restaurant, Blake's Place.

If you like it, share it.

We have a big social media following.

Hey, y'all it's Chef Blake.

And we're back with another amazing recipe.

I started Chef Blake Cookware in 2018.

We have some Alfredo tomato ravioli.

Chef Blake Cookware consists of non-stick potware set,

my spices, and my four-quart air fryer.

I am an entrepreneur.

My goal is to become the next Martha Stewart, to become

the next Gordon Ramsay.

Put that back in Chef Blake's air fryer

for an additional 10 minutes.

And here you are.

I want to prove that I have the potential to run an empire,

create this legacy, be this woman that I know I can be.

But I definitely need the support of the family.

Yo, Nelson, take this.

Nelson is my husband.

And he's been very supportive, pretty much just doing

everything for the restaurant.

Hi, y'all.

Welcome in.

All right.

You got a lot of attention on the way here.

The customers that come in, I think,

have seen us on social media accounts.

Take a couple of pictures.

And I'll be back in a little bit

to take the sign out the way for you, OK?

And I think when they get here, it's kind of like, womp-womp.

You know?

It's just not what they expected.

We have a problem with the quality of food.

I think it need a little bit more seasoning.

That's all it needs.

She's really pushing the products,

but the food is not right.

The shrimp's not cooked all the way.

I'll check and see if they want a remake.

Y'all gotta calm down. We just gotta cook.

Oh, no, I'm fine.

Blake's in charge of the kitchen.

But it can get stressful for B. Blake is a tornado on wheels.

I need a chicken parm down.

I need another grilled chicken down full of carrots.

And I need another ribeye down.

Chef, call it, two carrots and two ribeye, Chef.

Come on.

She just come out of nowhere and just interrupt the dance

that was going so smoothly.

I'm a little discombobulated.

Why?

And it takes everybody off beat.

And this ugly. What I'm-- what I'm doing?

I need you to be encouraging.

If I had to describe the restaurant--

Blake? - What?

We adding the cream to the order?

- That's what you told me. - All right.

Chaotic. You all right?

No.

When we opened the restaurant,

I discovered that I was pregnant.

And then discovering that it's twins,

I couldn't be at the restaurant

as much as I want to be,

so it was really hard.

Having a difficult pregnancy, I did rely on my staff.

Some of the standards that I set did go down.

I am not making any money right now.

The chicken parm is undercooked.

It's been over six months since I've

taken my last paycheck.

Some months we gotta dig into savings.

Clearly, you can see that chicken not--

Blake, I got a thermometer. Relax.

On good months, the restaurant will pay for itself.

The months where it doesn't, I'm

happy to step in financially.

- What's wrong with it? - This is undercooked.

Look at that chicken.

With the money we've invested, with the debt that I owe,

we're in this at over $200,000.

All right, how's it looking?

Well, this is supposed to have no chicken on it.

I don't eat meat.

This is supposed to have no meat on it.

- No meat? - Yeah.

I'm not taking that chicken off.

Chef Ramsay, I need your help.

Blake, listen, please check tickets.

I can't afford to keep messing up.

I idolize you.

I want to follow in your footsteps.

I need hands.

Blake, just push the button.

But I need the expertise that you can provide to me.

Help me.

It's too much.

This restaurant is festering.

You cannot be that deluded.

Stop, stop, stop.

I promise you, you can't do this.

Smell it!

Shut it down!

I'm in the uptown neighborhood of New Orleans.

It's a vibrant and up-and-coming area

that still holds that real southern charm.

Now, Blake's restaurant is run by a so-called celebrity chef.

So I need to see Instagram versus reality.

Oh, good morning. - Welcome, hi.

- How are you? - Welcome to Blake's.

How long do I have to wait for?

No wait at all, sir. Come along.

- OK, great. - Come on in.

I'm going to sit you right here.

Amazing.

Can Blake pop out for 30 seconds and say hello?

Yeah, absolutely.

Blake, Gordon's here, and he'd like you to say hi.

Gordon? OK, I'm coming.

- That looks perfect. - Wow.

What's that up there?

That is her house seasonings--

- Wow. - that she sells.

Up top, as well, is her pots, her pans, and her air fryer.

Are they-- are they selling well?

- No. - No.

- I haven't sold any. - You haven't sold any.

Oh.

- Ah, there we go. - Ah.

- Hi. - This is Blake.

- Hi, Chef. - How are you?

- Good, how are you? - Good.

Good to see you. - Good to see you, too.

Beautiful neighborhood, by the way.

Thank you.

The amount of sort of celebrity chefs in this--

beautiful area that are running restaurants--

- Yeah. - Well, I'll eat.

I'll have a look around the menu.

- Yes. - And then I--

And then I'll have them recommend you

some great-tasting dishes.

For me, everything is good. - Right.

But our top sellers are the Dumaine Treat and the catfish.

- Thank you. - Thank you, Chef.

- I'll catch up with you later. - OK.

Ah!

I'm super excited to serve Chef Ramsay.

Whether he likes it or he doesn't, I mean, a win

is a win.

I'm serving Chef Ramsay.

Everybody can't say that.

Right.

Let's start off with the crab cakes, shall we?

- Yeah. - And then the--

- Crab cake. - Riverbend fries.

Let's go for the Dumaine Treat as well.

OK.

Oh, catfish, obviously a big hit here locally,

catfish, right?

- Absolutely. - Thank you.

All right, walking in crab cake, Riverbend.

Blake's Place Restaurant and Bar.

Wow.

This preheat Chef Blake Air Fryer.

Pots and pans, air fryer, seasoning.

Psst, can I interest you in a pot and pan and some seasoning

and air fryer?

Maybe next time?

Maybe next time.

Table 2.

Can I get a replate?

- All right, there's our-- - That was quick.

- Riverbend fries. - Thank you.

Wow.

- And our crab cake. - Wow.

Thank you very much. - There you go.

And what's the sauce?

- It is our crawfish sauce. - Thank you.

Gotcha.

Oh, dear.

Wow, that's not even crispy.

It's soggy.

That doesn't look very nice.

That's just mush.

Damn.

That's gnarly.

All right.

Um, yeah, that was just a little bit too mushy and dense.

- Mushy? - Yeah.

OK.

Thanks, though.

All right, Chef, crab cakes are a bit mushy.

- OK. - Here we go.

Here we go.

This is the Riverbend fries with crawfish.

Oh, dear.

They just taste of a watery mess.

And the crawfish just tastes watery and bland.

OK, I'm gonna let them know.

And the fries are soggy.

- The fries are soggy. - I appreciate that.

- I will take those. - I'm saving room.

Thank you.

OK, fries were soggy.

The crawfish was watery.

Watery?

The Riverbend fries are not soggy.

We actually over fry our fries.

So I don't understand what he's saying

about the fries are soggy.

Chef Blake does not take criticism well.

Blake has this wall that she puts up.

Chill.

I am chill.

Don't I look chill?

Nope.

Ah, you're Nelson.

How are you? - Nelson, nice to meet you.

Uh, pleasure to meet you.

How was everything?

Yeah, um, not good.

I saw you're bussing tables there.

Do you just pop in from time to time?

Yeah, I just pop in.

And whatever's needed, I'll take care of it.

Your full-time job is a?

Uh, photographer, studio owner.

- Amazing. - Yes.

Well, I'm going to make my way through the menu.

And we'll catch up later somewhere.

- OK, thank you. - Yeah?

- All right. - Good to meet you.

Platin' up.

Crystal, Dumaine Treat.

Huh?

I can't wait to see how this is about to go.

- Hey, look at this. - There you go.

- Welcome to your Dumaine. - There's your Dumaine Treat.

It comes like this?

It comes like that for pictures.

And then we take it away. - Crystal.

- Oh, OK. - Oh,

- We're all going to do it now. - Wait, wait.

Oh, he's taking a picture of the sign.

Blake loves that sign, man.

It's a play on New Orleans.

Mm, it's a little gimmicky.

Oh, my .

The breading is so salty.

What is this sauce? Wow.

So on the actual linguine or the fettuccine at the bottom?

Yes.

That is an Alfredo sauce.

It is so spicy.

My guess is it's going to be the seasoning.

We use the Chef Blake seasoning blends.

That is so salty.

Can you ask them to taste that?

- Yeah. - Really salty.

Damn.

Chef Ramsay would like you to taste this.

Why? What'd he say?

He believes it's overseasoned and too spicy and salty.

OK.

Delicious to me.

All right. Sounds good.

Too salty.

Why don't he come back here and cook the pasta then?

So, uh, the chef did taste it.

It tastes fantastic to them.

But that's how they send it and serve it?

Yeah, that's how they send it.

Well, it's good to know. Thank you.

Damn.

Make everything bland.

No seasoning on nothing.

Every dish from now on, bland.

What?

I know that my food tastes good,

but I think he may not have the taste palate

for New Orleans Creole cuisine.

All right, catfish platter walking.

All right.

OK, here we go.

Here we go.

All right, so we have our catfish.

Thank you.

me.

I mean, of all the things that needs the spice and the heat

and the lift is the catfish, but there's nothing on there.

Um, yes, I believe that was our chef's choice.

Normally, it has got the same seasonings,

but she decided not to season it for you.

There's a difference between lightly

seasoning and over seasoning.

All right.

Not a good call about not seasoning the catfish.

Oh.

Because he's like, it's bland, it has no flavor.

Everybody loves the fish,

which is seasoned to perfection.

First, he says something's overseasoned.

Then he says it's underseasoned.

I'm just confused at this point.

If anything needed to be seasoned, it was the catfish.

Not a good call about not seasoning the catfish.

If anything needed to be seasoned, it was the catfish.

It's a slap in the face.

I love the fish.

Everybody loves the fish.

Blake, I'm about to go if you finna play like that.

Would you like me to bring anybody out,

or would you like to talk to somebody?

Yeah, well, let's bring the whole team.

- Yeah, they're ready. - Yeah.

All right, he said bring out the kitchen

to come talk to him.

- This is-- - Chef Cece.

Hi, Cece. How are you?

Good. Nice to meet you.

Likewise. Take a seat, please.

All right.

Blake, I don't know where to start.

Lunch was disappointing, I will be honest.

Everything was salty.

Everything was sort of just processed

and seriously seasoned.

Are you just pushing the seasoning,

or are you listening to customers?

I listen to customers.

You do?

We can't smother everything in your seasoning

and then expect that to be a big hit.

Yeah.

It goes way deeper than that, way deeper.

I need to see some heart, some love, some soul, some passion.

I got none of that today.

Zero!

Cece, you're the head chef here?

Yes.

How do you rate the food on a scale of 1 to 10, truthfully?

I ain't gonna do that.

Is Blake scared of hearing the truth?

Is she ignoring the truth?

I don't know.

I can't answer that for her.

Seems like it sometimes.

But you're the head chef.

Correct.

And Blake's what then?

She's everything. Blake is the law here.

You put this together, Blake, right?

- Yes. - This is your house.

Your name is on the wall.

And your pots and pans and seasonings here.

Because you're shooting for the stars, right?

- Correct. - What's the dream?

Um, the dream is to have multiple restaurants

in multiple locations.

I want to follow in your footsteps, Chef.

Forget my footsteps.

Because there are other talented female chefs

in this town that are behind the line, busting their ass,

creating a reputation to become successful.

We haven't got the reputation.

Customers aren't queuing up.

Are you struggling?

Yeah.

Struggling with what?

With finances.

Can I just have a chat with Blake and Nelson

together, please?

Can you guys just go in the kitchen, take five minutes out?

I don't want to talk money in front of the team.

Now lately, what's going on, truthfully?

This has always been my dream.

This is my passion.

Is the dream at the heart of this, food, restaurateur,

or does the celebrity part come first?

No.

The dream, the passion.

I know that I have to have good-quality

tasting dishes before celebrity, before anything.

But opening up my first casual dining restaurant,

I guess I didn't know what all the expenses that come with it.

It has been a lot, and it has been overwhelming.

I'm worried about, um, staying open.

Well, you are in debt.

Yeah.

You need to get your together.

I opened restaurant Gordon Ramsay back in 1998.

I had to convince my wife to sell our apartment

to get the deposit.

The bank wouldn't touch us.

At the time, we just had our first daughter, Megan.

So this restaurant had to work.

I didn't move from that stove for 10 years,

sweating, grafting, to build that reputation.

But I think you're way more interested in being a celebrity

chef than a real chef.

It starts in the kitchen, Blake.

Yeah.

You got to create food better than you can in a food truck.

And you've got to get customers begging to get a table in here.

Yeah.

Now, tonight, I want to see Blake the chef,

not Blake, the celebrity.

Can you show me that?

Yes.

Nelson, looking at the figures,

there's clearly a lot of support that

goes into this restaurant. - Yeah.

Can I just spend five minutes with you?

Let's go for a drive.

Blake, I appreciate it.

I'll see you later.

I'm feeling a little hurt.

Truth hurts.

But hearing Chef Ramsay share his story about struggling

is one of the stories that keeps me motivated

and know that the sacrifices I'm making are worth it.

I know with being a restaurant owner, it's not easy,

but I do have to change some things.

Uh, man, that was tough.

Since Nelson is funding Blake's

money-losing restaurant,

I want to get his perspective on the situation

and see how it's affecting his own photography business.

It's very rare you walk into a restaurant

in the neighborhood like that and you got

pots and pans and air fryers.

Why is she hell-bent on becoming a celebrity chef?

She's grown a lot of attention from her food truck.

And so there's a lot of great things that she's done.

This is, you know, a chef with a dream.

But it's all happened quickly.

Do you feel it's just gone a bit too quick?

Yes.

But I still have faith in her first and still this business.

Is that having an effect on your business?

It is greatly.

Right now, Blake has a lot of things

going on with the cookware, the spices, the kids.

It's hard to focus on one thing.

And I think the restaurant it's what's-- is

what's suffering from that.

This is incredible.

I'm a pretty popular photographer.

But I've had to put that to the side for Blake's business.

Bloody hell.

What a setup, by the way.

These studios aren't cheap.

No, no, no.

It's--

So you are flat out seven days a week?

- Mm-hmm. - Bloody hell.

And do you ever come in here at night

when the kids are gone to bed?

That's happened more and more often, yes.

But bottom line, it has to be done.

I feel like you're the cash flow because we can't purely

work on the existing turnover.

It needs additional funds.

Business is fragile.

So if the restaurant is a little off,

you know, the studio is there to be that backup, if needed.

If I were to tell her no for something,

I don't want that to come off as I'm losing

faith in her or the business.

Mm-hmm.

There's a container outside.

Is that holding props?

Not props.

It's holding her products.

Holding her what?

Her products.

Can I have a quick look?

Yeah, sure.

How long has this been parked here?

It has been parked here two years.

And the problem is, once I open this door, you'll see.

Oh my God.

So everything towards the front half is pots.

The second half is air fryers.

It's all the way down to the back.

Oh, my good .

Oh, my good .

So everything towards the front half is pots.

The second half is air fryers.

It's all the way down to the back.

Oh, my good God.

She's bought stuff in advance.

50,000.

I know where that $50,000

could have been better spent.

You know that, and I know that.

Mm-hmm.

Sales for the cookware range anywhere from 0

to, I would say, 0.

Storing the products is about $300 a month.

Even if we sell everything, we won't recoup that money.

The penny's dropped.

We got to strip back all this paraphernalia,

this sort of glory hunting, and get back to the core.

This is crazy.

Nelson's revelation has shocked me.

But back at the restaurant, I'm hoping tonight's service

will reveal if Chef Blake still has

the fire to turn things around.

So tonight, I want to prove to Chef that I have

the potential to run an empire, create this legacy,

be this woman that I know I can be.

Hi, welcome.

Table for three? - Yes.

All righty. Come on in.

Thank you.

Let's put you here.

Thank you.

Hi, welcome in.

I'll be right back with some water.

Hi, table for two?

I'm going to put you over here in the corner.

I'm concerned that Blake's been spreading herself too

thin financially and personally

and cutting corners.

All right.

Sounds good.

I'm sticking around for tonight's dinner service

to get a first-hand look at how Blake runs things

and see how I can help fix it.

All right, walking in.

Two Dumaines, one ribeye medium rare.

Heard.

Any pots or pans asked for tonight?

Nothing. I have sold nothing today.

How much salt you put in there?

Not a lot.

I'm gonna add a little salt, and that's it.

Hey, what can I do for you tonight?

Yeah?

- The crab cakes? - What's that one for?

Yeah.

That's for?

Crawfish sauce for the crab cake.

- Gotcha. - Sauce up.

That look good.

Sauce up for the Dumaine.

Heard.

- And for you. - Thank you so much.

Yeah.

I'll take your sign out of your way.

Yeah, why don't you lift your little bowl for me,

and I'll take this out from under.

Yeah.

All right, walking in, crab cake, Riverbend.

Crab cake, Riverbend, heard, Chef.

Hi, table 11.

Hey.

It's a little salty.

Very salty.

So sorry, this is a little too salty.

- For me, it's way too salty-- - Yeah.

unfortunately.

I got a ribeye medium.

- Crab cake is salty. - Yeah.

- Heard. - Yep.

How was that?

The sauce was salty?

- Damn, and my apologies. - No, it's fine.

And thank you for your patience.

All right.

Do you mind just taking over for two minutes?

Can I have a quick catch-up with you?

I just want to ask you a couple of questions.

- Yes. - Yes, Chef.

Cece, let's go.

How are you doing?

What is this room, first of all?

It's supposed to be for private dining,

but it's everything.

Who the would use this as a private dining room?

Nobody. It's hot back here.

You know I'm here to help, right?

Yes, sir.

But right now, I'm starting to sort

of peel back those layers.

When you said, "I don't want to answer that,"

on a scale of 1 to 10, how good do you think the food is?

It's about a 2.

A 2, yeah, you're absolutely right.

I tell her.

The reviews tell her.

I mean, what you said--

Right.

she's heard, Chef.

- Right. - Sorry.

No, no, don't be silly.

Hey.

But until a person accepts things for themselves,

a million people can tell her.

It seems like we're all treading on eggshells.

We seem to be more obsessed with what's happening fame-wise

as opposed to experience-wise.

Correct.

I know she has good intentions.

She just don't show 'em all the time.

If she wasn't your friend, would you be here?

Absolutely not, Chef.

Wow.

I'm here just-- just because I love Blake.

OK, girl. Thank you for the catch-up.

Appreciate it.

That's cooked.

What a mess.

What is that?

Wow.

Oh, , sauce in a can, Alfredo sauce.

Oh.

And this, the social media ring light.

It's all starting to add up now, that's for sure.

All the gear and no idea.

All right, I'm holding on the crab cake.

Some of these tables are saying how salty things are.

Heard, Chef.

No.

Well, definitely not, no.

How hard is that, when you start off with a can?

But you know that, Cece, right?

Yes, Chef.

That's nasty.

Not a fan.

No.

Yeah.

- All right. - Thank you.

I will let them know.

- Thank you. - No problem.

The barbie was too watery and too oily.

You gotta be kidding me right now!

Oh, boy.

The mask is starting to slip on Blake's Place.

Customers aren't biting.

Again, complaint time and time again.

All of her dishes taste the same, drenched

in cheap, canned sauces, then laced

with her branded seasoning mix.

The result is overly salty food, nothing like what you'd

expect from her social media.

This is a embarrassment.

All right, I got food sitting up here.

Heard.

Uh, we didn't have too many things come back.

Thank you.

Now that I've seen how Blake handles dinner service,

I hope she's ready for some honest feedback.

I think we did good.

And I don't think we had that many complaints.

How it was, Crystal?

They said it was salty.

We did get a lot of complaints.

You already said that--

How do you feel about--

I feel off that y'all put

them damn cans on the camera.

And I'm about-- I'm about to throw somebody under the bus.

Uh, ladies, let's just have, uh, two minutes

together, please.

How do you-- how do you feel after that?

I know that we had some customers complaining.

But I feel like we did a good service.

That is just so wrong.

That is so wrong.

Can you just give me two minutes with the boss, please?

Please?

This is beyond a joke.

Cameras, can you-- can you get out of here as well, please?

Absolutely done.

Sound, everybody out.

Out, out, out, out, out.

Close the door.

OK, it's time to lay your cards out on the table.

What in the are you doing?

I don't have nothing to say.

What in the are you doing?

I don't have nothing to say.

Nothing to say?

I have a lot to say, but--

You're in way over your head.

And you are absolutely out of your league.

This is wrong.

It should be Fake Blake's Place.

Because you think this is just fun for TV.

I don't.

Because you're dying to be a TV chef.

I'm not dying--

You want to be the celebrity before the talent.

I came here to help you.

You're just using me for more TV.

I think that he just has the story all wrong about me.

And I'm-- I'm just not feeling that.

It's not about fame.

It's not about being a celebrity.

It's nothing about that.

You have Chef Blake on everything you own,

the pots and pans, the air fryers.

That stuff's barely moving.

And we've got rent to pay on the pod.

It's not selling.

You've sandbagged yourself with 50 grand's worth of debt.

I know.

I know I could have took that investment

and invested it into the restaurant.

But it's too late now.

This is not how you run a restaurant.

This is not how you keep a restaurant.

I need to know, who is Chef Blake?

A great chef in New Orleans.

My God, girl, I don't think you got any idea how hard

and how long a journey it takes to be great at something.

Am I wasting my time?

No.

What I want to do, I really want to rip

this place up and start again.

That means a good, strong, local menu, cooking great

food, authenticity.

But if you don't want that, then don't waste your time,

and please don't waste my time.

But there's a price to pay for success.

You can't buy it, Blake.

You need to earn it.

Man.

hell's bells.

I told Chef Ramsay how I feel.

I told him what I think.

And I think that he just don't like the answers

that I'm giving him back.

There's a burning desire, clearly.

But this woman's got it all wrong.

Big dreams and aspirations but has

forgotten to put the work in.

The real question is, does she have the grit

to build something lasting?

Or is she just using me, this crew, and this show

as a stepping stone for her own spotlight?

Where are you going?

Man.

Where are you going?

Blake, we still gotta shut the kitchen down.

Blake, we gotta shut the kitchen down.

Our night just got longer.

Who's closest to her?

You have to take all your headset off and talk to her.

At the tone, please record your message.

Hi, Blake, it's Scott.

I just wanted to check in with you and see how you are,

see what's going on.

So please give me a call, OK?

All right, call and check on Blake.

She just left. I've been here since 6:30.

My boss just left.

I mean, I could shut this kitchen down.

Bye.

I'm just ready to go home.

All right, I'm back. I'm back.

What you need me to do?

I'm disappointed that the moment I stepped

outside, Blake stormed off, leaving

her team alone to do the work she needs to be putting in.

Oh, boy.

Now I'm back to see if Nelson and Cece can shed some light

on what's going on with her.

Hey, Nelson, Cece, you got two seconds?

Yes, Chef.

What's the beef?

She ain't never just walked out on the team like this.

I'm aggravated with her right now.

Blake just has this wall up that's

hard to get through sometimes.

Like, she just has to listen to him.

If she doesn't, I can't stay here.

Blake gotta click it on.

Yeah.

I'm mad at her right now, though.

While Cece opens up to me inside,

Blake has decided to come back to the restaurant.

I'm back.

I just got some fresh air.

I'm definitely ready to have a conversation with Chef

because I feel that he has the wrong impression about me

and what he thinks of me.

I came here to help you.

If you don't want it and you don't trust this process,

I'll go.

I will leave.

We got other restaurants to fix.

You said yes, and then you walk out.

So if you're out, I'm out.

If you don't want it or you don't trust this process,

I'll go.

I will leave.

We got other restaurants to fix.

So if you're out, I'm out.

Can I answer?

I went for a drive, listening to the way he works

and helping you financially.

I was blown away.

I'm leaving the building.

I asked, what's in that container?

I was shocked.

All those products you're paying

to store in that container, that's real.

And that's just one example of something

affecting your business.

But I want to help you.

There's going to be bits you don't like.

It's not all smooth, plain sailing.

If you don't want the process, tell me.

Right now, the restaurant is at stake.

If I walk away from this process,

then it'll be me walking away from the restaurant.

I want the real Blake--

vulnerable, honest.

Give me that, and you've got me 100%.

Are we in?

- Yeah. - Come here.

I did think about walking away.

But I also know that I came too far to give up.

Let's start again.

I think some things that we can agree to disagree on.

I'm just ready for the next steps.

Man.

Finally, the real Blake has started to emerge.

But let's get the food right and the restaurant right.

Do that, everything else will fall into place.

Overnight, my team gets to work.

And now a new day is dawning for Blake's Place.

Let's go, Blake.

Oh my word!

Nice.

What?

The old decor was full

of dark colors with fussy details.

So we've pared it down to a clean,

simple, and honest style

to match a fresh, new local menu.

- Aw. - Aw.

I'm happy.

It's very bright, very welcoming.

I love it. I'm ready.

Come on in.

Oh, hey!

Hey!

- I love it. - That makes me happy.

With it so beautifully set like this,

the food's going to speak volumes.

We have set you up with fridge, freezers,

the oven, pots, the pans. - What?

What?

The knives, the boards, it's all there.

Yes.

The private dining room had turned

into a private dumping room.

Now I've converted it into what it

should always have been, a beautiful space

for group dining.

Oh my God.

Wow, this is so cool!

Please take a menu and pass them along.

So let's start off with something small, crab salad--

beautiful local crab, little crab toast on the side.

Gulf shrimp bisque, utilize out all the

heads so we're not wasting money.

But the flavor is off the charts.

The hanger steak is a bit of a chef's cut

but way more popular.

Rillons, these beautiful, little caramelized pork belly,

great sharing dishes, by the way.

And best of all, not a canned sauce in sight.

Right, grab a knife and fork and dig in.

Get up to speed with the taste.

Sit at your beautiful table.

That is delicious.

With a relaunched restaurant and menu,

the staff are getting ready to welcome their first guests.

Don't get behind with those hanger steaks.

The first hanger steak, two on.

Take one to rare.

Take it out of the pan. Let it rest.

- Yeah. - Whew.

We got this.

Let's knock it out the park.

Hey, welcome to Blake's Place.

How about if I sit you here today?

Hi, welcome to Blake's Place.

Hi.

Table 5 is Jen Hale.

She's a powerhouse Fox correspondent

and has got some really good connections.

You guys are going to enjoy everything.

Tonight is Blake's 2.0 with our new menu.

All right, what can I get y'all?

Oh, first order in, Chef.

Two hangers, one medium, one medium rare.

Hi, you guys, welcome in.

As the restaurant quickly fills,

I need to see that Blake can lead her kitchen

to meet the challenge.

I got it.

Table 5, three hangers, one medium, medium well, mid-rare.

Great.

Mid-rare, medium, mid-well, heard.

You got a scallop.

Heard, Chef.

I need-- how long on fries?

Hey, how are you guys doing?

Uh, Blake, the dining room's filling up.

I want to hear your voice now.

Get those hangers on straight away, Cece, please.

Yes, Chef, right now.

Four scallops all day, one fried chicken, one fries.

Scallops.

Hi, welcome in.

All right, all day, five scallops.

All day, six scallops, two burgers.

Blake, separate the tickets--

Three red beans.

Are we going two by two or what?

We just calling it out.

The growing number of orders has

Blake combining tickets, confusing

Cece and risking mistakes.

It's gonna be three mid-rares, one medium.

So four steaks out here.

Yep.

I'm working four burgers right now.

I'm plating three scallops.

- This is cold. - What's up?

It's cold.

All this is cold.

Scallops, oh, yeah, they are.

The pressure seems to be getting to Blake.

This relaunch is going downhill.

This can't be for the scallops.

The scallops go with the roasted potatoes.

That was for the steak. - Where my hanger?

You waiting on a hanger?

I just--

They're in the bowl next to you.

Thank you.

And I'll let you know with the dessert.

Heard.

- OK. - Fried chicken for you.

What?

Uh, .

Crystal!

All right, a rigatoni went out.

It went to the wrong table.

The full house is pushing Blake to her very limit.

And the kitchen is spiraling out of control.

It's just way too salty for my taste.

Hi, ladies.

How are we doing?

A little too salty.

A little salty?

Yes.

Mistakes are starting.

It seems just over overseasoned quite a lot.

Chef, they saying the steak is a little salty.

Can I get one with less salt on it?

Heard that.

What was the temp on it?

Blake? Blake?

Mistakes are starting.

It's just way too salty for my taste.

Now, Blake has to get a grip of this thing.

Chef, they saying the steak is a little salty.

Can I get one with less salt on it?

Blake?

Blake?

All right.

How many hangers you have working?

Three.

All right, so I need a hanger mid-rare

to replace that other one.

All right.

Here we go.

Hanger, straight on there, please.

Great. Thank you.

Apologize, please.

Thank you.

And there you are.

I apologize about your wait.

I'll be right back with some silverware.

Like, seriously, like a million times better.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

I got one more red bean coming for you, table 8.

Good job, team, we're doing good.

We're doing good. - We're doing great, y'all!

I think Chef Ramsay has put a fire underneath me.

He kind of gave it to me hard, but it's

something that I needed.

We have received a lot of tools.

And if we keep it up, I know we can be very successful.

Oh, for the kids?

There we go. Y'all enjoy.

Thank you.

The dressing is very good.

It's not heavy.

I like the twist on the crab salad

that it's almost like a chicken salad texture.

So I love the interpretation of a classic New Orleans dish,

but with her own flair.

It's memorable.

This is how a restaurant should

be run in the neighborhood.

Customers are loving the food, packed to the rafters.

This is the vision Blake had for Blake's Place.

Just walking in here and seeing all those smiles,

all those seats taken.

Life is looking up.

Yeah, this is my favorite.

- Uh, Blake. - Close that oven for me.

30 seconds, please.

They are loving the food.

And watching you run that kitchen

tonight, that's where you're going to build that success.

Yes.

My time is done.

Good luck.

Thank you, Chef.

You have a gorgeous restaurant.

Do it, girl. - Thank you, Chef.

OK, and you gonna build that from the kitchen.

That's the only way. - Yeah.

- OK? - Thank you, Chef.

- Yeah. - Thank you.

You got this. Yeah?

Yeah.

- Take care. - All right.

Whew, honestly, when I first got here,

I found an owner obsessed with being a celebrity

that she forgot the most important part,

and that's being a talented chef because your reputation

starts on the plate.

Now, Blake's Place is starting to feel,

look, and sound like a proper neighborhood restaurant.

And for the first time this week,

Blake looks like she's in control.

Four scallops all day, one fried chicken, one fried.

Without the gimmicks and the ego,

she can properly focus on the food.

Do that, and I promise you,

Blake's Place has a shot at longevity.

Man.

It's your girl Chef Blake.

We have been booked nonstop.

Every weekend, we're having a party

in our private dining room.

Money in the bank.

We're going to keep the menu.

We're going to use fresh ingredients, of course.

Gordon woke me up.

He put that fire back into me.

And if you guys are in New Orleans, come see the show.

Good afternoon. Welcome to Simmer Down.

What the hell's going on here?

Look at the state of that.

A lot of the food he says has been really salty.

Man, don't with me.

He's not even going to listen to criticism from the best

chef in the world?

That's insane.

Dude, you're out of your mind.

I don't think this is gonna end well.

We're done.

Enough. Cameras out.

Out! Staff out!

I can't do it.