Dan Levy Says New Show 'The Big Brunch' Restored His 'Faith in People' — Meet the 10 Competing Chefs
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In a sea of cooking competition shows, Dan Levy hopes The Big Brunch can be a ray of light.
Throughout the Schitt's Creek creator's new eight-episode series, 10 chefs compete for $300,000 as they put together dishes all surrounding brunch food. In each episode, chefs must create several meals and drinks catered to a specific trend. But, according to the Emmy winner, the show is just as much about stellar food as it is about amazing people.
Levy spoke with PEOPLE about his insecurities when it came to working in the "unscripted" show realm, how his new series is similar to Schitt's Creek and the "family" dynamic of the cast.
"Breaking into the unscripted space felt like a strange detour from what I had been doing with Schitt's Creek and everything that came after," Levy says. "There was this point where I questioned, 'Well is this the right decision? Am I doing the right thing?' Because this silly industry has a way of making you question your instincts."
But, he admits the good-natured contestants and kind Big Brunch team wiped away any of these fears. "It turns out that when you put 10 people who are doing wonderful things for their communities together in a room, it only makes everyone around them feel like everything's going to be okay," he says. "It restored my faith in people."
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Levy had a hand in selecting the 10 chefs, all of whom tell their stories "beautifully, intimately and emotionally." The contestants were chosen not only based on their culinary chops, but also from the admirable work they carry out in their individual communities — be it teaching others about their culinary heritage or celebrating the power of family.
Unlike other competition shows, the competitors in the upcoming cooking series work together. "It was so inspiring to watch them support each other, help each other and encourage each other in ways that I think caught them off guard, too," he says. Since filming concluded, the chefs, who Levy calls a "wonderful family," have remained connected via group chats and video calls. "That's all you can hope for is that you make something that brings people together in a really positive way," Levy says.
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In addition to the competitors, Levy credits the special spirit of the show to his fellow judges: chef Sohla El-Waylly and restaurateur Will Guidara. The three unite in a supportive, well-rounded trio. "I come at it from an enthusiast perspective, Sohla has the culinary experience and Will is all about hospitality," Levy explains. "It was important to me that the three judging voices represent a kind of diversity of criticism."
And on a "fun" level, Levy says the experience was unmatched. "You have an open bar and you're eating food. It was not a bad gig," he laughs.
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Levy, El-Waylly and Guidara all share the same sentiment of rooting for each contestant. "I think the great thing is that Sohla, Will and I want all of these people to succeed and [the chefs] want each other to succeed," he says.
"I wanted to prove that you can have a competition-based show that is still rooted in support, kindness and encouragement," Levy says. "You can be kind and make edgy comedy at the same time. It's the same way that we tried to show with Schitt's Creek."
Keep scrolling to meet the 10 chefs ready to serve up brunch dishes before the competition unfolds.
Nadege Fleurimond
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Hometown: Port Au Prince, Haiti
Current Residence: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Occupation: Owner of catering and event space business Fleurimond
When she fell in love with food: "As a child of an immigrant, her dad pressured her to go to law school and be successful; she obliged and went to Columbia University. While she was there, Nadege began cooking her family's Haitian recipes to comfort herself because she was homesick," reads her official bio. "Her friends all clamored for her food, and the beginnings of Fleurimond Catering sprung forth."
J Chong
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Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Current Residence: Asheville, N.C.
Occupation: Private chef at J Chong Eats
Her passion: "She is passionate about bringing Cantonese food to her sweet little mountain town of Asheville. With J's life experiences, she is driven to be an advocate not only for her life but for her communities as well. Being queer and Asian empowers J to use her voice to help be the change in the world."
Danielle Sepsy
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Hometown: St. James, N.Y.
Current Residence: Garden City, N.Y.
Occupation: Chef and owner at The Hungry Gnome Catering & Baked Goods
Her early food memory: "Her grandmother Rosemarie shared her love for baking and was her inspiration in the kitchen. When Danielle was just eight years old, her grandmother bought her a mixer and a Martha Stewart Magazine, and a chef was born! At 13, she began selling her famous scones, waking up at 4am to make them, and her parents would deliver them on their way to work."
Catie Randazzo
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Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Current Residence: Los Angeles, Calif.
Occupation: Executive chef at Huckleberry Bakery & Café
Why they love brunch: "To Catie, brunch is the perfect place to meet up with friends and family to bond over pancakes, memories, and mimosas. Catie's focus for brunch is to keep it simple and use thoughtful ingredients with integrity. Their go-to dish is a French omelet with fresh herbs and creme fraiche, served with a simple salad of organic greens."
Daniel Harthausen
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Hometown: Seoul, South Korea
Current Residence: Richmond, Va.
Occupation: Chef and pop-up owner at Young Mother
The inspiration behind his food: "Having lived everywhere from Seoul, Korea to Okinawa, Japan to many states in the US, Daniel was always interested in food and paid attention to flavors and dishes rooted in nostalgia and childhood memories. Encouraged to stay out of the kitchen by his family in Korea, he would pick up techniques by watching his female relatives prepare traditional dishes."
Kip Poole
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Hometown: Portsmouth, Va.
Current Residence: Norfolk, Va.
Occupation: Executive chef and non-profit founder
His mission: "Kip's two main loves in life have been cooking and teaching. In everything he does in life, he always weighs the decision of how it will give back to the neighborhoods he's grown up in. He gets emotional thinking about all the kids he's helped so far and all the chefs of the future that will come through his doors."
Antwon Brinson
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Hometown: Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Current Residence: Charlottesville, Va.
Occupation: Chef and founder at Culinary Concepts AB
His dream: "By the time Antwon and his family moved to Charlottesville in 2016, he had
immersed himself in many cultures and successfully built a career in the culinary arts. Along the way, he found great fulfillment in building teams, teaching, and inspiring others. Antwon's personal mission is to inspire students across the country to pursue their dreams."
Roman Wilcox
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Hometown: El Paso, Tex.
Current Residence: El Paso, Tex.
Occupation: Chef and owner at One Grub Community Diner
His cooking style: "Roman is aware that there are many stigmas that go along with vegan cuisine. People can tend to think that vegan food is boring, overly 'healthy' tasting and bland, and somewhat alien to traditional Omnivoric cuisine. So he makes sure to make his food attractive to all types, meat eaters and non-meat eaters alike!"
Mason Zeglen
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Hometown: Killington, Montana
Current Residence: Surfside Beach, S.C.
Occupation: Owner at Milk & Honey Coffee Cafe
How he learned to love food: "He grew up on a farm in Vermont, raised by 'sustainable agriculturalists,' which he jokingly says is a nice way of saying his parents were total hippies. However, they instilled in him the importance of local agriculture, and Mason's culinary voice still reflects that farm-to-table motto that's been with him from the start."
Kelly Jones
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Hometown: Seattle, Wash.
Current Residence: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Occupation: Executive chef at Shibumi Jones Hudson Valley Supperclub
Her culinary background: "To look at Kelly and her amazing resume now, you'd never think that she originally went to school for Mathematics. Luckily for the culinary world, she realized that academia was not her true calling and she pivoted to culinary arts. Rather than attending culinary school, she dove straight into the kitchen making it her mission to learn from the strongest female chefs."
The first three episodes of The Big Brunch premiere on Thursday, Nov. 10 on HBO Max. The next three episodes air on Nov. 17 and the final two episodes air on Nov. 24.
