This was the second recent Restaurant Impossible that had a larger reach. A few weeks ago Chef Irvine and his crew went to help remodel and reenvision a soup kitchen. In this episode, they traveled to Ohio where they worked at a high school cafe that provided students an education in the culinary arts and was also open to the general public.
This was an episode that I could watch over and over again. (They are apparently reairing it on Wednesday, December the 14th, at 9:00 p.m. I would highly recommend setting the DVR.) There were so many precious moments with the students who started off with very little skills, but who quickly decided that they wanted to learn all they could from Chef Irvine. Through his words and actions Irvine also seemed to genuinely care for these children. He made sure by the time he left, the students were working with up-to-date equipment, and he gave each of them their own knife set. He talked to them of the importance of hard work, passion, and practice. When it came time for the grand opening, Irvine quicly assessed that the students were overwhelmed by the amount of work facing them. He rolled up his sleeves and helped them.
It was one of those episodes that was full of charming moments. My favorite was when they went out into Canton to the local farmers market to publicize the opening of their restaurant. They traveled by bus accompanied by the school marching band and cheerleaders. The excitement and exuberance of these students about their school and about their fellow students was glorious to see. It was a very special episode.
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