Instead of deconstructing the divisive meal, the HBO Max series focuses on the chefs behind it.
host bySchitt ’s Creekco - creator Dan Levy , the new HBO Max seriesThe Big Brunchhighlights how 10 chef dissenter positively bear upon their community of interests while also create typical ( and pleasant-tasting ) dish aerial . Joining Levy as judges are restaurateur Will Guidara and chef Sohla El - Waylly . As a successful chef and important spokesperson in the food world , El - Waylly further cements her expertness throughout the eight - installment series by offer the chef a blend of catered commendation and helpful criticism .
Moreover , The Big Brunchprovides a picture of America ’s most treasured and hat repast : brunch . As someone who used to work brunch in restaurants , El - Waylly considered the ambitious shift among the times she hated because " everyone is hungover — the customers and the cooks . " However , many restaurants across the country have embraced brunch as an opportunity to capitalize on the trend to make reconstructed or sublime version of breakfast staple fibre .
" Especially during the pandemic , a muckle of restaurants have shifted to embrace brunch because it ’s more time of day and more chance for business . I think it ’s really changed from just being like , ' Oh , here ’s this affair we have to do on Sunday . ' There are so many more all - Clarence Day restaurants now . particularly in New York , there was this wave of all these diner that were so life-sustaining . It was hard to see them go , but I finger like , in the last few years , we ’ve got all these all - day cafes that are filling that gap and really elevating what that meal can be , " say El - Waylly .
HBO Max
While reworked brunch classics remain the trend , the stories behind the creators of these smasher are unique . That ’s the beauty ofThe Big Brunch . It ’s more than just a food competition . It ’s a windowpane into the lives of some of the country ’s most renowned chefs . " It ’s about these chef who are all doing awesome things for their community . They ’re not just cook to feed . They understand that food is more than food . It ’s about bringing people around the mesa . It ’s about bring the community together , " says El - Waylly about the allure ofThe Big Brunch . " I also got to know them more from follow the show rather than being on it because they did these awesome little biographical vignettes . Seeing them in their element with their families and communities was great . "
El - Waylly started filming the show at the tail end of 2021 . Like many others during the attack of the pandemic , El - Waylly fell into desperation from go steady deteriorating public condition . She says , " A lot of things were fall out in the reality that made me lose Bob Hope . So , with the show , I go into it depress and dead . Now I ’m a different person . It was n’t just being around all these astonishing people but being around all these awe-inspiring people who treat me with so much respect and as an equal . " So , The Big Brunchproved to be the light at the end of the tunnel that gave El - Waylly newfound hope . " When we had our wrap party , I weep because I was like , ' Wow , having someone like you abide by what I ’m saying has made me believe in myself . ' So , I reckon it face-lift that fog I was in . But on the snotty-nosed side , I just hollo a lot now , but they ’re glad tears , " she states .
On the series , El - Waylly calls herself " the baddie " of the show as the tough judge out of her two counterpart . While El - Waylly was quick to offer kudos commendations to the chef contestants , she did n’t refrain from furnish constructive literary criticism . Regarding her judging process , she avoided overthinking and focused on the dish of each rung . El - Waylly add , " For me , it was authoritative that it was about each denture in front of me and not how I matt-up about the chef or their former performance — because a draw of people go up and down . So , I was focus on each dental plate and just being reliable . Some dish were just so undecomposed I did n’t even have anything to say . "
El - Waylly hopes viewers ofThe Big Brunchwalk aside feeling excitement and wonderment . She say , " I hope that the viewers get to have it off these chefs and that these chef also become crucial in their life . If you hold out in a community that ’s close to these chefs , go check them out . I want these chef to get the aid they deserve because they ’re doing so many nerveless thing . "
