Advance Review: Selena Gomez Cooks Up Quite The Treat With Selena + Chef

HBO Max releases Selena + Chef tomorrow, August 13, and fans of Selena are in for quite the delicious treat. In this new series, viewers follow along as Selena learns how to cook recipes from some of the best chefs in Los Angeles, with a little help from her friends and roommates.

Cooking shows are not new to the television or streaming world, but this one definitely makes a name for itself because everything is essentially virtual. From the moment Selena turns on her camera, she is learning the recipes from the chefs virtually, which makes for a very interesting time. The chefs can only see what Selena is doing through the use of their cameras and Selena displaying her progress. This format actually makes for a very fun watch, especially when some of the few minor mishaps take shape for Selena.

However, one of the most entertaining aspects of this show, is not Selena’s minor cooking mishaps, but the chefs she invites onto the show. Each one is engaging and passionate about what they do. The way they discuss each meal, the techniques they use to create the food, and the taste of each dish allows the viewers to see just how much love goes into each meal they create. It also opens the viewer up to learning a bit about how the chefs turned their love for food into full time jobs.

It does take a few episodes for Selena to get comfortable in front of the camera and become truly engaging. In the first episodes, she seems a little tense, but who can blame her. When this was filmed, the COVID-19 pandemic has fully immersed us all, which is enough stress alone but add in that this is Selena’s first time as the host of a show and it’s easy to see why it takes a beat for her to find her groove. She does establish what works for her and as the episodes progress hosting becomes more natural.

The other issue with the show is that the recipes Selena is tasked with cooking are difficult and definitely challenging for us entry-level chefs. Many of the recipes call for fairly expensive items, another challenge notably during the times of the pandemic. The ingredients she is required to use for some of the dishes, along with the items needed for the cooking would definitely cost a pretty penny. If following along and trying out the recipe yourself is your goal, be warned these are time-consuming endeavors that require effort and focus.

At the end of the day, Selena + Chef is a fun way to pass the time for those at home. Viewers, much like Selena, won’t become professionals overnight, but at least they can learn a new meal or two.

Grade: B