Chefs vs. Wild features First Ever Native American Judge and Co-Founder Valerie Segrest
Chefs vs. Wild, the first cooking show to feature multiple Indigenous food experts, survivalists, and chefs is a breakthrough in Indigenous representation.
Set to premiere on September 26th, the show features a first-ever Native American judge, Valerie Segrest (Muckleshoot Tribe) and a number of Indigenous contestants including Nico Albert (Cherokee), Robin Lafreniere (Anishinaabe First Nations), Morgan Nichol (Cree First Nations), and Jordyn Burnouf (Black Lake First Nation).
“I've always longed for more Native representation in cooking competitions and survivalist shows so when this opportunity came around I knew it was critical to increasing our visibility in these spaces. To be able to share perspectives on our foods as teachers and a high level introduction of the living bodies of knowledge on the land and the water and the possibility of powerful transformation is super exciting. Every single person on the set was so kind and nurturing and we all held space for the creative process to manifest. It was an experience I will never forget. I'm also very proud of the inclusivity in the show and hope that viewers remember the challenging process these teams went through and that those obstacles are not always met with grace, but in the end show positive impacts. This message surfaces in nearly every episode. Stay tuned!”
With Indigenous food knowledge on display, chefs and survivalists will go head-to-head to impress wild foods expert Valerie Segrest and renowned chef and adventurer Kiran Jethwa who will judge participants on their ability to turn foraged ingredients from British Columbia's coast into the best five-star meal starting September 26th! Two episodes will premiere each week, with the finale on October 17th.
Reaching the peak of the culinary world has never been this demanding. In each episode of “Chefs vs. Wild,” two different world class chefs will be dropped into the wilderness where they’ll embark on a grueling and unprecedented mission – survive and forage enough wild ingredients to create a restaurant worthy, five-star meal. Episodes will culminate in the chefs going head-to-head in a “wilderness kitchen,” using their foraged ingredients and ingenuity to create savory dishes and, ultimately, impress the judges.
The series will be hosted by renowned chef and adventurer Kiran Jethwa. Jethwa will also serve as judge, alongside wild foods expert Valerie Segrest.
“Chefs vs. Wild” is executive produced by Shawn Witt, Gretchen Palek and Jordana Hochman for Leftfield Pictures, Chad Mumm and Mark W. Olsen for Vox Media Studios, and David Chang, Dave O’Connor, Chris Ying and Christopher C. Chen for Majordomo Media. Stephen Rankin serves as showrunner and executive producer.
