MKR judges spill the beans

Gareth Stewart and Ben Bayly admit they had to audition for their place on the TV programme.

The judges of My Kitchen Rules New Zealand talk to Lydia Jenkin about the pressure cooker environment of our newest reality show.

It's one thing to cook up a single plate of food, and deliver it perfectly, but it's another skill all together to be able to replicate that plate for 10 people at the same time, and that's one key piece of advice that newly appointed judges of the My Kitchen Rules New Zealand series, Ben Bayly (The Grove and Baduzzi) and Gareth Stewart (Soul Bar & Bistro), would give to any future contestants.

"When you practice a dish for one, it might come out great, but when you multiply a recipe, or have to do multiple versions of the same thing at the same time, it can be hard to do. It's the same in a commercial kitchen," Bayly explains.

"When I'm doing a tasting for a new dish at Soul, it might be perfect to begin with, but then you try and relay that same recipe onto chefs who are cooking for 20 or 30 portions at a time, it's a different game," Stewart adds. "You have to see how it will work on a bigger scale."

The pair have just plated up an exquisite lunch for us to savour while we chat about the first local season of this hit Australian show, amply proving their own prowess in the kitchen.

The plate is a beautifully balanced combination of pheasant, beetroot, endive, ash baked parsnip, parsnip puree, and cavolo nero, that's both a work of art, and a dream for the tastebuds.

They both run renowned restaurants, so we would expect nothing less, but it's still a pleasure to see these TV judges turn out a truly impressive meal, almost without blinking an eye, and it's good to know their judgment is worthy of seeking.

"When we became chefs 15 years ago, we didn't think this was going to happen, being judges on TV wasn't ever in the plan," Bayly laughs as he gently spoons various delicacies on to the plates. "It's just an opportunity that we've grasped."

The pair did have to audition for the roles - the producers of the show, Imagination TV, who also make MasterChef New Zealand, sent emails to chefs up and down the country inviting them to audition. They were even given lines.

"It's a funny memory process, you go away, read your lines, memorise them, turn up to the audition, and forget them. And just stand there going, 'Ah, can I just have one more look'," laughs Stewart.

"Some of them were cornball, cheesy lines, like "Teams! Welcome to the next phase of the competition. This is where you will face challenges that will push you, test you, and scare you." I'll never forget that line," Bayly adds. "But we mustn't have been too bad."

Everyone auditioned on their own, and then they were paired up to see how different combinations worked, which is where Bayly and Stewart may have had an edge.

"Gareth and I already knew each other, and I think we had a natural chemistry - all those late nights down at Spy Bar worked in our favour," Bayly grins. "We would often hang out after work on New Year's Eve or various other occasions and events, so we knew each other pretty well."

And they've got to know each other even better, spending nearly four months filming together, and getting used to being on a TV set.

"We've gotten into it now, and we've kind of worked out these, almost, characters that we can fall into as the judges," Stewart explains.

Is it good cop, bad cop when they're doing the judging then?

"No, we're both bad cops," he says with a glint in his eye.

Bayly says they have actually tried to loosen up around the contestants, and not keep their death stare on at all times.

Photo / NZ Herald

"When you're in the kitchen normally you have your serious face, your focused face, and I think that means sometimes we unintentionally intimidate the contestants. You know you're looking at what they're doing, watching their every move, and they're looking at you and you have this poker face on. So you want to try and be a bit more open to them, and that's something we've worked on."

However, they are there to judge the food first and foremost, and occasionally to try to heighten the pressure.

"At times, you want to help extract the drama from them," Bayly nods.

"We keep them guessing," Stewart adds. "Give them the stare down, and pretend they've done a really rubbish job, when actually they've smashed it, which is quite entertaining. We had one yesterday that was great."

"Oh yeah yesterday we had a sausage, and when it came down, we both looked at it, and it looked undercooked," Bayly explains. "And we were so scared for them, because they're great chefs, great cooks. But when we cut into it, it was actually perfect."

So how good are the teams, and have the judges had to eat anything truly awful yet?

"They've got various degrees of reality about how good they are," smiles Bayly. "Some people think they're great, and they're not, some people are really humble. In general, they all know their way around a kitchen."

"It's not easy," Stewart adds, "when you're put under pressure, and there's a big clock, and there's cameras in your face. They're all actually doing really well. Of course there are a couple of booboos, but it happens."

"Most of the booboos come about because of that time pressure really, not a lack of knowledge or skill," Bayly agrees.

"Or maybe they've made a bad decision at some point, and they don't have time to fix it."

The pair haven't come across anything they would add to their own restaurant menus yet, but they've certainly eaten some good food, and been reminded of dishes they might not have considered for a while.

"In Hawkes Bay we had a pumpkin pie, and you'll see how it goes on the show, but it just made me want to rework a pumpkin pie for The Grove," Bayly explains. "So we've put it on as a special. It's nothing like the dish they put up, but it did tweak a memory about pumpkin pie, and how pumpkin can make an awesome dessert."

They've also been interested in the different food philosophies each team has brought to the competition, and how they seem to have some strong from-the-heart views they are bringing through in their dishes.

"They think of food as something that nourishes the spirit, not just the body, but the soul too. There's one pair who have a very Steiner-esque philosophy about how food should be prepared and eaten, and that's cool," Bayly explains.

"There's a certain number of people who don't want refined sugar in their lives, and the whole paleo thing, there's a lot of people around who are interested in that stuff, so it's good to take snippets of it into the show. And then we have people who cook heavily from their own culture - the team from the Cook Islands for example."

"They bring in the whole family side of it which is great, they talk about how putting food on the table is part of bringing their family together, and that take you back to what food really is all about - sharing," says Stewart.

Meet the contestants on My Kitchen Rules:

Image 1 of 10: Aaron and Heather - Polynesian Cooks.

If they each had to create their own instant kitchen at home, with dishes to impress 10 guests, the pair both agree they'd cook something that they really love, a dish for which they have great passion.

"Some of the contestants cook things from their motherland, or their family, something they absolutely love, and that shows on the plate, when you love a dish. So it would be something from my heritage and roots," says Stewart, who is from London by way of Jamaica. "Maybe jerk chicken, or curried goat, or some Jamaican-style fish."

Bayly on the other hand, would go straight for dessert.

"I love desserts, so maybe a souffle or something. I'd try to do something that people wouldn't think it was possible to make for 10 people at home. I always love making souffles and stuff like that."

The duo refrain from giving away too many hints about who they think will do well in the competition during the course of our lunch - they wouldn't want to spoil it for everyone, after all. But they did have a couple of pointers for who to watch.

"I think the Wellington area is being well represented," Bayly says thoughtfully.

"And we've also found the male teams - like, we've got a pair of dads - they've been great. Great cooks and great characters. They run companies, so they're very competitive."

Mostly though, the chefs just can't wait for New Zealand to see the show, with all its great Kiwi characters, who have been willing to let the judges, and cameras into their lives for a few weeks.

"It's funny going into people's homes, because you not only see their kitchens, but a snapshot of how they live, and what their values are, the pictures on the wall. It's an honour," says Bayly. "These people are laying a lot on the line to have all these people in their home, so big ups to all of them."

Who: Ben Bayly and Gareth Stewart
What: My Kitchen Rules NZ
Where and when: Screening on TV One at 7.30pm on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights from Sunday August 24.

- TimeOut