"Look like musical conductors" — Yes, Chef! host José Andrés reacts as mentors balance cooking and teaching in real time

Aired on June 16, 2025, the latest episode of Yes, Chef! delivered a shift in format as José Andrés and Martha throw a kitchen curveball: the chefs must step aside and rely on students to cook their most complex dishes, with only 10 minutes to prepare them. This high-stakes mentoring challenge prompted José to observe,

“The chefs look like musical conductors,” as they directed, instructed, and guided without touching the food themselves.

The episode explored how contestants manage the pressure of teaching in real time while preserving their culinary standards.

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Chefs mentor while off the line on Yes, Chef!

The Yes, Chef! challenge required the chefs to lead from behind, handing over full execution to their mentees. José described the setup clearly,

“Here you have chefs mentoring future chefs.”

In this format, the chefs must articulate every dish detail while keeping their students focused and calm during the cooking process. It became an exercise in clarity, patience, and real-time adaptation. Martha noted the pressure placed on the students,

“While they're extremely nervous about making a good dish,” underscoring the difficulty of performing in a competition kitchen.

Lee, in a confessional, acknowledged the complete dependency on his mentee,

“I could not have picked a worse time to try to pull this dish off. I’m literally relying on him 100%.”

The episode highlighted the transition from cook to coach, forcing each contestant to evaluate their ability to teach and guide, rather than perform tasks themselves.

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Stress management and communication under pressure

The format added tension as chefs must guide others through advanced cooking techniques without direct involvement. José reflected on the realities of kitchen work, describing it as a "very, very hard job" in response to Martha's question about handling pressure in the past.

Lee, in a Yes, Chef! confessional, shared his experience managing stress, recalling,

“I once threw a kid out the back door, told him he would never work in the industry again. It's something I definitely regret.”

He framed this task as a personal test, explaining that if he could "get through" the challenge without completely losing his composure, he considered that a win. Jake also shared the emotional impact of the setup, stating in a confessional:

“It's definitely really stressful putting my dish in somebody else's hands.”

However, he also expressed a level of confidence in the student’s capabilities, highlighting that he is "feeling confident" in her palate, which helped put him more at ease.

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Teaching approaches influence outcomes

Chef Emily approached the challenge by shifting her mindset into one centered on patience and enjoyment. She stated in her confessional,

“With this challenge, I need to look at this the way a child looks at learning. I need to make this fun.”

Drawing from her experience as a parent, she explained that she considered herself "a good teacher" and mentioned having two children who enjoy cooking. For her, managing stress in the kitchen was key, stating,

“This experience of Yes, Chef! is making me a lot more patient. Because if I stress them out, I'm going to lose.”

José responded to her teaching style by highlighting the nurturing approach of Chef Emily. He described the kitchen dynamic as similar to the scene of a "symphony" with coordinated movements and verbal cues across stations.

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Yes, Chef! is available for streaming anytime on Peacock.