Yes, Chef! Episode 8 Recap: Martha Stewart introduced a twist where chefs could only guide their students

The latest Yes, Chef! Episode 8 aired on June 16, 2025. It featured an exciting twist where chefs were not supposed to "touch" or "cook" but only instruct their assigned students.

After Martha revealed the twist, they all got started with the first challenge, which Chef Lee and his student, Jack, won. Yes, Chef! Episode 8 also featured an elimination challenge between Chefs Zain and Petrina. The episode ended with Chef Petrina going home.

NBC describes Yes, Chef! Episode 8 as:

"The chefs make a dish worthy of a high-end restaurant that shows off their creativity and technique, but they won't be cooking these dishes themselves; will the chefs' high standards hinder their success, or will their futures be left to fate?"

Yes, Chef! Episode 8 Recap: Students prepare the dishes while Chefs work on their mentorship

The latest Yes, Chef! Episode 8 featured five finalists: Emily Brubaker, Jake Lawler, Zain Ismail, Lee Frank, and Petrina Peart. They participated in the semi-final challenge with a twist. One of the judges, Martha Stewart, announced the twist:

"These students will cook your recipes, you can only guide them - no tasting, no touching, and they'll only say "Yes, Chef" or "No, Chef."

As fans already know, chefs have their own way of doing things, starting from chopping to how they want to prepare certain things. But this challenge was to see how chefs perform while their recipe is being prepared by someone other than themselves. It was all about seeing their patience.

"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. This is the biggest test for me so far," confessed Chef Lee.

Chef Zain was paired with Keana, who prepared spiced lamb chops with pumpkin puree and tamarind-ginger glaze. Chef Petrina's student was Ajay, 22. He prepared a vegan dish. It was surf and turf, king trumpet mushrooms with fried nori and maitake duxelle.

For Chef Lee, his student was Jack, 22. He prepared cauliflower puree with pomme paillasson and blackberry cream. Chef Emily was paired with 25-year-old Mukund. They prepared tiger prawn in beurre monté. Along with that, they also had fennel royale and caviar.

Chef Jake had Cameron, a 24-year-old student. Their dish was venison loin, served with romanesco, maitake, and cranberry dust.

Yes, Chef! Episode 8 featured Chef Lee winning the MVC - Most Valuable Chef title. It was because his student, Jack, prepared an excellent dish which the judges appreciated. After he won the MVC title, he had the choice to make two chefs for the elimination challenge. He chose Chef Petrina and Chef Zain.

Moving forward with the "losing control" theme for the episode, judges mentioned Russian roulette for the ingredients for the upcoming challenge. Chef Zain got American cheese while Petrina got Wagyu beef as their ingredients.

Fans must remember that Zain is lactose intolerant, while Petrina generally prefers to cook vegetarian dishes, but does include beef as an ingredient.

For the challenge, Chef Petrina prepared chai-spiced and tonka bean wagyu accompanied by pan-fried potatoes.

"I loved the pan sauce, but I think using tonka beans on Wagyu beef is a giant mistake," said Martha Stewart.

Chef Zain prepared New York strip and American cheese potato puree. One of the judges, Jose, thought Zain prepared the beef better than his competitor, while he was "underwhelmed" by the presentation.

Yes, Chef! Episode 8 ended with Chef Zain winning the elimination challenge. It meant the end of the road for Chef Petrina, as she was eliminated.

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Fans can stream Yes, Chef! Episode 8 on Peacock.

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