The WorkShop Content Studios has entered into a partnership with Chef Amanda Freitag, author and TV personality to co-produce a new competition cooking series, "Chef Swap at the Beach." Keystone Pictures is also a production partner for the six-part series which is slated to premiere on 1st October at 7PM ET/4PM PT on Cooking Channel. “'Chef Swap at the Beach' is truly the result of combining awesome parts – the diversity and quality of the Myrtle Beach restaurant scene, hot competition, great chefs and, of course, Amanda aboard as host of the series," The WorkShop Content Studios’ CEO and Executive Producer Tom Farrell, said. "She’s a triple threat with her vast knowledge and experiences across the culinary universe, her vast TV hosting appearances and her pure electric personality. I’m beyond thrilled to be partnering with Amanda, a perfectionist in all she does, and the great team at Keystone Pictures to bring this show to life.”
Chef Freitag has worked in various New York City restaurants, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Vong, Verbena, Il Buco, Cesca, and The Harrison, running the culinary gamut of Mediterranean, Italian and Classic American. She sharpened her skills through world travel, including working under Chef Alain Passard in Paris. She is well known for being a judge on Food Network’s Chopped and has appeared on Iron Chef America, Next Iron Chef, Unique Eats, Beat Bobby Flay, Tournament of Champions, to name a few. Her mission to make cooking more approachable inspired her cookbook The Chef Next Door. Most recently, she launched a digital series called Easy AF, where she shows audiences that delicious food can be fun, easy, and quick to make right in your home kitchen.
In addition to working with Chef Freitag on Chef Swap, The WorkShop Content Studios has developed and or produced content projects with numerous celebrities including Rickie Fowler, Charles Barkley, Ray Romano, Adam Levine, and Olympic Champion Michael Phelps, to name just a few. Under the leadership of Mr. Farrell, who founded the company nearly a decade ago, series and specials from The WorkShop have ranged from Novak for Amazon Prime, Trading Spaces for TLC, The Haney Project for Golf Channel, True North for PBS & Amazon Prime, and Netflix’s documentary series, Basketball or Nothing. Basketball or Nothing was Emmy Nominated alongside Hard Knocks and Last Chance U for Outstanding Serialized Sports Documentary.
"Chef Swap at the Beach" is currently being filmed in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, featuring Chef Amanda Freitag on a mission to uncover the best culinary talent in town. In each episode two noted Myrtle Beach restaurant head chefs will trade kitchens and compete in an unfamiliar venue with the other chef’s staff to create a winning dish. In the battle, both head chefs will need to quickly bond with their new teams, experiment with new ingredients and do it all in another chef’s kitchen. Also they will need to be creative, learning on the fly to develop and execute the winning dish while cooking a completely new cuisine – the one for which the other chef has built their restaurant’s reputation.
The chefs are required to report their progress on the way. Finally, their entrees will be judged by Chef Freitag and two of her fellow culinary experts including Myrtle Beach’s own Dylan Foster and Johanna Wilson Jones. “I am excited to be in partnership with The WorkShop and Keystone Pictures to bring our vision of a real-life culinary competition to fruition," Remarked Chef Freitag said. "I know first-hand how hard it is to cook in another chef’s restaurant kitchen from my own personal experience. I love seeing these talented chefs shine and pushing them to their best in an unfamiliar environment. It’s suspenseful, anxiety-inducing and emotional to watch as the chefs struggle to beat their peers and create a menu worthy dish on the fly. Any restaurant chef or viewer will be able to relate to the pressure of the clock and the desire to be the best!”