Long Beach local chef Raquel Fleetwood, founder of Catered by Raquel, will compete as one of only seven contestants in a new global cooking competition set in the United Kingdom called “Five Star Chef,” which will air in the U.S. on Netflix later this month.
A teaser of the show includes Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr., resident chef of London’s high-end Langham hotel, on the hunt for the next “unknown chef, a hidden gem,” who will have the chance to bring their fine-dining concept to the hotel’s Palm Court restaurant.
Like most cooking competitions, Roux, along with pastry chef Ravneet Gill and restaurateur Mike Reid, will assign weekly challenges to the contestants from around the world until one is left standing. The added twist is that contestants will also have to pitch their restaurant concepts.
And while the show will be about the cooking, the five-star experience is just that — an entire experience. That premise should align perfectly with Fleetwood, who built Catered by Raquel on the idea that catering should be an upscale dining experience.
Fleetwood was raised in a Puerto Rican household and has over 15 years of experience as a caterer and private chef. She started cooking at the age of 3, after begging her grandmother to teach her how. On the show, Fleetwood’s dishes will showcase diverse, elevated Puerto Rican cuisine.
“My passion for upscale Puerto Rican cuisine stems from a deep desire to put our culinary heritage on the map,” Fleetwood said in a statement.
The show is currently airing there on Channel 4, but it will be available for local audiences on Netflix on July 14.
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