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The Restaurant is reality television programme produced by Vision Independent Productions in Ireland. The series first premiered on public service broadcaster RTÉ One where it ran for eight seasons. After a six-year hiatus, the show was renewed by the TV3 Group. The show aired its ninth season on TV3 (now known as "Virgin Media One") from January 2015.

Format and history

The show premiered on RTÉ One in the 2000s. It ran for eight seasons on the public service broadcaster, then, after a six-year hiatus, the show was recommissioned by the TV3 Group. A ninth season aired on TV3 Ireland in 2015.

Each episode features a different head chef, usually claimed to have some sort of celebrity background. Sometimes politicians would participate: among them Enda Kenny (before he was Taoiseach), Ruairi Quinn (before he was Education Minister, but after everything else), Michael Healy-Rae (before he was even a TD) and Alan Shatter (after he was Justice Minister).

RTÉ version

When it aired on RTÉ, The Restaurat proved to be a very successful format often beating even the likes of Neven Maguire and Donal Skehan's cookery shows in the ratings.

Each episode saw a celebrity head chef taking on the culinary challenge of producing a full three-course meal with two wines. This meal was then served to the restaurant's customers and the resident critics, Tom Doorley and Paolo Tullio, who were joined each week by a guest critic.

When it was on RTÉ, the head chef arrived on location at 10:00 on the day of filming and immediately began working with the team. The head chef's first task was to describe their own menu to the kitchen staff. The head chef worked with Workovich on starters, McAllister on the main courses and Lennox on desserts. They prepared their meal until 18:30 and diners entered the restaurant at 19:00. The head chef left the kitchen at 22:00 to reveal their identity to the dining room. The chef's identity remained a secret to those being served their food until the end of the show, when all had been eaten. The critics gave the meal a star rating of between one and five, which was then pulled from an envelope after the head chef joined the critics' table.

The Restaurant on RTÉ was voiced over by Seán Moncrieff and the restaurant was manned by John Healy, Maitre'D; the kitchen staff, chefs David Workowich, Stephen McAllister and Louise Lennox and food researcher, Stephen Quin, and waiting staff, waitress, Elaine Normile and waiters, Lee Bradshaw and Vivian Reynolds.

During its original run on RTÉ The Restaurant moved location to County Westmeath, where filming took place at Wineport Lodge overlooking Lough Ree, in Glassan village.

RTÉ also published The Restaurant – The Magazine, which included images and recipes from the series.

In what was possibly or must have probably been RTÉ Series 1–5, head chefs Roddy Collins and Bill Hughes received two stars in a New Year's Eve special. Head chef Twink received four stars in a Christmas special. Head chef Tracy Piggott received five stars, head chef Celia Larkin received two stars, head chef Joe Duffy received four stars, head chef Paul Costelloe received four stars, head chef Ted Walsh received three stars, head chef Anna Nolan received four stars, head chefs George Hook and Brent Pope received three stars, head chef Gillian Bowler received five stars, head chef Gavin Lambe Murphy received three stars, head chef Leo Enright received three stars, head chef Caroline Morahan received four stars, head chef Diarmuid Gavin received four stars, head chef Cathy Kelly received four stars, head chef Simon Delaney received two stars, head chef Dermot O'Neill received five stars, head chef Enda Kenny received two stars, head chef Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh received two stars, head chef Jon Kenny received two stars, head chef Peter Kelly received three stars, head chef Dana received three stars, head chef Helen Dillon received three stars, head chef Mary Kingston received four stars, head chef Eanna Ní Lamhna received three stars, head chef Ruairi Quinn received three stars, head chef Amanda Brunker received five stars, head chef Bill Cullen received four stars, head chef John Waters received two stars, head chef Tom McGurk received three stars, head chef Lisa Burke received four stars, head chef Tony Fenton received four stars, head chef John McGuire received three stars, head chef Ruth Scott received three stars. Deceased RTÉ talent to have never appeared include Gay Byrne and (possibly) Marian Finucane. There was an episode with Tommie Gorman as head chef somewhere. did Miriam ever Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh? Charlie Bird George Lee

In what was possibly or must have probably been RTÉ Series 6, head chef Gerald Kean received four stars, head chef Ray D'Arcy - who it must be noted was not actually working for RTÉ at the time but with Today FM - received three stars, head chef Pamela Flood received three stars, head chef Keith Barry received two stars, head chef Kevin Myers received five stars, and head chef Mary Wilson received three stars.

The seventh series began on 16 November 2008, running on Sundays at 20:30. RTÉ had eight series in total. In the opening episode of RTÉ Series 7 (broadcast on 16 November 2008), head chef Michael Healy-Rae received three stars. In the second episode of RTÉ Series 7 (broadcast on 23 November 2008), head chef Jessica Kürten received two stars. In the third episode of RTÉ Series 7 (broadcast on 30 November 2008), head chef Des Cahill received five stars. In the fourth episode of RTÉ Series 7 (broadcast on 7 December 2008), head chef Dominic Mafham received four stars. In the fifth episode of RTÉ Series 7 (broadcast on 14 December 2008), head chef Ciara O'Callaghan received four stars. In the sixth episode of RTÉ Series 7 (broadcast on 21 December 2008), head chef Dermot Bannon received five stars. In the Christmas special broadcast on 28 December 2008, there was a 5 Star Cook-off between Tracy Piggott and Kevin Myers. Then head chef Frank McNamara received two stars. Then head chef Kate O'Toole received four stars.

In RTÉ Series 8, head chef Angeline Ball received five stars, in what was the last RTÉ episode. Head chefs who have since died include Tony Fenton and Jon Kenny.

Commercial TV revival

The series returned on TV3 on 7 January 2015. The programme was sponsored by Aldi and again voiced by Seán Moncrieff. The six-part series was filmed at Wineport Lodge in Glasson, County Westmeath in November 2014, with each episode running to one hour. The regular food critics are Paolo Tullio and Tom Doorley, along with a guest critic each week.

• 7 January – Alan Shatter received 4 stars
• 14 January – Jackie Lavin received 2 stars
• 21 January – Andrew Trimble received 3 stars.
• 28 January – Marie Cassidy received 4 stars.
• 4 February – Rozanna Purcell received 4 stars.
• 11 February – Sharon Shannon received 3 stars.

A new season began airing on TV3 on 10 February 2016. Marco Pierre White's Courtyard Restaurant in Donnybrook was the new venue for the show, and Marco Pierre White also guested for the series as one of the judges alongside Tom Doorley, replacing Paolo Tullio who died in 2015.

• 10 February 2016 – Rory Cowan
• 17 February 2016 – Eva Orsmond
• 24 February 2016 – Nathan Carter – received 3 stars
• 2 March 2016 – Kevin Kilbane - received 4 stars
• 9 March 2016 – Pippa O'Connor - received 4 stars
• 16 March 2016 – Seán Gallagher - received 3 stars

• Maria Walsh
• Ken Doherty received 4 stars.

• Una Healy received one star.
• Maura Derrane

International versions

The format is sold internationally by Vision Independent Productions under the title The Secret Chef. It has had three seasons in Italy.

References

1. "Vision Independent Productions".
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External links

• The Restaurant at virginmediatelevision.ie

• 2000s Irish television series
• 2010s Irish television series
• Irish reality television series
• Irish television news shows
• RTÉ original programming
• Virgin Media Television (Ireland) original programming