VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnamese version of reality cooking show MasterChef will be aired on VTV3 from tomorrow night, March 8.

Dishing out advice: Juror Nguyen examines dishes made by a mother and son team. — Photo thethaovanhoa.vn

Auditions and boot camp episodes will provide viewers with a mixture of culinary bliss and gastric repulsion, before the top 20 are whittled down for the finals that begin on April 5.

The show’s copyrights were bought by VTV and BHD Company from Shine International.

VTV representative Lai Van Sam said he and his production group were excited to bring MasterChef to local viewers. He expressed his confidence in the programme’s imminent success, saying that the culinary arts remained one of the most important and universal parts of human life.

Three rounds of auditions were held in Ha Noi, Da Nang and HCM City, drawing hundreds of would-be chefs eager to hear the views of judges Luke Nguyen, Phan Ton Tinh Hai and Hoang Khai.

Vietnamese-Australian chef Luke Nguyen is known as the host of television series Nguyen’s Viet Nam featuring Vietnamese street vendors. He is also the owner of the high-profile Red Lantern restaurant in Sydney and is the author of a number of cook books.

Chef Hai graduated as a Master of Culinary Arts & Nutrition in the US. She is the General Director of Viet Culinary Art and the Director of Mint Culinary School. She has also performed at international chef programmes in the US, Asia and the United Arab Emirates.

Khai, as well as being chairman of the Khaisilk Corporation, is owner of a chain of well-known restaurants such as Au Manoir De Khai and Cham Charm.

Audiences will follow the contestants progress over the course of the show.

At nearly 60 years old, Thuy Hong is the oldest contestant on MasterChef Viet Nam. Having being diagnosed with gout and blood lipids, Hong decided to change her eating habits.

“I want to convey that good cooking is the key to good health,” she said.

Tran Nguyen Giap is a doctor but he shows his passion for cooking and dishes originating from Hue in particular.

“Through my cooking, I want to explain the history and culture of Hue,” he said.

The winner will bring home a cash prize of VND500 million (US$25,000) and a deal for a cookery book.

Starting from a UK television series created in 1990, the show is now produced in more than 35 nations and aired in at least 200 countries. The most popular versions are in the US and Australia.

The third season of MasterChef in the US drew millions of viewers from around the world, and 33-year-old Vietnamese-American visually impaired chef Christine Ha netted the top prize.

Source: VNS