The Cooks: episode guide


Nights Of Living Dangerously

Episode 01
Australia: Monday, October 18, 2004 (Ten, 9.30pm)
Canada: Saturday, April 09, 2005 (Showcase)

The Cooks begins with the return of Gabe Francobelli a young hot-shot chef who comes back to Sydney’s inner-west after a year away working in the top kitchens of Europe. Gabe is shocked to find his family restaurant has closed down, having lost the battle to rival restaurant "R & R" run by Rita and Gabe’s former classmate and lover Ruth. Life is pretty good for the staff of R&R restaurant. With no real competition on their strip, their restaurant is now a year old and a success. That is until the arrival of Gabe. With help from two of his best mates, Sachin and Dishpig, Gabe reinvents his family restaurant renaming it "Snatch and Grab" and throws down the gauntlet to the girls. The battle of the restaurants begins: Classmate vs Classmate. Lover vs Lover. Boys vs Girls.

Guest Cast: Sophia Irvine as Rosie, Zoe Naylor as Janie, Lindsey Wallington as Fi, Keith Robinson as Health inspector, Stephen Leeder as The Critic

Note: after debuting to a national audience of just 485,000 viewers, Ten moved the series out of primetime.

Desiree

Episode 02
Australia: Thursday, October 28, 2004 (10.30pm)
Canada: Saturday, April 16, 2005
Written by Andrew Kelly
Directed by Brendan Maher

The competition between the two restaurants hots up, as the new, remodelled Snatch and Grab takes off, and R&Rs business begins to suffer. While Gabe initially wins accolades for his cuisine, his ego takes a battering when a local newspaper publishes a review that is anything but flattering

Guest Cast: Sophia Irvine as Rosie, Lindsey Wallington as Fi, Charlie Hopkins as Felix, Lynne Murphy as Bag Lady, William Upjohn as Price, Will Hock as R&R Waiter, Mark Bower as Actuary, Gillian Stratham as Ruth Double

The Olive Garden

Episode 03
Australia: Thursday, November 04, 2004
Canada: Saturday, April 23, 2005
Written by Emily Ballou
Directed by Ian Watson

The passionate relationship between Sachin and Carmelita is tested. Meanwhile, Gabe is beginning to realise that running a restaurant and being a single father might be too much to handle.

Guest Cast: Sophia Irvine as Rosie, Lindsey Wallington as Fi, Charlie Hopkins as Felix, Loene Carmen as Leslie, Tamara Cook as Jude, Elizabeth Maywald as Lucy, John O’Hare as Annoying Customer, Bridgid Kitchen as Mother, Daisy Tester as Date No. 1, Nancy Siler as Date No. 3

Swimming Upstream

Episode 04
Australia: Thursday, November 11, 2004
Canada: Saturday, April 30, 2005
Written by Tim Pye
Directed by Tony Tilse

Sexual longing for Gabe, and her passion for food combine in Ruth’s dreams to produce a new salmon dish. Despite Gabe’s denials, Ruth sees this as a move for the two to be reunited and refuses to accept Gabe’s pleas to meet him half-way. Raffa moves in with Gabe and Rosie but a past relationship is not ready to be out of the picture. Dishpig's participation in a single's night at R&R looks promising until Gabe swoops in on his date.

Guest Cast: Sophia Irvine as Rosie, Gyton Grantley as Danny, Richard Gyoerffy as Jimmy, Olivia Pigeot as Sarah, Keith Scott as Wildlife Narrator, Lindsey Wallington as Fi (uncredited)

Waltzing Sakamoto

Episode 05
Australia: Thursday, November 18, 2004
Canada: Saturday, May 07, 2005
Written by Andrew Kelly
Directed by Ian Gilmour

Dishpig is experiencing something of a meltdown. The combination of Ruth’s rejection of his advances and Gabe stealing his girl has flushed out all his deepest insecurities.

Special Guest: Bille Brown as Colin
Guest Cast: Matt Passmore as Jake, Lindsey Wallington as Fi, Charlie Hopkins as Felix, Claudia Gutierrez as Dancing Girl, Fiona Nash as Linda, Mark Slater as Paul, Murray Harman as Courier 1, Kosta Doukas as Courier 2

Note: Andrew Kelly was nominated for a 2004 Australian Writers’ Guild award for this episode’s script

The Gingerbread Man

Episode 06
Australia: Thursday, November 25, 2004
Canada: Saturday, May 14, 2005
Written by Sue Smith
Directed by Brendan Maher

Gabe and Raffa learn that Rosie is being ostracised by her friends because her mother is "crazy". In an attempt to cheer her up, everyone pitches in to organise a fabulous karaoke party for her ninth birthday. Ruth 'bones up" on her sexual techniques after beign propositioned by a local radio host

Guest Cast: Sophia Irvine as Rosie, Matt Passmore as Jake, Robert Mammone as Michael, Lindsey Wallington as Fi, Tamara Cook as Jude, Elizabeth Maywald as Lucy, Clodagh Crowe as Linda, Bruce Wyatt as Soccer Father, Ivy Latimer as Isabella, Melanie Villareal as Kissing Girl, Dion Mihajlovski as Kissing Boy

Beef With You

Episode 07
Australia: Thursday, December 02, 2004
Canada: Saturday, May 21, 2005
Written by Emily Ballou
Directed by Tony Tilse

When, through the influence of Ruth's "tame" DJ, R&R begins to edge ahead of Snatch and Grab, Gabe and his team decide they need some publicity of their own. Sachin is invited to appear on Good Morning Australia. But while he has visions of becoming the next Jamie Oliver, he may be in for a rude shock. In the meantime, Carmelita's residency application has been rejected. She can't find a way to tell Sachin and after confiding in Dishpig, he asks Carmelita to marry him so that she can remain in the country. Will she agree to a marriage of convenience and, if so, what will the great love of her life—Sachin—have to say about it?

Guest Cast: Sophia Irvine as Rosie, Robert Mammone as Michael, Lindsey Wallington as Fi, Tamara Cook as Jude, Elizabeth Maywald as Lucy, Winston Cooper as Anthony, Damon Herriman as Nigel, Craig Curran as Immigration Officer, and Bert Newton as himself

Beer And Skittles

Episode 08
Australia: Thursday, December 09, 2004
Canada: Saturday, May 28, 2005
Written by Tim Pye
Directed by Tony Tilse

A former mentor and, it turns out, lover of Rita's comes to town to conduct a cooking master class. This man, Rita assures everyone, is a food genius, and so R&R will host the class. But George Bolley is not the man Rita once knew. Meanwhile, plans for the marriage of convenience of Carmelita and Dishpig are well under way as Dishpig introduces Carmelita to his mother, but is Carmelita getting much more than she bargained for?

Special Guests: Jeanie Drynan as Leanne, Tiriel Mora as George
Guest Cast: Sophia Irvine as Rosie, Matt Passmore as Jake, Robert Mammone as Michael, Lindsey Wallington as Fi, Leonid Dobrinski as Taxi Driver, Eden Falk as Student

Blood And Chocolate

Episode 09
Australia: Thursday, December 16, 2004
Canada: Saturday, June 04, 2005
Written by Blake Ayshford
Directed by Ian Watson

Gabe and Raffa go camping with Rosie but the idilic family outing comes to a quick end when Gabe discovers Raffa has forgotten her medication. Inspired by his new-found "relationship" with Carmelita, Dishpig undergoes a transformation. Ruth finally makes the decision to pursue a relationship with Gabe who, unbeknownst to her, has decided to get back together with Raffa.

Special Guest: Jeanie Drynan as Leanne
Guest Cast: Sophia Irvine as Rosie, Robert Mammone as Michael, Tim McKenzie as Paul, Loren Piefke as Delivery Girl, Gianni Corvetti as Taxi Driver

Hole Lotta Love

Episode 10
Australia: Thursday, December 23, 2004
Canada: Saturday, June 11, 2005
Written by Alice Addison
Directed by Ian Watson

R&R restaurant is raided by the Department of Immigration, and terrified of something going wrong, Carmelita brings forward the date of her wedding to Dishpig.

Special Guest: Jeanie Drynan as Leanne

Guest Cast: Sophia Irvine as Rosie, Matt Passmore as Jake, Lindsey Wallington as Fi, Emily Russell as Jeannie, Phil Lye as DIMIA Officer, Zoe Tuckwell-Smith as Anna, Lisa Moir as Celebrant, Alex Toohey as Tony the Barman, Michael "Nelly" Collins as Rita Fire Double

Heart Of Marshmallow

Episode 11
Australia: Thursday, December 30, 2004
Canada: Saturday, June 18, 2005
Written by Emily Ballou
Directed by Ian Gilmour

Rita is on cloud nine with Jake so much so, that she takes her eye off the ball. Two influential celebrities have chosen to dine at R&R on their wedding anniversary, and have asked Rita to prepare a special heart-shaped dessert for the occasion. Gabe's inability to pay Dishpig his wags results in a one-man workers' revolt.

Guest Cast: Sophia Irvine as Rosie, Matt Passmore as Jake, Lindsey Wallington as Fi, Peter Mochrie as Bill Albright, Joy Smithers as Freya Davies, Lynden Jones as Architect, Amanda Tolnay as Delivery Woman, Benito Di Fenzo as Delivery Guy, Michelle Cave as Architect's PA, Natarsha Belling as herself

Honey and Wounds

Episode 12
Australia: Thursday, January 06, 2005
Canada: Saturday, June 25, 2005
Written by Blake Ayshford
Directed by Ian Watson

Carmelita and Dishpig prepare to face a series of interviews at the Immigration Department, in which they must prove the legitimacy of their marriage.

Special Guest: Jeanie Drynan as Leanne
Guest Cast: Sophia Irvine as Rosie, Lindsey Wallington as Fi, Charlie Hopkins as Felix, Michelle Doake as Interviewer, Justin Monjo as TV Evangelist, Alan Blinder as Guest

Sticky

Episode 13 (finale)
Australia: Thursday, January 13, 2005
Canada: Saturday, July 02, 2005
Written by Sue Smith
Directed by Tony Tilse

During the "Cooks of 2000" cooking school reunion, various relationships come to the boil, and in one long night of very hard partying, some decisions are made that will change lives forever.

Guest Cast: Sophia Irvine as Rosie, Matt Passmore as Jake, Robert Mammone as Michael, Rachel Gordon as Annette, Claire Quinn as Journo, Scott MacRae as Boy #1, Daniel Jackson as Boy #2, Matt Levett as Boy #3, Sam Galea as Karl, Philippa Dennis as Natasha Kerry