australian television information archive

Nights Of Living Dangerously

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.

Desiree

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

The Olive Garden

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.

Swimming Upstream

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.

Waltzing Sakamoto

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.

The Gingerbread Man

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

Beef With You

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?

Beer And Skittles

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?

Blood And Chocolate

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.

Hole Lotta Love

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.

Heart Of Marshmallow

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.

Honey and Wounds

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

Sticky

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.