By Mia Castillo
Selena Gomez‘s new cooking show, Selena + CHEF premiered on HBO Max on August 13th. The series is executive produced by Gomez for July Moon Productions, along with executive producers Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman and Leah Hariton. The unscripted 10-episode cooking series features the multi-platinum selling recording artist, actress, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist as she navigates unfamiliar territory: making delicious meals while stuck at home in quarantine.
Each episode will highlight a food-related charity, and this casual, funny and informative series will embrace both the struggle and the joy of learning to cook — while inviting audiences to follow along at home. The world-renowned chefs featured during the season includes Angelo Sosa, Antonia Lofaso, Candice Kumai, Daniel Holzman, Jon & Vinny, Ludo Lefebvre, Nancy Silverton, Nyesha Arrington, Roy Choi and Tonya Holland.
“Having some of the best chefs open up their kitchens to me was a humbling and fun experience. I definitely discovered I have a lot more to learn,” Gomez said. “I’m also really happy that we were able to highlight and raise money for some incredible charitable organizations.”
Since social distancing at home, Gomez has been spending more time in the kitchen than she ever imagined. Despite her many talents, it remains to be seen if cooking is one of them. In each episode of this unapologetically authentic cookalong, Gomez, with the support of her Quaranteam, is joined remotely by a different master chef.
Gomez continues to diversify her portfolio. Along with her impressive acting credits such as the The Big Short (2015) and The Dead Don’t Die (2019), Gomez has added exec-producer to her list of accomplishments with the hit Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why and the critically acclaimed Netflix docu series Living Undocumented.
This project marks the second collaboration between IPC’s Holzman and Saidman and Gomez following the last year’s groundbreaking, six-part docuseries Living Undocumented, which the three executive produced and Saidman also co-directed.
You can watch Selena + CHEF on HBO Max on beginning August 13th.