Celebrity chef and actor Ranveer Brar has opened up about the philosophy driving his new food quiz-based streaming show 'Yess Chef', describing it as a deliberate attempt to make food knowledge as casual and engaging as conversations about cricket or Bollywood. The show, available on Ranveer's YouTube channel, reportedly crossed close to a million views within 24 hours of launch.

The Idea Behind 'Yess Chef'

Speaking during promotional events in the Andheri West area of Mumbai, Brar explained that the show grew out of an informal gathering of close friends. 'The show is made with friends. Friends were called and told that I want to do something new. I asked them, ‘Will you come?’, and no one refused, everyone came. After, we named the show ‘Yess Chef’,' he said.

The show features actor and comedian Zakir Khan and his brother Zeeshan, along with actors Angad Bedi and Aparshakti Khurana — all from Brar's personal circle in the entertainment industry.

Why Food Knowledge Needs a Makeover

Brar's central argument is that food literacy is treated with an unnecessary seriousness that keeps it inaccessible. 'We make the knowledge of cricket cool. Friends sit together and talk about cricket in college, and it sounds so cool. We make the knowledge of Bollywood cool but we make the food knowledge serious. We need to make food knowledge cool,' he said.

He envisions the show as something families and friend groups can engage with together — 'You can play this food-related quiz in such a living room among four friends' — positioning it as interactive entertainment rather than a straightforward culinary education format.

Early Reception and Viewership

The initial response has been striking. Brar noted that the show was on course to touch a million views within roughly 24 hours of its release. 'If we are getting a million views in an hour's episode, then we have got a lot of love,' he said. The strong opening suggests an appetite for food content that leans into entertainment rather than instruction.

Brar's Broader Philosophy on Fresh Food

Separately, Brar has been vocal about everyday food practices, arguing that the rise of quick-commerce delivery apps has eroded the culture of fresh shopping. 'All of us have stopped going to the vegetable market. The 10-minute apps have changed the culture of shopping from vegetable markets. When you see fresh vegetables on the whole cart, you understand the value of fresh food,' he said.

He also cautioned against over-relying on refrigerators, arguing that cooking only what one needs reduces food waste and, he suggested, mental clutter: 'The refrigerator is equivalent to the tension in the mind.' This comes amid growing national attention on food safety, with Maharashtra witnessing a series of regulatory crackdowns in recent months.

With 'Yess Chef' now live, Brar appears to be using mainstream entertainment formats to bring food conversations to a wider, younger audience — a space no major Indian creator has fully occupied yet.