KITCHEN NIGHTMARES: CAMPANIA (TV)
Summary
One in this reality television series featuring acclaimed chef Gordon Ramsay, who spends each week attempting to revitalize a failing restaurant.
Joe Cerniglia, owner and head chef of the Italian restaurant “Campania” in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, is in dire straits. Over his eighteen-month ownership period of the restaurant, he has driven himself deep into debt and it seems unlikely that “Campania” will last much longer. The long wait times at the restaurant do not help matters much either. Furthermore, the staff seems to be far too easygoing; the kitchen is rife with laughter, joking, and fooling around.
Ramsay arrives and sets to work. Upon ordering his meal he is displeased, both with the quality of the meal and the behavior he observes in the kitchen. Cerniglia is dismayed at Ramsay’s observations, and begins to regret allowing him in. The next day, Ramsay inspects “Campania’s” food stores, finding that they are dangerously overstocked, wasting money. That night, when the staff begins to slack off, Ramsay gathers them all and forces Cerniglia to let a few of them go. Ramsay also observes that “Campania’s” food is not only unpalatable, but the portions are too large to effectively maintain. When Ramsay sits Cerniglia down to point out the problem with his portion size, he gets upset and argues.
The next day, Ramsay visits Cerniglia’s family and gets an impression of the importance of “Campania” to him. He assures his wife that “Campania” can still be saved. Afterwards, Ramsay gives advice to the staff about food preparation and presentation. He sets out to make meatballs the new signature dish of “Campania,” even going so far as to help the staff advertise on the street their proclamation of having “New Jersey’s Best Meatballs.”
Ramsay shows the staff “Campania’s” new look and new condensed menu in preparation for its re-opening. A new oven is installed; the restaurant even has new plates to reflect its new, reasonable portion sizes. The wait staff is motivated by Ramsay’s “bingo” system, which encourages them to sell as wide a variety of menu items as possible for a prize. That night, “Campania” re-opens. At first, all seems to be going well. However, a few customers complain, prompting Ramsay and Cerniglia to talk them down. Eventually, two customers argue in the parking lot, where it is broken up by local police.
The rest of the night seems to go smoothly. After closing, Ramsay gathers the staff and congratulates them for a job well done. The following days see “Campania” continuing in its success. Ramsay, his job finished, says farewell by inviting the staff to break “Campania’s” old, large plates, symbolic of their new direction. Afterwards he and Cerniglia part ways on much better terms than when they started.
Details
- NETWORK: FOX
- DATE: November 28, 2007 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:44:20
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:91626
- GENRE: Reality
- SUBJECT HEADING: Reality; Cooking
- SERIES RUN: FOX- TV series, 2007-2014
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Arthur Smith … Executive Producer
- Kent Weed … Executive Producer
- Gerry McKean … Executive Producer
- Patricia Llewellyn … Executive Producer
- Curt Northrup … Executive Producer
- Simeon Soffer … Coordinating Producer
- Amy Wruble … Supervising Producer
- Rob Buchta … Supervising Producer
- Cherisse Corbin … Associate Producer
- Vanessa Ranko … Associate Producer
- Rebecca Wintson … Associate Producer
- Alexandra Rojas … Segment Producer
- Brad Kreisberg … Director
- Gordon Ramsay … Cast, Himself
- J. V. Martin … Voice, Narrator
- Joe Cerniglia … Cast