It’s getting too hot in this kitchen. Conflict came to the galley on Below Deck Down Under in a situation that was already chaotic. Captain Jason Chambers overhead Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph complaining about how he suggested she prepare the crew lunch and he confronted her on the matter in the latest episode.
Tzarina had a sous chef who was in charge of cooking crew food. But since Anthony Bird took another job and left mid-charter, Tzarina was left precariously close to burn-out. In the interest of time management, Jason told her to use guest leftovers for the crew lunch. She had other ideas though.
Jason didn’t want to give Tzarina additional work
E! News shared an exclusive sneak peek of the February 24 episode. It all started when Tzarina asked Jason what she should make for the crew lunch. The charter had ended, and she wanted to go all out and ensure her costars were well-fed.
“What do you want for crew lunch?” she asked.
“Nothing, it’s there,” he replied.
“They’ve got to eat something for the night out,” Tzarina argued. “Last time, they hadn’t sat down and had a proper lunch. It’s a lot for them.”
Jason doubled-down on the plan to use the breakfast food that was left over.
“Well, just put some food out there that can last I suppose, make them some wraps,” he stated. “This is lunch. Turn this into a brunch. That’s fine.”
In a confessional interview, the Australian native pointed to Tzarina losing her sous-chef. He simply wanted her to work effectively.
“I genuinely know Tzarina cares for the crew and for me to say, ‘Don’t feed them, that’s fine,’ that’s against what she would want to do,” he explained. “But she’s just had a problem with her sous chef, it didn’t work out. So, we can support ourselves with the food that’s there. There is enough food there, we’re not going to starve.”
Back in the galley, Tzarina started unloading on chief stew Lara Rigby, who had walked in to check on her. Jason had left but did a turn-around when he heard his name being brought up.
Jason is “not going to put up with it” all season
“Jason’s just pissing me off,” Tzarina complained. “Even though I’ve just done breakfast, now I have to add on to it. So that stuff’s getting cold and now he wants me to make more stuff so people can have brunch after that. I was like, ‘The whole reason we do it after the tip meeting is because we don’t eat on our nights out. So, sometimes 9 o’clock at night and we’re drinking and I’m trying to prevent people from feeling like s–t and being starved.'”
Having heard enough, Jason re-entered the galley to discuss the insubordination. Lara, notably, made a quick exit at that point.
“What’s the problem, Tzarina?” he asked. “It will save you cooking and preparation after tip meeting. I’m more than happy for you to cook after the tip meeting.”
Back in the confessional, Jason advised the chef not to “start picking a fight with me.”
“I’m on your side,” he continued. “I’m here to support you to make your job easier. I’ve given her a solution and then you walk in and you’ve got a problem with what I’m giving? Is this the way it’s going to be all season? No, not gonna put up with it.”
It will be interesting to see how things go in the galley with another sous chef on the way. Certainly, being solo with all the cooking is adding to Tzarina’s stress.
Catch Below Deck Down Under Mondays at 8/7c on Bravo.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE EXCHANGE? HOW DO YOU PREDICT THE SEASON WILL GO FOR TZARINA?
