AustLit

The Cooks, a 13-part series made for Network Ten, centres on the relationships between the staff of rival restaurants. The series first went into production in October 2003 after the screening of the telemovie Temptation, on which it is based, in August. Episode one was screened on Network Ten 18 October 2004. Only one season of the series was produced, the final episode was screened 2 July 2005. The series was also screened in Canada.

'The Cooks begins with the return of Gabe Francobelli (Toby Schmitz) 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 (Rhondda Findleton) and Gabe's former classmate and lover Ruth (Kate Atkinson). With help from two of his best mates Sachin (Nicholas Brown) and Dishpig (Leon Ford), 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.'

Source: Network Ten publicity, October 16, 2003 (Sighted 27/01/12)