Ep 12. Capri

Episode 12 of Kitchen Nightmares season 4 follows Chef Gordon Ramsay as he takes on the challenge of reviving a struggling Italian restaurant located in Eagle Rock, California called Capri.

Upon first sight, Capri seems like a lovely restaurant with dreams of becoming a neighborhood gem. However, as soon as Chef Ramsay walks in, he is greeted with an overwhelming smell of grease and uncleanliness. The kitchen and restaurant are both visually dirty, and Ramsay immediately notices an array of problems that need to be fixed.

In the kitchen, Ramsay is flabbergasted to find pre-made frozen entrees, which is unacceptable for an Italian restaurant. The chef also discovers an alarming amount of cross-contamination going on in the kitchen, including raw chicken being stored with cooked food and sushi being cut on a dirty and unsanitary cutting board. Chef Ramsay also finds expired food, including mushrooms that are two weeks past their expiration date.

To make matters worse, Ramsay's visit coincides with a health inspection, which Capri fails miserably. The restaurant receives a score of just 57 out of 100, which Ramsay describes as one of the lowest scores he has ever seen. The inspector cites several issues with the restaurant, including the presence of rats, improper food storage, and inadequate hand-washing stations.

Ramsay decides to start his renovations with the kitchen. He throws out all of the frozen pre-made meals, and introduces traditional Italian recipes and new ingredients to the menu. During the episode, viewers are treated to a number of mouth-watering dishes, such as lasagna, risotto, and tiramisu. Chef Ramsay is pleased with the progress the kitchen staff is making, particularly when they begin making their own pasta from scratch.

While the kitchen staff is busy learning Chef Ramsay's Italian recipes, the restaurant staff and management are tasked with sprucing up the dining area. Ramsay instructs them to remove the clutter and give the restaurant a more modern and airy feel. The staff starts by painting the restaurant a calming shade of blue and removing some of the dated decor.

Throughout the episode, tensions between Ramsay and the restaurant staff are high. The executive chef is particularly rigid and resistant to change, which Ramsay takes on as a challenge to break through. Ramsay works tirelessly to teach the chef that he needs to have an open mind and make changes to the menu without any excuses. In the end, Chef Ramsay is able to instill confidence and passion into the chef, and the rest of the staff.

During the grand reopening of Capri, Chef Ramsay returns to see how the restaurant has fared. The once-dark and dingy dining area is now a bright, modern space, and the kitchen staff is preparing fresh, traditional dishes using quality ingredients. Ramsay is pleased to see that the management team is much more engaged and invested in the success of the restaurant and he ends the episode confident that Capri will be a success in the years to come.

Overall, Kitchen Nightmares season 4 episode 12: Capri is a rollercoaster of emotions, with tension building up between Chef Ramsay and the restaurant staff, and resolving in a satisfying conclusion. The episode is a testament to Ramsay's ability to navigate a struggling restaurant and steer it towards success, and continues to be a fan-favorite episode of the Kitchen Nightmares series.