Plot Synopsis

Two mothers vie for $3000 cash by competing against each other in the MMTD Kitchen, as their families cheer them on and a judging panel selects a winner. The chefs create two separate meals. In the first round, they whip up their signature dish, with the winner taking home $500. In the main competition, the chefs are given 40 minutes to create a three-course meal, for which they get to choose their third dish but are told what to make for two of the courses, including: squash casserole and green salad; chili and cornbread; crab cakes and fried green tomatoes; fish tacos and coleslaw; baked chicken and yams; stovetop fish and macaroni salad; fried chicken and green beans; and pork chops and greens. During this round, the families participate in short contests in which they can win -- or lose -- time for their matriarch. When time is up, a celebrity and expert judging panel -- in the first episode, the panel included three SOUL FOOD actresses, Malinda Williams, Vanessa Williams and Nicole Ari Parker, and Dr. Jessica B. Harris, an expert in the history of African-American cuisine -- tastes and critiques each meal, awarding $2500 to that round's winning chef.