ROME — The Food Network’s “Restaurant: Impossible” will be coming to the Mohawk Valley next month to revamp The Balanced Chef on West Dominick Street in Rome.

Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine will visit the local eatery on Wednesday, Nov. 9, with a goal of upgrading the restaurant for a grand reopening on Thursday, Nov. 10.

The public will have two opportunities to dine at the restaurant during filming — once around lunch on Wednesday, and again around dinner the next day to experience the restaurant’s changes.

If you are interested in making a reservation at The Balanced Chef for either service, please email the Restaurant: Impossible production at: reservationsimpossible@gmail.com by Monday, Nov. 7, at noon (PST). Please use the following in your subject line: 2026 / THE BALANCED CHEF RESERVATIONS. Include your contact information (full name, email address, cell number), your party size (number of people at your table), and the names of the people in your party. Reservations are available for Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 11 a.m. and Thursday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m.

This event is first come first serve by email reservation.

Guests must take a rapid Covid test on the day of dining and sign an appearance release form.

Production will be covering the cost of the lunch meal, but guests must pay their own bill for the dinner.

All participants must be at least 8 years old.

In addition, Irvine and his production crew are looking for driven helpers for construction — particularly those who are skilled or proficient in painting, crafting, constructing, remodeling, cleaning, decorating, or upholstering.

Those interested must be 18 years or older and be willing to sign an appearance release on site. The position pays minimum wage. If you are selected, a covid test will be required.

Shifts would take place November 9 at 1 p.m. and November 10 at 10:30 a.m.

If interested, please email reservationsimpossible@gmail.com by November 7, at 12:00 p.m. (PST) with your full name, email address, cell number, and any pertinent skill set / related profession (ex: plumber or painter). Please use the following subject line: 2026 / THE BALANCED CHEF Volunteer.

More information can be found online through Irvine’s website.

“Restaurant: Impossible,” hosted by Irvine, is a long-running Food Network series aimed at “saving America’s most desperate restaurants from impending failure in just two days,” according to Irvine’s website.

The Balanced Chef, owned by Brian Donovan, touts its unique “Order. Heat. Eat.” service model offering customizable, convenient take-away and dine-in meals to suit a variety of diets and lifestyles.

Donovan, who trained at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, founded the business in 2015.

As the center of a feature by the Sentinel Media Company in July of this year, Donovan acknowledged pandemic setbacks affecting many restaurants in the industry, including his. “People who regularly work out in gyms tend to eat healthy food. When the gyms closed during the pandemic, we experienced a significant loss in business,” he said.

However, expansion was still on the determined restaurateur’s mind. “We are determined to grow and help people reach their nutritional goals,” he said.

Donovan was not able to provide comment prior to filming.