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  • I, for the first five weeks, did not take any days off.

  • I was here, open, Sunday to Sunday, rocking out for our guys.

  • That's Chef Lex, one of just 10 chefs invited to cook for players inside the NBA bubble, a COVID-free isolation zone on Disney World's campus.

  • Disney was initially responsible for feeding the 22 teams that made it into the bubble.

  • But after negative Twitter reviews and complaints from players, the NBA brought in chefs like Lex to live inside the bubble under strict quarantine.

  • Everything that we have to do has to be at the hotel.

  • We cannot leave. We cannot wander.

  • She and the other chefs whip up about 4,000 meals a week.

  • But Chef Lex is no stranger to star-studded clientele.

  • She's cooked for the Portland Trail Blazers, Oprah Winfrey, Kelly Rowland, Meek Mill, and competed on Food Network's "Chopped."

  • We followed Chef Lex to see what it's really like cooking thousands of meals for players inside the NBA bubble.

  • Let's feed our guys the best food possible.

  • For Chef Lex, each day inside the bubble starts at 4:30 a.m.

  • I'm just throwing on the same shirt and throwing my hair up and, thank God, getting on a bus.

  • There are technically two zones within the NBA bubble.

  • The inner bubble houses the players and staff, and the outer bubble is where the chefs live and work.

  • And they're not allowed to cross between the two zones.

  • We have these really, really strict rules, and if you don't follow them, you have to go.

  • Chef Lex lives at the Waldorf Astoria, but cooks inside the executive chef kitchen.

  • Buses transport her between the two cleared areas.

  • Rise and shine, Mr. Will!

  • Yes, my guy.

  • Joy!

  • Rise and shine! - Rise and shine, sis!

  • Chef Lex and her assistant, Joy, run Comfort Kitchen, a pop-up Southern and Caribbean restaurant that Lex launched specifically for the NBA bubble.

  • All the other chefs who came into the bubble were attached to a team.

  • But Chef Lex came in as an individual chef.

  • I get to the kitchen, and it's time to rock and roll. As soon as I get there, I hit the ground running.

  • Teams can browse her menu, and place team or à la carte orders through her website.

  • But orders aren't guaranteed.

  • As teams leaves, it is also affecting my sales, and we are all affected by the eliminations.

  • But that's the name of the game.

  • Chef Lex receives her team orders the night before, so she has a chance to order all the food she needs.

  • Since she's not allowed to leave the bubble, personal shoppers outside do all of her shopping.

  • Thanks, sis.

  • On my way to cook. See y'all later!

  • Masked up and with her station very clean...

  • Washing my hands, 50,000 times. Today!

  • Chef Lex and Joy get to work.

  • They start with making the traditional breakfasts.

  • Right now, I'm getting brunch ready for the Heat.

  • They had an amazing game last night and won.

  • So we are doing turkey bacon, chicken sausage.

  • Follow me while I grab my catfish.

  • Beautiful! That's for my catfish and grits.

  • Literally, the comfort food of the bubble.

  • It's 11 o'clock, and we have one hour to get all this food out.

  • Crazy, but we're gonna make it happen.

  • Chef Lex, thanks for hosting this great team meal here for Heat Nation.

  • It was the perfect way to celebrate our win last night. Appreciate you.

  • It's just Chef Lex and her assistant, Joy, doing all the cooking for Comfort Kitchen.

  • Joy Dariel is instrumental in keeping Comfort Kitchen open and running.

  • I mean, I was able to walk away from certain parts of the cooking, 'cause I can micromanage sometimes.

  • Together, they're making all kinds of comfort food.

  • Chicken and waffles, shrimp, chicken wings.

  • Let's go get this jalapeno salmon.

  • All of the things that I made here are all my own recipes.

  • I'm also, like, jacked. I want to say 20 times stranger now than when I got here.

  • Once everything's cooked, it's packaged up for the journey to the inner bubble.

  • Locked in. Focused, baby. Almost done, baby!

  • Joy, you almost done, baby?

  • Yes, baby.

  • This is the Celtics' breakfast order.

  • Because of COVID, we have to make sure that we Saran-wrap the containers, which is a really important step.

  • Then we bag. All bags are then labeled and stapled closed.

  • That's one of the most important parts, next to Saran-wrapping, 'cause it's how everybody identifies their food.

  • And I'll be keeping this in the hot box until it's time to go.

  • Because Chef Lex isn't allowed to enter the inner bubble, she has to hand off the food to runners.

  • For you, my dear, you got [Denver] Nuggets.

  • This one is for NBA staff.

  • Then the relay race begins.

  • The first runner can only go as far as the security point for the inner bubble.

  • There, it's picked up by a second runner on the other side.

  • That person finally delivers it to the players.

  • Chef Lex done it again. My food is here.

  • This is my go-to. French toast, bacon, and eggs. On point. Bomb.

  • Appreciate you, girl.

  • Good job, everybody! - Good job, everybody!

  • Then it's back to the hotel to rest up and get ready to do it all over again.

  • Working in a situation where I am not able to directly hand off food to my client was really hard, and a huge, like, relinquish of power for me.

  • 'Cause I like my food to get there and be as beautiful as it was when I sent it out.

  • But I have a lot of repeat customers, so that means that my runners have been doing a fantastic job.

  • This has been probably the hardest work that I have done in quite a few years.

  • Most work ever, but I swear I'm beasting, and I'm really proud of myself.

  • I feel like such a boss. Thank you for asking me to do this.

  • Shout-out to the NBA and the bubble and all the guys here.

I, for the first five weeks, did not take any days off.

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