Released by Netflix in 2015, a documentary series called Chef’s Table follows the stories of world-renowned chefs from places as close as New York City all the way to a remote town in Sweden with a population of 1,500 people.
Each episode begins by exploring the different cultures, backgrounds, and languages of these chefs. However, each episode ends in the same way with their sentiment and enticing cinematography of beautifully crafted food.
Below are snapshots of each episode, I’ve provided mini synopses that highlight the individual chef’s mantra and cooking style. While you’ll understand the universal language of food through these descriptions, I highly recommend watching the series.
Massimo Bottura
Photo courtesy of @massimobottura on Instagram
Where:
Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy
Netflix’s take:
“Twelve tables in the heart of Modena tell a story of tradition in evolution.”
Most striking moment:
Staff pasta making session where they all sang songs making tortellini.
Notable quote:
“If you live an incredible moment of happiness, that happiness is much much more deep and big if you share it with others.” -Massimo Bottura
Intriguing menu item:
Oops! I dropped the lemon tart.
Dan Barber
Photo courtesy of @chefdanbarber on Instagram
Where:
Blue Hill, New York City, New York.
Netflix’s take:
“Showcases local food and a wine list with producers who respect artisanal techniques.”
Most striking moment:
Chef Barber worked with a breed farmer to create his own kind of butternut squash.
Notable quote:
“If you’re a nutritionist you’re looking at this from a very myopic view. It’s an important one, but it’s myopic. If you’re an agricultural economist you have a different view of it. If you’re an ecologist you’re preserving the open space, you have another view of it. Where is the connection? A plate of food. And that’s the power of the chef.” -Dan Barber
Intriguing menu item:
Mushrooms cooked in compost.
Francis Mallman
Photo courtesy of @francismallman on Instagram
Where:
La Isla, Lago La Plata, Patagonia, Argentina.
Restaurante Patagonia Sur, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Netflix’s take:
“Old-age Argentinian food.”
Most striking moment:
He smuggled half a ton of South American potatoes into Germany to cook for the International Academy of Gastronomy.
Notable quote:
“In order to grow and to improve, you have to be there a bit at the edge of uncertainty.” -Francis Mallman
Intriguing menu item:
Patagonia lambs al asador.
Niki Nakayama
Photo courtesy of @nnakarestaurant on Instagram
Where:
N/Naka, Los Angeles, California.
Netflix’s take:
“A modern Kaiseki… Kaiseki is using the best ingredients available, presenting them without ruining their texture and flavors and using different cooking methods to enhance that ingredient.”
Most striking moment:
She writes down every customer’s dietary restrictions and previous orders so she knows what each person likes and dislikes for their next visit to the restaurant.
Notable quote:
“The best advice that I’ve been given is to never stop learning. Because the moment you give up and think you know everything, you’re already done as a chef. You should just quit.” -Niki Nakayama
Intriguing menu item:
Shiizakana abalone pasta.
Ben Shewry
Photo courtesy of @benshewry on Instagram
Where:
Attica, Melbourne, Australia.
Netflix’s take:
“Theatre based on emotion and real-life experiences, all incorporating pure Australian ingredients.”
Most striking moment:
Chef Shewry almost drowned in the ocean looking for mussels. The feeling of being pushed down by such strong waves inspired one of his dishes entitled, Sea Tastes.
Notable quote:
“This is an important part of our country’s heritage. Australians should have a sense of pride in these ingredients, they should know what they taste like, because the connection to your roots is really one of the most important things of all.” -Ben Shewry
Intriguing menu item:
Salted Red Kangaroo and Bunya Bunya.
Magnus Nilsson
Photo courtesy of @magnusfaviken on Instagram
Where:
Fäviken, Järpen, Sweden.
Netflix’s take:
“During summer and fall, we harvest what grows on our land and refines them with methods that we rediscovered from our rich cooking tradition, or the discovery in the quest to preserve the raw material’s unique properties.”
Most striking moment:
Chef Nilsson has a Root Cellar where he stores foods that aren’t able to be harvested every season. He has fermented turnips and carrots, mushrooms, cured meats, and brined cucumbers in order to “defeat the seasons.”
Notable quote:
“It makes food culture very special because it is also the most important cultural manifestation that we have, because we all have to eat.” -Magnus Nilsson
Intriguing menu item:
Cured reindeer meat pie.
Grant Achatz
Photo courtesy of @grant_achatz on Instagram
Where:
Alinea, Chicago, Illinois.
Netflix’s take:
“Featuring a single, seasonally driven tasting menu of between 18 and 22 courses, the experience of dining at Alinea is not only delicious, but also fun, emotional, and provocative.”
Most striking moment:
Chef Achatz was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2007. He lost his sense of taste while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, but miraculously regained it.
Notable quote:
“At Alinea, we’re actually trying to curate an experience. I want the guest to have a sense of wonderment, what’s gonna happen next? They shouldn’t go, ‘I know what this is gonna be like.’ They should expect the unexpected.” -Grant Achatz
Intriguing menu item:
Balloon, helium, green apple.
Alex Atala
Photo courtesy of @alexatala on Instagram
Where:
D.O.M., São Paulo, Brazil.
Netflix’s take:
“Leave the comfort zone and propose a new dining experience, rescuing the most authentic flavors of Brazilian cuisine in a contemporary look.”
Most striking moment:
Chef Atala has built several chili processing centers in an indigenous part of the Amazonas to “spread more of the culture, and give economic opportunity to the Baniwa tribes, and support national conservation.” This would allow men in the Baniwa tribes to not leave their families for long periods of time doing incredibly difficult work just to make ends meet, like illegal mining.
Notable quote:
“If we want to do delicious food, we need amazing ingredients. To find those ingredients, we need to find another person who loves that ingredient as much as I love it.” -Alex Atala
Intriguing menu item:
The Amazonic Ant.
Dominique Crenn
Photo courtesy of @dominiquecrenn on Instagram
Where:
Atelier Crenn, San Francisco, California.
Netflix’s take:
“A modern take on fine-French cuisine, where artistry is at the forefront.”
Most striking moment:
The menu is a poem written by Chef Crenn. Each line signifies a course in the meal.
Notable quote:
“Strangers adopted me and gave me a completely different life. This is something that I crave, that moment where I can connect with someone.” -Dominique Crenn
Intriguing menu item:
Honey apiary.
Enrique Olvera
Photo courtesy of @pujolrestaurant on Instagram
Where:
Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico.
Netflix’s take:
“Mexican cuisine with local products. Our menu is constantly reinventing itself. We play traditional and contemporary techniques to create unique flavors.”
Most striking moment:
The way Chef Olvera developed a quality taco for his restaurant was by tasting the street tacos all around Mexico City.
Notable quote:
“The idea of a product being able to showcase the terroir, which is the union between the land and the people. If we are able to do that with food, I think it’s a pretty cool idea and we aspire to do that.” -Enrique Olvera
Intriguing menu item:
Green mole.
Ana Roš
Photo courtesy of @hisafranko on Instagram
Where:
Hiša Franko, Kobarid, Slovenia.
Netflix’s take:
“Territory. Season. Very personal, spiced with the strong character of Ana.”
Most striking moment:
Roš and her husband, Sommelier of the restaurant, age and take care of their own cheese because not many people in Slovenia age their cheese.
Notable quote:
“Opening the doors for the whole nation or for a group of chefs is very difficult. But this is what defines a big chef.” -Ana Roš (translated from Slovenian to English)
Intriguing menu item:
Squid with lamb sweetbreads, black garlic, and cave cheese.
Gaggan Anand
Photo courtesy of @gaggan on Instagram
Where:
Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand.
Netflix’s take:
“Progressive Indian cuisine”
Most striking moment:
Gaggan Anand started an industrial catering business with a partner. This partner left the business leaving Chef Anand with debts piling up. At one point he got an order to deliver chicken curry and rice to Pizza Hut employees.
Notable quote:
“I felt if Pink Floyd can make a 20 minute song and make it sound good, than I can make Indian food 23 courses without serving more than one curry. That’s a challenge. That’s the challenge I take.” -Gaggan Anand
Intriguing menu item:
Indian foie gras
After watching Chef’s Table you’ll come away inspired while also understanding precisely this moving and unique food language they all share with the world through their passion and profession.
Chef’s Table: France will be released on September 2nd on Netflix. It will have four episodes and will solely feature French restaurants, and I’m hyped.