Chef's Table

When Netflix began releasing titles I never expected them to turn to the streets for commercial venue. By the streets, I mean, are those which we come by naturally, on our everyday lives. Hotels, restaurants, plazas, touristic organizations represent some examples.

As it resonated with my cuisine interests, Chef's Table caught my eye as a way to kill an hour and a half.

Never have I experienced such emotional development or communicated elation through watching a food review show. It really becomes something much more than simply a show; instead, a reality one can fully connect with, as the people depicted are not actors, but unmasked human beings.

I am almost finished watching the first season and I am feeling a little panicked that it will be over soon. I never watch TV because I am simply too busy. That said, I am a food enthusiast (food blogger, home cook, food photographer) and I simply can not resist a well done food show.

That said, we booted the cable and I was worried about losing my beloved food TV shows via that network.

Chef's Table is far and away superior to any other food related show I have ever seen - including full length movies. I LOVED the photography, the music, the way the stories are told and the voice given to the chefs.

I was hoping to discover if another season would be forthcoming by logging on here. Please tell me that it is, because this show is Simply the best.

Thank you, Wendi

Netflix continues it's quest to fill their service with quality content. And again, they succeed. This time not with a drama series or movie, but a documentary series. All based around the same main theme; the best restaurants in the world and the great minds that created them.

The stories of the origins of these restaurants, and especially the chef's who created them, are moving and inspiring. The series successfully puts a human face on these places, which would otherwise be regarded as extravagant and out of reach by most. The passion and drive of the chef's, as well as the struggles they had to undergo to be where they are today, makes you feel glad for their success.

Never before have I seen a documentary with such vivid cinematography. The kitchen time-lapses, the environmental shots and the close-ups of the dishes are all phenomenal. Combine this with an excellent classical score, which fits the images perfectly, and you are left with near perfection.

This series is a must-see for cooking and food enthusiasts and I cannot recommend it more to anyone who is looking for an inspirational story or simply a quality documentary.

I am not your typical person who loves to watch documentaries, least of all on food. However, there is something truly unique about Chef's Table. Each episode stands on its own and it is amazing to see the different processes of different chefs. The show does such a great job of showing the true personalities of chefs that the audience is able to make comparisons and differences with each passing episode.

All of the chefs that are talked to have many common traits and it is so fascinating to see. All have a certain feverishness for cooking, an amazing work ethic, and have traveled abroad to expand their knowledge in hopes of becoming a food auteur.

Their souls are put into each meal that they make for their customers and they view the process of cooking as a beautiful art. Each chef is currently questioning the food landscape around them in hopes of changing the views of people and the way they see food.

My only complaint of the show is that it can be a little artsy, but it is amazing and I thoroughly enjoy the show. That is my only warning going in. Please watch the show, it is amazing!!!

"Chef's Table", created by David Gelb (of "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" fame) might at first glance seem to be yet another show celebrating food but in retrospect its title makes it clear that its main theme is the chefs themselves. It certainly celebrates food in the way that no movie or show about an artist can't help but to celebrate their work (and does so magnificently with some of the sexiest "food porn" ever shot) but "Chef's Table" is almost entirely about the creators. What makes their creativity tick? Where do they come from? How does their personal past and present influence their work? How do they live? What does their artistic "voice" say about what food could and SHOULD be?

From an attempt to challenge the ultra-traditional notions of cooking in Italy to trying to find an identity for a still-being-defined Australian cuisine. From the oddly modern and crucial-for-the-future appreciation of the old ways of farming and foraging (which still can't help but be influenced by current advances in technology) to the almost unavoidable requirement of having at least some traditional studies in France or under French chefs (like at least half of the 6 chefs featured so far in this series have). From the importance of rigor and effort to achieve perfection to the importance of experimentation and relaxation to achieve, well... perfection; "Chef's Table" shows us the many challenges, contradictions and impulses that these chefs have had to face in order to be recognized amongst the best in the world, but most importantly, to have a voice of their own.

While shows like Anthony Bourdain's tell us the wonders of food by means of traveling externally and seeing the infinite possibilities found around the world, "Chef's Table" shows us the wonders of traveling inwards, of finding infinite possibilities in one's own memories, origins and desires. The defining elements that tie all of these chefs together is that they all needed cuisine as a way to express themselves and that they've had to carve niches of their own to be able to feel comfortable and satisfied in being themselves, in saying what they WANT to say. Much like when one first knows of the existence of "film language" and in doing so begins understanding and appreciating the art form far more than before, "Chef's Table" is a series that makes one understand "food language" in the best way possible: directly from 6 of its most honestly individual voices, from 6 of its own "auteurs".