One of the most intriguing documentaries in recent years was 2011’s Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Obviously, there was great appeal to fans of cooking, restaurants and chefs, as David Gelb’s film followed 85-year-old Jiro Ono and his exacting standards for preparation and presentation at his legendary restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro.
So it’s exciting to see the announcement that Gelb is directing a six-part series for Netflix, titled Chef’s Table, each hour-long episode of which will document the lives and work of six chefs around the world. If you’re a fan of PBS’ The Mind of a Chef, you might recognize two of the participants, Sweden’s Magnus Nilsson and Francis Mallmann of Argentina. (If you’re a fan of grilling and cooking with fire, I highly recommend watching Mallman’s season three episode with Edward Lee.)
Jiro Dreams of Sushi had some beautiful food photography — food porn at its food porniest — and judging from the trailer for Chef’s Table, the same will apply to this show.
Another important aspect of Jiro was fulfilling one’s passion and maintaining a standard, even if circumstances present obstacles to those ambitions. Gelb also makes sure to show the toll that Jiro’s exacting, unyielding approach has taken with his family, especially his two sons. And it appears that Chef’s Table will also explore that side of the chef’s life, at least in certain episodes. (Maybe others have found that comfortable balance between work and life, between obsession and passion.)
Chef’s Table is scheduled to debut April 26 on Netflix.
