''Chef's Table'' is an American documentary series created by

David Gelb David Gelb (born October 16, 1983) is an American film director and co-founder of Supper Club, a production company. He is most known for his documentary work on the subject of food and cuisine, including the 2011 film ''Jiro Dreams of Sushi ...

' which premiered on video streaming service

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

on April 26, 2015. The series takes viewers inside both the lives and kitchens of a variety acclaimed and successful international chefs, with each

episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption. The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning th ...

placing the spotlight on a single chef and exploring the unique lives, talents and passions which influence their style of

cooking Cooking, cookery, or culinary arts is the art, science and craft of using heat to prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric stoves, to baking in vario ...

. The series has been nominated for and awarded a variety of

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An awar ...

s, including 8

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nominations, and was renewed for a seventh and eighth season on May 20, 2019.

Background

Each episode of the series focuses on a specific chef, and explores their personal philosophies and approach to cooking. Creator

considers it a follow-up to his documentary ''

Jiro Dreams of Sushi ''Jiro Dreams of Sushi'' is a 2011 Japanese-language American documentary film directed by David Gelb. The film follows , an 85-year-old sushi master and owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro, previously a Michelin three-star restaurant. Sukiyabashi Jiro ...

''. Both documentaries make use of cinematography and production techniques based on traditional filmmaking rather than

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1 ...

Episodes

Volume 1 (2015)

Volume 2 (2016)

''Chef's Table: France'' (2016)

Volume 3 (2017)

''Chef's Table: Pastry'' (2018)

Volume 5 (2018)

Volume 6 (2019)

''Chef's Table: BBQ'' (2020)

A second spin-off, titled ''Chef's Table: BBQ'' premiered on September 2, 2020.

''Chef's Table: Pizza'' (2022)

Reception

The series has been well received since it aired in 2015 and has been praised for its cinematography, score, and production. ''Chef's Table'' has been parodied numerous times. ''Gods of Food'', which satirizes ''Chef's Table'' and the restaurant industry, was produced by the

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

comedy channel

CollegeHumor CollegeHumor is an Internet comedy company based in Los Angeles. Aside from producing content for release on YouTube, it was also a former humor website owned by InterActiveCorp ( IAC) until January 2020, when IAC withdrew funding and the websi ...

. The IFC series

Portlandia ''Portlandia'' is an American sketch comedy television series starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, set in and around Portland, Oregon, and spoofing the city's reputation as a haven for eccentric hipsters. The show was produced by Br ...

parodied the series in an episode about an airport sushi chef.

Awards

References

External links

* * {{Netflix original current series 2010s American documentary television series 2015 American television series debuts English-language Netflix original programming Food and drink television series Netflix original documentary television series Television series by Boardwalk Pictures