Chefs like Massimo Bottura and Nancy Silverton, among others, take you on a cooking journey with Netflix’s documentary series ‘Chef’s Table’.

When I first heard about the latest show, Chef’s Table, I was a bit hesitant about watching it. I love to cook and enjoy most of the reality shows about cooking on television but was becoming tired about how similar they were. Most of the culinary shows before Chef’s Table were fast paced and pumped with adrenaline. They involved contestants fighting for a prize, and they would do whatever it took to win. On the other side of the spectrum, you had other cooking related shows that were slow-paced and took you through a recipe in a way that wasn’t very exciting.

I am happy to tell you that ‘Chef’s Table’ has changed the game. It allows you to observe the chefs and how they feel about cooking on a much deeper level. Each chapter in the series features a world-renowned chef as he presents to you his cooking philosophy. The episodes are less about the process of cooking and more about the chef himself. I enjoyed that you get to see what makes a chef great and what thoughts go on inside his head when he is in the kitchen. The moment I saw the first episode on Netflix, I knew it would be a hit. My only cautionary tip is not to watch the show on an empty stomach because you will be both motivated and hungry.

The Chefs featured show the viewer that they are the same person inside and outside of the kitchen. They use the kitchen to send us a message about how they live their lives. If you watch closely, you can see a lot of lessons infused into the show like the importance of changing your community and leaving your home to experience the joy of cooking in the outdoors. Every chef in the series has different life values, despite the fact that they have the same vocation, and what makes the show exciting is that you learn a new lesson every time you watch.

It is true when they say, “you are what you eat”. The foods that we decide to consume are firmly rooted in our identity. They dictate who we are and what we believe in, like cultures that vegans have created which they defend proudly. The chefs on the show discuss their childhoods and how it inspired them to prepare the kind of dishes they are known for cooking. Most of their identity about their eating habits comes from their parents and grandparents. Even if you are not a chef yourself, you can still understand them because most of us have good memories of the meals we ate with our families. A few of them even discussed what is the best santoku knife they used to prepare their meals.

If you are still on the border about whether it is your worth your time to watch this show, I highly recommend that you do. It will change your views about cooking and also challenge some of the views you may have about living a passionate life. The best advice I got from one of the chefs on the show was “you have to respect what you cook.” When you learn to appreciate what you cook, you also have the ability to respect your body which is even more important.

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