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

David Gelb David Gelb (born October 16, 1983) is an American director of film and television. He is most known for his documentary work on the subject of food and cuisine, including the 2011 film '' Jiro Dreams of Sushi'', the Netflix series '' Chef's T ...

', which premiered on video streaming service

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

on April 26, 2015. The series takes viewers inside both the lives and kitchens of a variety of 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 serial (radio and television), series intended for radio, television or Streaming media, streaming consumption. Etymology The noun ''episode'' is ...

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

cooking Cooking, also known as cookery or professionally as the culinary arts, is the art, science and craft of using heat to make food more palatable, digestible, nutritious, or Food safety, safe. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from ...

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

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is 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 award may be d ...

s, including 8

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

nominations. Season 7 was released on November 27, 2024 and a fifth spin-off entitled "Legends" was released on April 28, 2025, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the show.

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''. He teamed up with Brian McGinn to develop ''Chef's Table'' with Boardwalk Pictures and Netflix became interested in it. 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 ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

Seasons

Episodes

Volume 1 (2015)

Volume 2 (2016)

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

The first spin-off, titled ''Chef's Table: France'' premiered on September 1, 2016.

Volume 3 (2017)

Volume 4: 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)

A third spin-off, titled ''Chef's Table: Pizza'' premiered on September 7, 2022.

''Chef's Table: Noodles'' (2024)

A fourth spin-off, titled ''Chef's Table: Noodles'' premiered on October 2, 2024.

Volume 7 (2024)

Chef's Table: Legends (2025)

A fifth spin-off, titled ''Chef's Table: Legends'' premiered on April 28, 2025.

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 created Rekha Shankar for by the

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

comedy channel

CollegeHumor Dropout, incorporated as CH Media and formerly known as CollegeHumor, is an Internet comedy company based in Los Angeles that produces content for release on its streaming service Dropout (streaming platform), Dropout as well as YouTube. Dropou ...

. The IFC series '' Portlandia'' parodied the series in an episode about an airport sushi chef.

Awards

References

External links

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* * * * * {{Netflix original ended series (2012–2018) 2010s American documentary television series 2015 American television series debuts 2024 American television series endings American English-language television shows Food and drink television series Netflix original documentary television series Television series by Boardwalk Pictures Television series about chefs