As a fan of Jiro Dreams of Sushi, my eyes and ears since then have been always following the footsteps of David Gelb – the director for the critically acclaimed food documentary about the sushi chef.

Several years later, I accidentally stumbled upon a trailer on Youtube signifying that a new documentary series is already being produced by Netflix in recognition to selected chefs from around the world, renowned for their dedication in the hack-and-slash world of restaurant competition. The producer is none other than Mr Gelb himself!

As a producer now, he recreated the nuances and the ambiance that were once found in Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Unconfined anymore within a small scope anymore, he sent his directors traveled around the world to produce Chef’s Table. I consider this series by far as “a beautifully taken, viscerally artistic, and profoundly poetic life stories about the some of the brilliant chefs in the world”.

Fast-forwarding to the first episode, Chef’s Table is closing in to the lives of Chef Massimo Bottura and his American wife, Lara Gilmore. During his aspiring younger days, Massimo Bottura was an adventurous chef with an experience living in America, meeting his future wife there, and his skills even intrigued Chef Alain Ducasse himself back then.

This episode also recalls the struggle of young Massimo in his aspiration to become a world class chef and at how Lara became his inspirational muse to achieve that greatness. For me, the most captivating moment from the whole episode was when Lara took Massimo on a trip to perfect his crafts so that he became not just a chef, but a prolific artist.

Which is in turn, Massimo’s restaurant – Osteria Francescana, becomes a renowned establishment and considered as one of the best in the world thanks to his crafty initiatives and at how he keeps on pushing the boundaries.

In this episode, I guarantee that you will be amused and also amazed by his creativity and the perseverance to give all the best, despite the initial dismay from the people of Modena and some influential critics.

Chef’s Table is an important documentary of our lifetime and this will clearly set new boundaries at how chefs should operate their restaurants and creativity with hope that future, fledgling chefs would be inspired to follow. The first episode with Massimo Bottura was not only a feel-good episode but also heartwarming and inspiring at the same time. A treat for the family, I should say!

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Trailer (Massimo Bottura)

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Images and video are courtesy of Netflix