Is ‘Chef’s Table’ Still Good?

Chef’s Table was one of Netflix’s very first food documentary series, and it was long been considered one of its very best. The series profiles groundbreaking chefs from all over the world. The thing that ties them together? Each of them has undergone a parallel journey of self-discovery and unique culinary accomplishment. The first four seasons of the show were nominated for Emmys, but Season Five was shut out. Now Season 6 is here, leaving us to wonder…is it still not only good, but top of Netflix’s doc slate?

This latest season of Chef’s Table hit Netflix without the fanfare of previous seasons — I mean, did you even know there would be a new season until you logged into your account? — and introduces us to Mashama Bailey, Dario Ceccini, Asma Khan, and Sean Brock. Bailey and Brock are American chefs confronting Southern cuisine from very different angles, Khan is a British-Indian chef interested in Royal Muglai traditions, and the Italian Ceccini is often referred to as the world’s most famous butcher.

Here’s the thing: Chef’s Table is still very good. The food symphonies are still triumphs of cinematography, and it’s easy to get lost in the emotional journeys of these chefs. It’s entertaining, alright? And Chef’s Table is still a very well-made show. However, Chef’s Table now misses the sense of surprise that the first seasons came with. It doesn’t feel quite so special because Netflix’s library is now inundated with food docs, all gorgeously made with sumptuously shot food montages. Furthermore, other Netflix originals, such as Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, have leapfrogged over Chef’s Table in terms of storytelling and personality. You can’t just say, “This is an important chef and you should admire them.” You have to say something important about food and the relationship we have with it.

And yet, Chef’s Table still can sing. The Dario Ceccini episode opens with the superstar butcher remembering the first time his family served him a steak. Ceccini’s family business was butchery, and they saved the good cuts for customers. Watching him recall the heaven of eating that first real steak at the age of 18 is a moment that fills you with glee, and it sets up an episode that deals with the importance of butchery as an art. It’s not just about flavor, but how we treat animals, the environment, and ourselves.

These are the kinds of pivots Chef’s Table should be making more of. Looking at how one person’s emotional journey can impact the way everyone eats food. In fact, all the most memorable episodes of the series do just this. Think of how Dan Barber helped usher in a farm-to-table revolution or how Jeong Kwan is influencing cuisine from the relative isolation of a Korean temple. These are the stories that stay with us because they have something bigger to say.

As good as Chef’s Table is, Netflix’s first big food series is starting to feel a tiny bit stale — and that’s ironically a testament to how it’s influenced the food doc medium. It’s the show that paved the way for over-the-top visuals, and helped bring high cuisine into the Netflix queue. It’s not totally done, yet, but it needs a little bit of proverbial spice to bring it back to its former glory.

Chef’s Table Season 6 is now streaming on Netflix.

Watch Chef's Table on Netflix