A popular find on Netflix is Chef’s Table, an award-winning series that focuses on the lives, passions, creativity, and struggles of famous chefs from around the world. Originating in 2015, the series has six seasons of 4-6 episodes and 4 spin-offs, including France, Pastry, BBQ, and Pizza. It has won numerous awards for its visual artistry and overall excellence.
Chef’s Table Offers More Than Cooking
It’s true that the show is an amazing showcase of culinary creativity, but what keeps viewers tuning in are the life lessons that are served up in each episode. After watching the series and seeing chef after chef achieve their dreams, viewers learn as much about how to approach life as they do about creative cuisine. Here are four important life lessons Chef’s Table has to offer:
Not everyone is going to get you, and that’s OK.
The chefs depicted in this series are masters of their craft. But almost all of them grew up being sort of the ‘odd duck’ either in their families or among their groups of friends. Some of them even grew up isolated or bullied for their perceived differences. Yet those who were most alone also seemed to realize, that they weren’t strange or different. Rather, they had just not yet found their ‘tribe’. Once they found their like-minded group and began pursuing their passions, they shone.
Knowledge feeds creativity.
Each of the chefs depicted in the series has innate talent and unique abilities to imagine and combine flavors and textures in food. Yet almost all of them reached a point where their talent could take them no further. Many of them went to another country (France, Singapore, and Hong Kong to name a few) to study new or classic techniques. Or they started learning the ancient recipes and cooking methods of their own countries (Peru, Thailand. and others). They all found that the more they learned the fundamentals of their craft, the more creative they could be.
Struggles and adversity get you to the next level – every single time.
Each chef depicted in Chef’s Table reached a “rock bottom” point in his or her career or life, and faced nearly insurmountable struggles to continue. Yet each one of them did continue, often suffering severe financial hardship in the process. The lesson is clear. Their hard work and dedication in the face of their struggles paid off as they began to be noticed and recognized by the world culinary community. If they had not struggled, their stories would not have been as inspiring, of course. But it is also likely that they would not have reached the culinary heights they have attained either.
Nothing beats finding your passion and living it.
What is best about this series is watching the passion with which these chefs practice their craft. There is a joy in their creations. The chefs demonstrate a love that comes shining through everything they do, from growing their own ingredients to ensure quality to the artistry with which they plate their dishes. It is a strong reminder that there is nothing like leaning into a passion and working hard at it. These chefs have attained their mastery by paying attention to details, learning as they go, and never giving up on their dreams. Chef’s Table is an inspiration.