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The Mind of a Chef

  • TV-PG
  • 2012–2017
  • 6 seasons
  • Documentary

Go inside the minds of some of the world's top chefs. Narrated by Executive Producer Anthony Bourdain, The Mind of a Chef is that rare and beautiful thing: an intelligent show about cooking.

Episodes

Season 2 features two culinary masters: Sean Brock and April Bloomfield. In the first eight episodes of season two, Chef Sean Brock of McCrady’s and Husk spotlights southern cooking with heritage varieties of rice, beans and grains. In the second half of the season, Chef April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig follows up with an innovative, refreshingly straightforward take on food.

16 episodes
  1. 1Southerners

    30 minSep 5, 2013

    A spotlight on the regional variations of southern cuisine. Chef Steven Satterfield makes okra and grits. Chef John Currence makes tamales. Chef Ed Lee creates a dish using bourbon, sorghum and country ham. Pastry chef Lisa Donavan makes a buttermilk pie. New host Sean Brock is joined by the Lee Brothers to make deviled crab

  2. 2Seeds

    30 minSep 12, 2013

    It all began when Sean Brock went looking for Jimmy red corn. That simple journey turned into a lifetime of searching, archiving and reviving lost crops of the South. His partners in crime are legendary owner and operator of Anson Mills, Glen Roberts, and University of South Carolina professor David Shields — a trifecta of seed nerds hell-bent on preserving Southern food heritage.

  3. 3Rice

    30 minSep 19, 2013

    The resurrection of Carolina gold rice, which disappeared following the Civil War era, is examined. Included: making pilaf and Hoppin' John fritters. Also: Louisiana chef Donald Link makes jambalaya; and Senegalese chef Fati Ly makes pilau.

  4. 4Louisiana

    30 minSep 26, 2013

    A look at Louisiana cuisine features a visit to Middendorf's Restaurant in Akers, La., with food writer John T. Edge; and a frogging excursion with chef Donald Link.

  5. 5Preserve

    30 minOct 3, 2013

    Preservation techniques that play an important role in Southern culture are discussed, including drying, salt-curing, canning and fermentation.

  6. 6Roots

    30 minOct 10, 2013

    Host Sean Brock prepares a typical Appalachian dinner; cooks chicken dumplings with his mother; visits with chef Joseph Lenn at Blackberry Farms in Tennessee; and learns how to make fried okra and country ham.

  7. 7Low Country BBQ

    30 minOct 17, 2013

    Host Sean Brock prepares an outdoor feast on a friend's farm, where he's joined by barbecue pitmaster Rodney Scott, who roasts a whole pig; and Steven Satterfield, who makes Savannah red rice. Brock also prepares frogmore stew

  8. 8Senegal

    30 minOct 24, 2013

    The influence of West Africa on Southern cuisine is explored during a visit to Senegal. Historian and chef Fati Ly leads a tour of the markets in Dakar and M'Bour; and cooks theibou yapp, a traditional Sengalese dish.

  9. 9London

    30 minOct 31, 2013

    Chef April Bloomfield visits London, where she began her cooking career. Cooking walnut tagliatelle with chef Ruth Rogers. Making rabbit pie with chef Fergus Henderson, and enjoying a pint and scotch eggs with chef Rowley Leigh.

  10. 10Sea/Salt

    30 minNov 7, 2013

    Focus on April’s love of the sea, which is deep and fully realized.

  11. 11Curry

    30 minNov 14, 2013

    Explore the origins of curry and England’s versions of this historic cuisine.

  12. 12Italian

    30 minNov 21, 2013

    Explore April Bloomfield’s deep love for Italian cuisine and its influence on her cooking.

  13. 13British Classics

    30 minNov 28, 2013

    Review some of the signature dishes of UK cuisine: bangers and mash, fish-n-chips, and pies.

  14. 14Farmer

    30 minDec 5, 2013

    April travels four hours outside London to Cornwall to visit and cook with farmer and chef Tom Adams on his farm. Tom raises the cute, furry and delicious mangalitsa pigs. April and Tom butcher and cook the entire pig piece by piece: loin, shoulder, belly and head.

  15. 15Leftovers

    30 minDec 12, 2013

    This episode aims to prove that nasty bits have been given a bad rap and deserve to be on the kitchen table along with meatloaf and mashed potatoes. In the kitchen, April cooks faggots, bubble and squeak and pig parts; Fergus Henderson works his offal magic on kidneys.

  16. 16Restauranteur

    30 minDec 19, 2013

    Chef Bloomfield wrestles with the questions every aspiring new or expanding veteran chef has to confront. April and her business partner, Ken Friedman, explore the challenges of opening their first out-of-state venture in San Francisco: Tosca. April is inspired by a local morning bun, and she’s busy in the kitchen testing and tasting dishes for her new menu.

Where to watch The Mind of a Chef

Availability from JustWatch, via TMDB. Full listing for United States

Series cast

Anthony BourdainNarrator (voice)86 episodes
Gabrielle HamiltonSelf16 episodes
David KinchSelf16 episodes
Magnus NilssonSelf16 episodes
Edward LeeSelf16 episodes
David ChangSelf16 episodes
Sean BrockSelf16 episodes
April BloomfieldSelf16 episodes
Ludo LefebvreSelf14 episodes
Danny BowienSelf8 episodes

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