Chef's Table: Pizza

Finally!! With the boom that the last decade has seen in the culinary arts coming to the forefront of television and entertainment, and just exposure in general, this is a truly SUPERB production. The first three episodes evoke so much raw emotion - the passion that drives these chefs (often bordering on varying degrees of insanity) is simply breathtaking. Diving deep into these chefs' stories, shedding light on how they're wired and how their genius has been developed over time and at what cost. The level of sheer focus (obsession) is beyond inspiring. And most episodes I've seen always touch on the importance of doing things differently today - with a focus on sustainability, quality, and local sourcing of food items and ingredients.

A food documentary in which I bawl my face off?!? (Chris Bianco) Very memorable.

The show starts off amazingly strong but it all goes downhill from there: Too many of self-centered people who just love to repeatedly up big themselves up and tell everyone how amazing they are with pseudo-philosophical takes on food and life. While some of the foods where amazing, the amount of dishes and ideas fell somewhat short because the people involved seemed to have mistaken the show by thinking they were the main attraction when in reality, the viewer wants to see some amazing dishes, aesthetics and ambiente primarily. One thing that was done well was keeping the sound at an even level throughout the show, something Netflix has unfortunately fell short of too often.

The episodes where people are speaking for themselves are pretty good, although I do find the origin stories rather sad and whiny throughout - and the chefs unlikeable except for the first episode. The worst part is that they use voice translations instead of subtitles - and they frickin' play the original dialog (eg Italian) loudly in the background - while at the same time playing a stilted American voiceover from someone who sounds like they read and speak at a third grade level. No emotion or inflection whatsoever. It's unbearable. I would rather hear the people speaking in their own language - some of which I'll understand - and read subtitles - than hear a horrible American actor who doesn't even sound like the people in the film look. (Blind people, by the way, have their own adaptive equipment so don't say this is more inclusive.) It sucks balls of mozzarella and ruins the series.

I've loved the Chefs Table series. Each chefs ability and craft are unquestionable, but the personal stories of each elevate the series to another level. The food is merely a sub plot.

They're all well made, telling the story of the chef as well as their families and the communities they come from. It's been fascinating to learn about different cultures an the affect it has on the chefs. They're shot beautifully with a great soundtrack to match. I'm one episode in and it looks to be an excellent continuation from the BBQ series.

Hopefully there'll be more beyond this. In such a frenetic world, with so much division, worry, anxiety, it's a perfect antidote to life to throw on an episode of Chefs Table and lose yourself for an hour.

Honestly what I love best about Chef's Table are the stories. I am always interested and touched by their journeys. I appreciate them more because I have been a cook.

The cinematography and music may be a little formulaic, but I still enjoy it and the shots still make me want to try each and every dish.

Finally pizza. It is my favorite because it can literally be anything you want it to be. I am so excited to try new things after seeing this series. If you think pizza is simple, you really don't get pizza at all. It is cooking and baking, and as much effort can go into the process and flavor as any high end restaurant food.