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Best Food Shows on Netflix
It really all started with a visit to my brother’s place. My mom was having a visit and we exchanged things that were making her happy. “She’s a fan of Netflix,” I said. Together we often watch Spanish language shows and movies to take us away to another time and another country but we’ve also taken to food shows. Quickly we went through the Street Food: Latin America (I wrote about my visit to the Perseverancia Food Market last month). We watched food being peddled in Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Argentina. We loved it all. I told my brother about some of the best food shows on Netflix.
There was Chef’s Table, Ugly Delicious, Salt-Fat-Acid-Heat… there are so many but my latest favourite (and Lita’s too) is Somebody Feed Phil. You may know Phil Rosenthal from his Emmy Award-winning show ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ but you may not know he won a James Beard Award for his foodie travels on Somebody Feed Phil.
Somebody Feed Phil
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At times cringe-worthy but mostly amusing, his child-like delight in food is addictive. You cannot wait to see what he will say about what he’s eating. Spoiler alert: it is always positive, it is always ‘the best’ he’s ever had and it is always plentiful. I’m always amazed at how much he packs away. The thing is, he genuinely savours every big bite! Nothing dainty or snobby about how he tries the food whether it’s a four-star Micheline restaurant or a street vendor. It’s all delicious to him!
I think it’s my mom’s favourite because each episode, he checks in with his elderly parents. We’ve become invested in seeing his parents The relatable factor is strong.
Episode to Watch: Season 3 ~ Montreal
Of course, this was the first episode I watched – my hometown is Montreal. I needed to gauge how authentic the show would be. Depending on where he went and what he featured, I was impressed. He went to Schartz’s and Fairmont Bagels (they made my list of Good Eats in Montreal). He also went to
Street Food: Latin America
Episode to Watch: Colombia
The reason I loved this episode the most is because it was not about a food stall or a street, La Perseverancia Food Market is an entire restaurant stall market. You can get food from different regions in Colombia and this particular episode focuses on the woman who makes the best Ajiaco (traditional potato and chicken soup from Bogota). Having visited myself, I was familiar with this unique ‘street’ food market. It is a must-watch episode.
Ugly Delicious
Ugly Delicious tackles a style of cooking instead of a region. Celebrity Chef and owner of Momofuku, David Chang’s exploration of foods from across the globe. He has a gritty, edgy take on food and somehow always brings it back to Korean BBQ.
On his travels in Ugly Delicious, David Change is often accompanied by a posse of either celebrity chefs, food writers or artists. The conversations and points of view are always interesting. Throw in a little bit of salty language and it’s reality TV/documentary at it’s best. This is a great show to make food accessible without losing sight of his culinary status as a renowned American chef.
Episode to Watch: BBQ
The episode starts and ends with David Chang adapting Korean BBQ and making it in an American style. How does he get there? By visiting pitmasters in various southern states. It is really all about the meat, the heat, the smoke and the seasoning. He argues, more than once, that a BBQ meal should be just as expensive as fine dining because of the work involved in getting to the finish line.
I love that this BBQ episode includes Chinese Peking duck, Japanese Yakitori, and Korean BBQ (duh). It would have to be because David Chang challenges that BBQ is not exclusively an American style of cooking.
Chef’s Table
The reason you want to watch this show is to enter the world of fine dining. The best chefs in the world open their kitchens and their lives for all to see. With seven seasons under its belt, you will meet chefs from Europe, South America, and Asia.
Episode to Watch: Season 3 – Jeong Kwan
In South Korea, Buddhist nun Jeong Kwan approaches cooking as a spiritual practice. But her meals have left some of the world’s best chefs in awe. When you watch this episode, you will re-evaluate your entire existence. The serenity, simplicity and beauty is amazing and watching this master at work is inspiring. This is one of the original best food shows on Netflix
Great Canadian Baking Show
I only dream of being a great baker. Actually, that is a blatant lie. I’m glad I’m not because I would fail miserably. I’m more of a dash of this and a pinch of that and therefore not the best technique for successful baking. Baking needs to be very precise.
Watching The Great Canadian Baking Show (a franchise of the Great British Bake Off/Baking Show) has illustrated for me that, although I love a good sweet treat, I am nowhere talented enough. The joy of this show is that all of these contestants are ordinary people just like you and me. None are professional pâtissièr(e) or pastry chefs. Yet, they know how to make the most extraordinary things.
Episode to Watch: Season 1 – Hosted by Daniel Levy
The multiple Emmy award-winning Daniel Levy hosted The Great Canadian Baking Show in it’s first season and per the usual, his quibs are hilarious. His genuine interest is fun to watch and the use of puns was over the top in this episode. Lastly, the technical challenge was making Montreal Bagels (almost impossible) without a wood-burning oven.
Parts Unknown
Anthony Bourdain was the original foodie traveler. A chef who became more famous for his travel/food shows than for his stint as executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan. Parts Unknown was his fourth (and alas his last) series on Food and Travel. His writing and perspective were unique because he didn’t talk just about the food, people and culture. He often described the nitty, gritty of a place or country – taking note of political turmoil, living conditions and social issues.
Be prepared to meet everyday people as well as four-star Micheline Chefs. the way he describes food and misadventures is riveting. This show has a double-edged sword: you may be dying to visit or you may stay away from the places he eats – it’s all in your level of tolerance. No question about it this is one of the Best Food Shows on Netflix
Episode to Watch: Canada
“I will confess my partisanship upfront: I love Montreal. It is my favourite place in Canada. The people who live there are tough, crazy bastards and I admire them for it. Toronto. Vancouver. I love you but not like Montreal”
Anthony Bourdain – Parts Unknown – S1 – E3 – Canada
Bon vivants, raconteurs, historians of their great white north, princes of hospitality… that is how Bourdain describes two of the top chefs of Montreal. The whole episode is one long, drawn-out story of how Montrealers, Quebecers, Canadians love the outdoors and great food. Even though this episode aired in May of 2013, it still is relevant to the food scene in Montreal. For an updated version check out Somebody Feed Phil – above.
Salt-Fat-Acid-Heat
First and foremost, it’s refreshing to see a woman at the helm of this series. Samin Nosrat is both a series and a book. She believes if you take these four elements you can make anything taste great. It teaches how all cooking from around the world is connected. Her philosophy is simple: Salt is a mineral that enhances the flavours of everything we cook. Fat which carries the flavour and provides texture. Acid ultimately balances the flavour. Heat major control to get the texture that you want.
Episode to Watch:
Fat – Each episode seems to be located in different regions and tackles the element in depth. For this element, Nosrat goes back to Italy where she spent a few years in her youth. I love that she is fluent in Italian and sought out the help of both chefs and ordinary people.
Explain the use of oil, lard, butter and even eggs as transitional elements. I learned that olive oil should have a spicy component to it after a first press and that you should use it sooner rather than later. It’s not like fine wine, it does not age well. I hope she makes more episodes as this is one of the food shows on Netflix that I really enjoy!
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