A Guide to the Stars of ‘Chef’s Table’ Season 3

David Gelb’s mesmerizing documentary series Chef’s Table returns to Netflix for Season 3 on Friday, February 17. As a primer for these six new episodes — which are being released at the same time for maximum binge-watchability — here are chef dossiers with notes on how to make reservations at their flagship restaurants around the world. Stay tuned for episode recaps, a full review, and more info on Chef’s Table in the coming weeks.

[Getty/Aaron Davidson]

Chef: Nancy Silverton

Need to Know: One of the titans of California-Italian cuisine, Nancy Silverton has worked at some of the most influential Los Angeles restaurants of the last four decades. She began her career as the pastry chef at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago, and later opened La Brea Bakery and Campanile with her then-husband Mark Peel. Both of these establishments helped jump-start the artisan bread boom. A decade ago, Silverton teamed up with Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich for the opening of casual Italian restaurants Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza. Mario, Joe, and Nancy have launched a series of spinoffs from these LA restaurants, including the meat-centric Chi Spacca and Mozza2Go. In 2014, Silverton won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef for her work at Pizzeria Mozza.

Dining Intel: At Osteria Mozza, appetizers run from $14 to $25, while entrees are priced from $19 to $38. Pizzas at the next-door pie shop are priced between $11 and $25. The Mozza-plex restaurants are perennial hot spots, but if you book a few days in advance, you should have no problem scoring a table on a week night.

Read Also: Mozarella As Medium and Muse (NYT, 2011); Eater Interviews: Nancy Silverton of Mozza Group and Nancy's Fancy (Eater, 2015)

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[Daniel Krieger]

Chef: Ivan Orkin

Need to Know: Long Island–born chef Ivan Orkin got into cooking after stints teaching English in Japan and selling computer parts back at home. He cut his chops working with Bobby Flay at Mesa Grill and at storied Manhattan French restaurant Lutece before decamping to Tokyo where he built a cultishly-adored ramen restaurant (now closed). Orkin brought his riffs on traditional Japanese comfort foods to America in 2013 with the opening of the Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop at Gotham West Market, and he debuted a full-service restaurant on the Lower East Side a year later called Ivan Ramen. In his two-star review of the latter, Eater critic Ryan Sutton writes: “Orkin can slay you with his shio (salt) or shoyu (soy sauce) ramen just as much as he can with that garlic mazemen, a flavor so distinctive it should be eligible for the same trademark protection as a Cronut.”

Dining Intel: Online reservations are available for Ivan Ramen, but it’s also the kind of place where you can walk in and get a table without too much trouble. The Slurp Shop is first-come, first-served. Both restaurants have a la carte menus and every dish is priced under $20.

See Also: Chef Ivan Orkin on the Story of Ivan Ramen (Eater, 2012); The Beginnings of Ivan Ramen (LP, 2011)

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[Getty/ Franziska Krug ]

Chef: Tim Raue

Need to Know: At his flagship Berlin restaurant, chef Tim Raue serves Asian-influenced fine dining fare, and his wife/business partner Marie-Anne is the maitre d’. Besides Restaurant Tim Raue, the chef also operates a traditional German restaurant called La Soupe Populaire, plus a casual Asian establishment named Sra Bua, both of which are also located in Berlin. Restaurant Tim Raue holds two Michelin stars, and it’s currently number 34 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List.

Dining Intel: Restaurant Tim Raue offers a la carte lunch and dinner menus, as well as a handful of tasting experiences. The eight course tasting costs € 198,00 ($214). Reservations can be made online.

See Also: Tim Raue on His New Restaurants and Dining in Berlin (Eater, 2014)

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Hillary Dixler

Chef: Jeong Kwan

Need to Know: Kwan is a 60-year-old Zen Buddhist monk who cooks daily meals for her community (and the occasional visitor) at the Baekyangsa Temple, located in a national park 169 miles south of Seoul. In keeping with the principle of detachment, Kwan prepares food that is not designed to make you crave more once you’re finished. Kwan’s entirely vegan meals are made using ingredients that she grows in a garden at the temple, and by all accounts, it is gorgeous and deeply satisfying. Eric Ripert helped introduce American food writers and chefs to Kwan’s Korean temple cuisine through events in New York City back in 2015.

Dining Intel: The temple does not have a public restaurant. If you wish to try Kwan’s cuisine, your best bet is to apply to visit and/or stay at the temple (website is entirely in Korean).

See Also: Jeong Kwan, The Philosopher Chef (NYT, 2015); A Monk Cooked My Lunch Yesterday at Le Bernardin (Eater; 2015)

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[Getty/ NurPhoto]

Chef: Vladimir Mukhin

Need to Know: A fifth-generation chef, Vladimir Mukhin reimagines traditional Russian dishes at White Rabbit, his playful restaurant situated on the 16th floor of a building in the center of Moscow overlooking Smolenskaya Square. The restaurant, which features ornate furniture and a glass-domed ceiling, landed at number 18 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list last year — it’s the only Russian establishment that made the cut.

Dining Intel: White Rabbit offers a long tasting with 10 courses (plus extras) for 8,500 RUB (approximately $150), and an a la carte menu is also available. The restaurant also has a casual “Gastrobar,” where guests can order food and drink pairings. Reservations are available on the White Rabbit homepage.

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Chef: Virgilio Martínez

Restaurant: At his flagship restaurant Central in Lima, Virgilio Martínez and his wife Pia Leon create forward-thinking cuisine using ingredients that are indigenous to Peru, like root vegetables grown in the Andes, and fish harvested from the Amazon River. Central has received a number of local and international accolades since opening in 2008. It was number four on last year’s World’s 50 Best list. Martínez also operates a Michelin-starred London restaurant called Lima.

Dining Intel: An 11-course tasting at Central is s/348 ($107), and a 16-course menu is s/427 ($131). Reservations at Central are available online for lunch and dinner via the restaurant’s homepage.

See Also: Virgilio Martínez on the Evolution of Peruvian Cuisine (Eater, 2014)

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• Watch the Exhilarating New ‘Chef’s Table’ Trailer [E]
• Chef’s Table [Netflix]