Next, Tuesday, November 20, audiences around the globe will get a first taste of The Final Table, Netflix’s long-gestating culinary competition where 24 accomplished chefs will cook for nine of the world’s most famous culinary masters.
Ahead of the launch of the 10-episode series, Netflix has released two clips that offer a bit of context about the careers and specialties of the chefs on both sides of the titular Final Table. Unlike most cooking shows, where amateurs and up-and-comers vie for a grand prize, many of the competitors on this series are actually big stars in their home countries, and there is no material reward at the end of the gauntlet, just the respect of the big nine, and an invitation to join them at the table.
The elder chef/judges on the show — a list that includes Grant Achatz, Helena Rizzo, Carlo Cracco, and Clare Smyth — will each preside over their own episodes focusing on the cuisines of their home countries. And the competitors — a group that features Timothy Hollingsworth, Ash Heeger, and Shane Osborn — will work in teams of two up until the last episode, when the remaining four chefs will cook against each other. “We’re looking for perfection,” Mexico City star Enrique Olvera says at the end of the first clip. “It’s as simple as that.”
The show is hosted by Bon Appetit editor-at-large Andrew Knowlton, and will feature cameos from a bunch of celebrity “ambassadors” including Alessandra Ambrosio and Hasan Minhaj.
Check out the teasers above, and scope out the full list of chefs below:
Chefs at the Final Table
- Enrique Olvera (Mexico)
- Andoni Aduriz (Spain)
- Clare Smyth (United Kingdom)
- Helena Rizzo (Brazil)
- Vineet Bhatia (India)
- Grant Achatz (USA)
- Carlo Cracco (Italy)
- Yoshihiro Narisawa (Japan)
- Anne-Sophie Pic (France)
Chef teams
- Aaron Bludorn (New York, NY, USA) and Graham Campbell (Dundee, Scotland/UK)
- Darren MacLean (Calgary, AB, CA) and Timothy Hollingsworth (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
- Shin Takagi (Kanazawa) and Ronald Hsu (Atlanta, GA)
- Alex Haupt (Amsterdam) and Ash Heeger (Cape Town, South Africa)
- Shane Osborn (Hong Kong) and Mark Best (Australia)
- Monique Fiso (Wellington, NZ) and Amninder Sandhu (Mumbai, India)
- James Knappett (London, UK) and Angel Vazquez (Puebla, MX)
- Jessica Lorigio (San Sebastian) and Johnny Spero (Washington DC, USA)
- Collin Brown (England) and Colibri Jimenez (Mexico City, MX)
- Esdras Ochoa (Hong Kong) and Rafa Gil (Hong Kong)
- Charles Michel (Colombia & France) and Rodrigo Pacheco (Ecuador)
- Manuel Berganza (Singapore) and Benjamin Bensoussan (Madrid, Spain)
• The Final Table [Netflix]
• Netflix Rewrites the Recipe for Cooking Shows on ‘The Final Table’ [E]
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