A great day to watch some TV

Yes, Chef! and Chef’s Table both premiere today

HELLO MY FRIENDS! Did everyone have a good weekend? Is the weather nice where you are…and did you make yourself a Michelada (it really is the perfect warm weather drink!)?

I cannot believe how much has happened over the month of April, between opening Oyamel in New York, publishing Change the Recipe, the first episode of “Yes, Chef” with Martha Stewart, and Chef’s Table. Yes, Chef! premieres tonight on NBC at 10pm, and Chef’s Table is on Netflix today, so if you’re looking for something to watch while you’re unwinding after starting your week, I’d love to hear what you think!

“Yes, Chef!” is a new type of show for me—I don’t usually make cooking competitions! But with my friend Martha, it felt really natural. If you remember, I had Martha on my podcast a few years ago, and we drank wine and talked about holiday meals. We go way back! I enjoyed my time filming Yes, Chef! with her, because it was really about helping people who are amazing cooks become even better. I can’t tell you anything else, because I don’t want to spoil anything…you need to watch! Tonight is the premiere, and you can watch over the next ten weeks at 10pm Mondays (after The Voice) or streaming on Peacock.

A couple shots behind the scenes as we filmed Chef's Table

Today I also want to talk about Chef’s Table, which is also released today on Netflix. You may have watched the show before—it’s been around for 10 years now, and has featured some amazing chefs, like my friends Dominique Crenn, Albert Adrià, Ángel León, and more. I’m proud of this season, which they are calling “Legends”—the other episodes are featuring Alice Waters (another podcast guest!), Thomas Keller, and Jamie Oliver.

Chef’s Table is supposed to give us a glimpse into the world of chefs and help everyone understand what made them who they are, and what influenced them. For me, it starts in Spain and travels to DC, with a few stops in between…and I don’t know where it ends yet, because I still have so much more to do! But I want to share a couple of highlights from the show—I think you can trace an interesting story if you visit some of the places that influenced my cooking style and my life.

My team enjoying a moment while filming some Chef’s Table scenes

I am also so excited to see Spain featured more in a show like Chef’s Table, because I always want to share Spain with everyone! Of course you know how much I love my home country, and I still think not enough people have been, or understand a lot about Spanish food and culture, so, people, I am trying to get the word out. I’m really grateful to the Chef’s Table team—including Brian McGinn and David Gelb, and the director Clay Jeter and producer Drew Palombi. And of course to Matt Goulding, the brilliant writer and TV producer who appears in the episode as a strong advocate for the food of Spain (he also worked with me on the cookbook Vegetables Unleashed!). I’m also joined by my friend Michele Norris, one of the smartest people I know, and an amazing journalist and storyteller.

So here are a few of the places I visit on Chef’s Table, and a few of the things I ate…without giving it ALL away, I hope I can interest you in watching, because I think you’ll really enjoy it!

Asturias
As you probably already know (if you read the Chef’s List!), I was born in Asturias, in Northwest Spain. While I spent most of my young life around Barcelona, Asturias is deep in my DNA, and I still love visiting there—with its beautiful mountains, coast, and amazing ingredients. I learned how to cook over a fire there. And even though I don’t get there often, when I do, I always feel like I am returning to a part of myself that made me who I am today.

The Juan Sebastián de Elcano
I visited the tall ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano, the ship I worked on when I was in the Spanish Navy—I first traveled the world on that ship, and came to the United States for the first time. When we arrived in Pensacola, Florida, I saw the Spanish flag, which made me feel like I already belonged in America. From Pensacola, we sailed up to New York City, and as they say, the rest is history.

Liquid olives at Jaleo

Jaleo, liquid olives and bringing Spain to the US
I talk a little bit about some of the first dishes I brought to the American table at Jaleo (which is now over 30 years old, if you can believe it!). One thing you should seriously think about, if you visit Jaleo, is ordering the liquid olives. They’re a taste of my time at elBulli, inspired by my dear friends Ferran and Albert Adrià. If you haven’t tried them, you are in for an amazing experience!

DC Central Kitchen and World Central Kitchen
My idea for World Central Kitchen started at DC Central Kitchen, where I learned how you can fight hunger and give people new skills at the same time. That idea really grew roots after Hurricane Katrina, especially watching the coverage of the people who were stuck in the Superdome for days without food or water…I was thinking, “this is a giant concession stand, and we can’t get food to these people?” So when the earthquake happened in Haiti, that’s when I really decided to do something about it…and World Central Kitchen was born.

Behind the scenes as Josh from our beverage team makes beautiful drinks

minibar
If Jaleo was my way of bringing Spanish food to the United States, minibar is my love letter to food in general, and to all of the people who I trained with, and all of my R & D chefs who work with me every day to push the limits of creativity. Minibar allows us to tell a story about ingredients and challenge people to rethink the way they look at the food on their plate. I want everyone who eats at minibar to say “wow!!!!” at every single course. It’s pure creativity that just happens to be incredibly delicious. Life starts at the edge of your comfort zone, including some of the most amazing things you’ll ever see on a plate.

And that’s just a very small look into the Chef’s Table episode…! I couldn’t give it all away, but I hope you tune in and tell me what you think of it, and Yes, Chef!