2020 has been a year of unexpected circumstances one of the biggest being the global pandemic which has led to self-isolation and restricted movement. Self-isolation means that many of us will be finding new ways to re-ignite our love for food and one of the ways that remains fail-proof is through TV. For years I’ve watched shows like Come Dine with Me and Masterchef (although not as frequently as I used to) and often joked about how food related shows seems to remain consistent through the ages. Netflix has opened up a whole new world of food shows that not only allow us to travel around the world and introduce us to new cuisines, but also give new food talent an opportunity to shine. Here are just a few of the food shows that I had watched and enjoyed on Netflix before and during our current time of uncertainty.
Flavorful Origins – a food documentary series which offers an up close and personal look at Chinese cuisine. The episodes rarely last longer than 12-15 minutes and you’ll never see Chinese cuisine in the same way after watching this.
The Chef’s Line – a cooking competition in which we see amateur home cooks compete against restaurants. Each day they have to prepare a dish based on a global cuisine of the week and are judged by a team of critics. I enjoyed this although was disappointed with Africa week, every other cuisine was linked to a specific country, Africa week missed a chance to focus on the food from a specific African country or at least a specific region.
The Final Table – another cooking competition in which some of the world’s best chefs compete in pairs to prepare cuisine from around the world and are judged by celebrity judges from each nation as well as top chefs. It was a good show although again African and Caribbean cuisine was not really given any attention aside from Jamaican Born Chef Collin Brown’s fusion dishes. One thing one notices upon watching food shows is how little attention African and Caribbean food is given in some of the competitive food shows.
Restaurants on the edge – this is a good show to dip in and out of; it follows 3 experts (designer, chef and restaurateur) as they travel around the world to help improve restaurants that are struggling. Although it’s not a new concept (Gordon Ramsay is the master of this concept) it was nice to see the global aspect. I wish there had been more focus on the business side of things; marketing, PR and customer services. I liked the St Lucia and Costa Rica episodes in particular.
There are many more shows on Netflix which you can either binge watch or simply dip in and out of – these are just a few. Please do leave your own recommendations in the comments section below and take care.
