TLC invites you once again to venture inside the heads of not one, but two, incredibly talented culinary masters in a brand-new season of THE MIND OF A CHEF, returning November 24, every Monday at 8:00 p.m. Encores every Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. and Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
Following on the heels of its successful first season with ramen wunderkind David Chang, the second season of the series that won the James Beard Foundation Award for “Best Television Programme on Location” turns the spotlight on Chef Sean Brock and his brand of American southern cooking, and Chef April Bloomfield, with her innovative and refreshingly straightforward take on food, in 16 half-hour episodes.
For the first half of the series, plow headfirst with Chef Brock into the world of true Southern cuisine from the long-lost seeds and crops in the lowlands of South Carolina, America, to the rice fields in Senegal, Africa. The executive chef and partner of McCrady’s and Husk Restaurants is one of the best known spokespersons for both expanding and preserving the integrity of traditional Southern food ways through his cuisine. His mission: to prove there is so much more to Southern food than fried chicken. Chef Brock’s brand of cooking highlights the untold varieties of rice, beans, and grains which once made America the envy of the world.
In the season premiere, Chef Brock takes viewers on a journey to explore a few of the unique regional cuisines in America’s South: Prince’s Hot Chicken, tamales, buttermilk pie and deviled crab. In his subsequent episodes, he experiments with Carolina-Gold rice, takes a trip to Louisiana for catfish chips and frogging, and gives a history of Southern preservation techniques. Discover where Chef Brock was first introduced to cooking in Appalachia, Virginia, when he takes a trip down memory lane; visit Charleston, where he honed his culinary skills; and explore the markets of Dakar and M’Bour in Senegal with him as he traces West African influences on Southern cuisine.
The next eight episodes focus on British-born Chef April Bloomfield, one of the most innovative chefs of her generation and executive chef and co-owner of The Spotted Pig, The Breslin Bar & Dining Room, The John Dory Oyster Bar, Salvation Taco and Tosca. Join Chef Bloomfield inside her kitchen as she wrestles with the demands of opening Tosca in San Francisco — her first restaurant located outside of New York City. There, she tests menu ideas, obsesses over ingredients and techniques, and cooks with her mentors and contemporaries.
Learn about Chef Bloomfield’s epicurean evolution as the second half of the series follows her from the Pacific Northwest to Birmingham, England, tracing her culinary tradition, influences and obsession, from clams to cops to curries. Over a pint and high tea in England, meet the mentors who taught her to appreciate the beauty and simplicity of food. Discover her love for the sea and salt, why Italian food has such a prominent and dear role in her cooking, and get educated on what it takes, and the trials and tribulations of, opening a new restaurant.
THE MIND OF A CHEF is executive produced and narrated by Anthony Bourdain.