Plot Synopsis

Narrator Anthony Bourdain takes viewers into the mind of chefs and restaurateurs. Season 1 follows David Chang, as he travels the world to cook in the kitchens of his own restaurants in New York and Australia and to find inspiration in foreign lands. Each half-hour episode combines travel, cooking, history, science, and humor -- all centered around a single, unifying theme, including: "Noodle," where David searches Japan for a bowl of the original tsukemen, visits a noodle factory, and for which food scientist Harold McGee explains alkalinity and its role in ramen; "Pig," in which he travels to San Sebastian to discuss pork bushi, prepares pork belly and tonkotsu, and visits Montreal with comedian Aziz Ansari for Wilensky's fried bologna sandwich; "Memory," during which David remembers his past -- dishes from childhood, summer eating, his time in Japan and golf; "Spain," as David visits some of his idols -- Juan Mari Arzak and Andoni Aduriz -- and makes fideos, salt cod omelet and a sponge cake from chef Albert Adria; and much more. Season 2 follows two chefs: April Bloomfield, who owns and operates three restaurants in New York City, and is in the process of opening her first eatery outside of NYC: Tosca in San Francisco; and Sean Brock, best known spokesperson for both expanding and preserving the integrity of traditional Southern food ways. Season 3 follows two new chefs, Ed Lee and Magnus Nilsson. Ed blends big city and international experience with small town heart and focus in his food. On the other hand, Magnus takes viewers in a completely different direction -- to the northern reaches of Sweden for a rare all-access look at what it takes to maintain his extremely high standards at what could be the most creative and surprising restaurant on the planet.
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Beginning Saturday, September 5, 2015 on PBS (check local listings for day and time), THE MIND OF A CHEF returned for a 16-episode fourth season, narrated again by Anthony Bourdain but with two more new chefs: Gabrielle Hamilton and David Kinch. The series continues to seek out inspirations and the creative drive behind some of the culinary community's greatest minds as they search for ingredients, inspiration, and the perfect meal. The new season's first eight episodes introduce Gabrielle, a compelling chef who will be the first to say her career and eventual success as a chef and business owner did not come easy. Viewers will not only visit her beloved East Village restaurant, Prune, in New York City and her roots in Pennsylvania, but also venture to the far reaches of Rome and Milan. In the second eight half-hour episodes, the camera turns to David Kinch, a culinary figure who has forged a distinctive path that put him at the forefront of new contemporary California cuisine. Kinch invites viewers to explore his culinary world, which includes some of the challenges he has faced, like the fire that destroyed his restaurant, Manresa. He also explores domestic locations, including the areas around his home and restaurant in Northern California, as well as his old stomping grounds in New Orleans.