The Mind of a Chef

Ed returns to his roots in East Brooklyn and the eclectic mix of cuisines that inspired how he cooks today.

Head to Houston, Texas, where a sweat-inducing crawfish dinner exemplifies how flavors can blend together to create an entirely new American cuisine.

Travel with Ed to the foothills of the Andes to explore the most elemental part of cooking: fire.

Taste the food and culture of Louisville, Kentucky, the place Ed now calls home.

From the smokehouse to the plate, see why country ham is one of Ed’s favorite ingredients from the Bluegrass State.

What grows together, goes together. Ed explores combining the food of different cultures as culinary borders disappear.

The more things change… the more they continue to change. Explore the ephemeral with Ed as he tries his hand at cooking alternative meats.

Ed tends bar and serves up a tentacled dish for actress and bourbon-lover Aisha Tyler.

Explore the ways that the Scandinavian people have survived winter through the practice of preservation and aging with Chef Magnus Nilsson.

After a long winter, the arrival of spring awakens the delicate flavors of young herbs. The sun remains perched in the sky until midnight, the temperature climbs, and life returns to the once snow-covered landscape. This episode takes advantage of this brief window of time to explore the ingredients of spring in Sweden.

When Chef Nilsson develops a dish at Fäviken, he pays careful attention to the unique properties of an ingredient. Through research and recipe testing, the components of a dish are combined with the aim of preserving their natural quintessence. “The Creation of a Dish” follows the life cycle of an ingredient as it transforms from an idea into a dish at his restaurant.

Return with Magnus to France, a place that had a profound impact on his culinary career.

Examine how the bonds of tradition help to forge the identities of families and individuals.

Explore how seasons affect a restaurant’s menu when the food is sourced in a 100-mile radius.

Chef Magnus Nilsson's efforts to document and preserve Nordic traditions are detailed including a visit to the Faroe Islands.

A day in the life of chef Magnus Nilsson as he and the Fäviken staff prepare for dinner. The routine starts early, as Nilsson forages for spruce branches for his scallop dish and ends late, as every detail of the dinner is meticulously choreographed and executed.