Cuisine

Standing on the shoulders of giants. Everyone knows that it takes a great chef to make a great chef, and this episode of The Mind of a Chef is all about paying homage to the greatest culinary minds in the world.
Fergus Henderson, Eric Ripert, Pascal Barbot and more spend some quality time cooking with our Mind of a Chef alumni.

La mer means, simply, 'the sea.' Ludo came up under mentors like Alain Passard and Mark Meneau, chefs with an almost pathological obsession with ingredients. His eyes light up when he describes the Lobsters of Brittany, the Oysters from Cancale, and the myriad of other extraordinary culinary jewels.
In this episode, we explore how the oceanic bounty of France is some of the best anywhere by profiling the ingredients that can be pulled from it.

The demands of a celebrity chef, especially one that runs three vibrant restaurants and a fried chicken franchise, are rigorous. The daily upkeep to ensure quality and consistency in his establishments keep him busy enough, but add to that the photo shoots, TV appearances, interviews and a constant online presence, and the tasks become herculean.
When Ludo Lefebvre needs to escape the chaos, he heads to the lilting and poetic world of Paris in the spring, where the emphasis is placed on the joy and fun of life.

Ludo Lefebvre apprenticed under – and learned from – some of France’s most esteemed chefs, but it took a move to Los Angeles, starting a family and a rough restaurant review for him to figure out what he really wanted to do with his culinary future.
This episode examines the ties between artists and their education, and how childlike wonder can, in fact, translate into a career. The question Ludo poses is whether an artist follows instinct, training or intuition… or perhaps all three.

How does a chef trained in the finest kitchens of France translate his haute cuisine to fast food? Ludo’s obsession with a perfectly cooked bird can be traced back to France, where he learned to roast chicken.
His love for the American classic was solidified in 1996 when he arrived in LA and ate at KFC for the first time. “It was the same sensation,” he’s said, the crunchy skin and juicy flesh, and the gap between his two worlds was bridged. In this episode we learn how a Frenchman became famous for a truly American dish.

Served crispy and sizzling in grease. When it comes to preparations, few could be as delightful and decadent as a good, old-fashioned deep fry. We dip the Mind of a Chef basket in hot oil on this episode, serving up everything from oyster poboys to pig’s head, from alligator filets to sardine spines.