Chef’s Table an analysis.

Hoorah!! Season 2 of Chef’s Table is on Netflix.

If the curious, rather the questioning side of your brain never shuts down you begin to see that the Chefs and their stories unfold in beautifully planned and strategic ways.

The show is the perfect example of how Netflix has been able to collect meaningful data about viewers and translate these learnings into its storytelling. Its approach as a ‘brand’ that is looking to expand user base is refreshing, there is far more importance and effort placed in appealing to existing users rather than aggressively pursuing new audiences.

Below is a look at the type of audiences that Chef’s table resonates with and the topical buckets that these stories fall into, sprinkled with screenshots of viewer tweets that reflect the hypothesis.

1. Country of origin The series explores the deep cultural roots of the Chefs that have achieved global success while staying true to their culture. This appeals to Audiences that are from that country of origin — includes viewers that live in these countries and viewers that are originally from the country and have migrated to different parts of the world. So strong roots, an open mind and a desire to appropriate themselves in this new world.

2. Re-examine existing cultural stereotypes Just a surface level understanding of how we think about cultures from other countries is changing. As “global citizens” there is a stronger need for a complete immersion into cultures that aren’t our own. For example Chef Gaggan completely changes what we think we know as being ‘classical Indian food’. Chicken tikka masala which has come to symbolize Indian food over time, is not really Indian it was brought by the British — even bigger shocker, there is no word such as curry in Indian language, again a British word. With each episode, audiences are exposed to new facts and a deeper understanding of cultures.

3. The conservation and appreciation for indigenous environments We are more sensitive now than ever before when it comes to the footprint we are leaving on this earth. The abundance of awareness that technology brings makes it impossible to turn the other way. We now yearn for experiences and services that take into account the footprint that is being left on our planet and how this understanding is folded into every action that the business takes and every interaction with the customer for Eg. The Brazilian Chef Alex Atala works closely with communities from the Amazon to forage, develop flavors, incorporate in his restaurant menu and ultimately develop a respect local ingredients.

4. That first person feel — As a generation that is constantly exposed carefully curated content, the cinematography of the show cannot go unmentioned. Every frame is carefully captured to make the viewer feel like they are having a very personal moment with the chefs — almost like you have known them intimately them for years. This approach lends really well to how we currently interact with content on Mobile, we hold these devices close and tend to favor an up-close and almost a raw emotional style of storytelling. At times during the episodes the camera is a bit shaky but it never let’s go of the tight grasp the story telling has on your mind and heart.

Chef’s table is not just about food, it is about something more. The series serves as an aspirational model of storytelling, leaning on quantitative + qualitative data to mould the outcome and create something truly beautiful that resonates with an evolving consumer base.