Taste of France: Masterchefs Share Their Secrets focuses on 10 French chefs with Michelin Star-winning restaurants and the methodology and philosophy behind their cooking. Notable chef-restaurateurs like Rene and Maxime Meilleur of LaBouitte, Frederic Molina of Moulin de Lere, and Eric Trochon of Solstice explain the inspirations, experiences, and philosophies surrounding their cooking techniques, pallets, dishes, and restaurants. Among these personal interviews are glimpses into their award-winning kitchens and dining rooms during busy dinner service. The chef’s home lives and work lives are examined briefly as well.
Almost a third of each episode features these famous chefs working in their own kitchens while they instruct the viewers at home how to construct several simple and wholesome dishes. During the cooking segments, some interesting and useful knowledge is shared that even trained chefs may not have learned. Anyone with an interest in French cuisine will find interest in this series.
The documentary style of Taste of France reminded me of BBC cooking and restaurant specials I watched as a teen. It has an infotainment polish some cooking show fans will find cumbersome, but these stylings make the series more broadly appealing. French and English are interspersed based on each chef’s personal mastery of English (Some are fluent while others speak none) making Taste of France a good choice for French language students seeking listening resources.
While experienced chefs especially will find little use in the recipes provided, the insight into the mind of a chef is quite fascinating. Some cooks reduce cooking to a crude and efficient science, but a chef understands the artistic and ephemeral nature of creating cuisine. The impressive lineup of Michelin Star-winning chefs each has something unique to say about why they cook and what inspires them, but each believes that beautiful, sustainably harvested ingredients cooked with care and attention to detail elevate a meal from simple fuel to an experience. Highly Recommended for culinary students.
What type of instructors will find this title useful?
Teachers looking for educational cooking resources or culinary schools may find particular use in Taste of France: Masterchefs Share Their Secrets. French instructors may recommend this series as listening material.
Where does this title belong on Library shelves?
Taste of France: Masterchefs Share Their Secrets belongs on cooking and travel documentary shelves in academic libraries.