THE MIND OF A CHEF

SEASON 5, AVAILABLE ON NETFLIX

CHEF LUDO LEFEBVRE has long had celebrity status in the US, having appeared in plenty of TV shows, but this season of The Mind of a Chef gives an insight previously unseen. While in his Iron Chef America, MasterChef and Hell’s Kitchen appearances, Lefebvre presented a classic French facade, each episode of this show reveals more of the man’s character. Glimpses into his classical French training, experience of “the American dream” and struggles in the creation of his successful restaurants in Los Angeles make for interesting viewing. Lefebvre’s move from finedining French fare to casual and fast food is examined too, but what I found most interesting was how the panAmerican cuisines have influenced the French chef. Along the way he imparts his knowledge, with instructional cooking clips on fried chicken, French tacos and a particularly “dynamite” foie gras and tuna dish.