A Chef's Life

TV-G
2013
5 Seasons
7.6 (197)

A Chef's Life is a reality television show that airs on PBS and follows the life and career of Chef Vivian Howard in her high-end restaurant in eastern North Carolina. The plot is set in the south as she runs the restaurant, Chef & the Farmer, with her husband, Ben, while also raising a set of newborn twins. The restaurant easily stands out among the other family-owned businesses in the small area since it first opened. The television show offers a close look at the milestones and challenges that the couple endure together, still struggling to work together after six years since opening the restaurant. The show also provides a first-hand look of Chef Howard visiting her neighbors and learning how to make homemade cuisine from old fashioned recipes that she begins to add to her menu. Everything from fried green tomatoes to bacon mayonnaise is made for classic Southern food items that tell a story in each episode. As the show evolves, the series covers a fire that destroys Chef Howard's restaurant as the couple learn to rebuild their business from the ground up and attempt to survive the challenges that come along.

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10. King Cornbread

December 9, 2017

“Pig and a puppy'” merges corn bread with another Southern staple; corn bread cook-off.

9. Liver Lover

December 2, 2017

Vivian visits one of her favorite farmers and an eastern North Carolina restaurant known for its fried livers. She learns that not all livers are created equal, but are equally good for you. Back at home, Mrs. Scarlett prepares a humble, old-school dish of beef liver and onions, which inspires Vivian to introduce a fancy, controversial liver dish to the restaurant's menu.

8. Chasing Trout

November 21, 2017

Vivian plans a respite from the road during the holidays, but finds herself equally busy at home. She volunteers at a soup kitchen and does one last book signing in Kinston before the holidays. Vivian also visits Sunburst Trout Farms and prepares a Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner at the restaurant where trout — from roe to filet — shines.

7. Persimmon Style

November 14, 2017

On a short hiatus from the book tour, Vivian takes the twins to pick persimmons off Mrs. Betty's tree and learns about the different varieties of the fruit. She then takes that knowledge to Atlanta where an event called “Hired Guns” pits chefs and their dishes against each other. Back in Kinston, Vivian gets a pudding lesson from chef Bill Smith of Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill.

6. Bourbon Country

November 7, 2017

What begins as a dinner at Maker's Mark in Vivian's honor ends as an American history lesson. A tour of Maker's Mark and Jefferson's distilleries illuminates the differences between whiskey, scotch, and bourbon for Vivian who also learns how Frank and Jesse James fit into Kentucky's boozy biography.

5. WANTED: Broccoli

October 31, 2017

Vivian heads to NYC where her book launch means a full itinerary. A celebration dinner at Bon Appétit Kitchen follows her appearance on the Rachael Ray Show where Vivian finds that a shot of bourbon goes a long way. Back at the shop, Ben and crew ready the food truck for its first stop in Nashville. While there, a lack of rain leads Vivian on a challenging hunt for broccoli.

4. A Food Truck and a Pear Tree

October 24, 2017

Vivian, her parents, and Flo pluck pears from a tree that's been in the family for 100 years. The arrival of Vivian's cookbook sparks a well of emotions as the reality of wheeling a food truck around the country sets in. In order to get a better handle on the truck, Vivian and her crew do a practice run at the farmer's market and serve up Tom Thumb with pear relish -- a dish that pleases most but leaves a bad taste in Ms. Lillie's mouth.

3. Prolific Peppers

October 17, 2017

Vivian preps peppers for a trip to Lambstock, a party where chefs, food, and music converge. Even with Warren behind the wheel, the road provides unexpected woes. Before hitting the highway, Holley's grandmother offers a lesson in stuffing peppers and delegating authority.

2. Shake, Rattle and Pole (Beans)

October 10, 2017

With summer heat high and rain levels low, Vivian struggles to scrounge up enough green beans to add to the menu at Chef the Farmer. Her kitchen capers continue as she stumbles to find her rhythm with a new chef firmly in place. Mrs. Tessie Mae offers levity by giving Vivian a golf cart tour of her garden, an intro to pickled pork, and a lesson in snapping pole beans.

1. Two-Mato

October 3, 2017

Vivian's plate is full of everything - except tomatoes. As Chef the Farmer turns 10 years old, Vivian embarks on a fruitless search for the season's first ripe tomatoes to serve at the restaurant's birthday party. For the celebration that brings back familiar faces and dishes, she concocts a menu that represents a decade of professional growth, and then seeks the wisdom of Mrs. Mary and Ms. Lillie to prepare an old school tomato dish that 'kills hungry.'

Description

The television show offers a close look at the milestones and challenges that the couple endure together, still struggling to work together after six years since opening the restaurant.

The show also provides a first-hand look of Chef Howard visiting her neighbors and learning how to make homemade cuisine from old fashioned recipes that she begins to add to her menu. Everything from fried green tomatoes to bacon mayonnaise is made for classic Southern food items that tell a story in each episode.

As the show evolves, the series covers a fire that destroys Chef Howard's restaurant as the couple learn to rebuild their business from the ground up and attempt to survive the challenges that come along.A Chef's Life is a series that is currently running and has 5 seasons (61 episodes). The series first aired on September 10, 2013.

A Chef's Life is available for streaming on the PBS website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch A Chef's Life on demand at Amazon, Google Play, Apple TV and PBS.