Award-Winning PBS Series THE MIND OF A CHEF Takes Viewers Inside the Creative World of Ludo Lefebvre
Narrated by Anthony Bourdain and combining cooking, travel, humor and science into a cinematic feast for the eyes, THE MIND OF A CHEF, from Zero Point Zero Production and WGBH Boston, returns to public television this fall with world-renowned Chef Ludo Lefebvre at the helm. Season 5 will also include six new compilation episodes featuring some of the best and brightest culinary minds.
"Ludo Lefebvre runs the best restaurant in Los Angeles, and is an extraordinary cook with a fascinating story," says Executive Producer and Narrator Anthony Bourdain. "He is one of the most inspiring and persistent mentors I've ever known. I've watched him turn mediocre cooks into good cooks in front of my eyes. There's no one like him."
Season 5 Preview | Ludo Lefebvre
"How does a chef trained in the finest kitchens of France translate his haute cuisine to fast food? Season 5 of the Emmy & James Beard Award-winning series journeys with Ludo Lefebvre
EPISODE GUIDE:
Episode 1: “Best Of: Eggs” airs Saturday, Jan. 21 at 1:30 p.m. - Eggs — everyone’s favorite food. From the NYC classic egg on roll to Faroe Island fulmar egg and curry, re-fall in love with the best egg dishes culled from the archives. Crack them open and let the fun begin.
Preview | Season 5 Episode 1: Eggs
"From the NYC classic egg on a roll to Faroe Island fulmar egg and curry
Episode 2: “Best Of: Legends” airs Saturday, Jan. 28 at 1:30 p.m. - Everyone knows that it takes a great chef to make a great chef. This episode pays homage to some of the greatest culinary minds in the world. Fergus Henderson, Eric Ripert, Pascal Barbot and more spend some quality time cooking with series alumni.
Preview | Season 5 Episode 2: Legends
"It takes a great chef to make a great chef. This episode is all about paying homage to the greatest culinary minds in the world. Fergus Henderson
Episode 3: “Best Of: Fried” airs Saturday, Feb. 4 at 01:30 p.m. - When it comes to preparations, few could be as delightful and decadent as a good, old-fashioned deep fry, crispy and sizzling in grease. This episode serves up food fare from oyster po’boys to pig’s head, alligator to sardine spines.
Preview | Season 5 Episode 3: Fried
"When it comes to preparations
Episode 4: “LudoBird” airs Saturday, Feb. 11 at 1:30 p.m. - Find out how Chef Ludo LeFevbre, trained in the finest kitchens of France, translates his haute cuisine to fast food. Learn the origins of his wildly popular LudoBird and walk through the opening of the second LudoBird at Universal City Walk.
Preview | Season 5 Episode 4: LudoBird
"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
Episode 5: “Strip Malls” airs Saturday, Feb. 18 at 1:30 p.m. - Ludo meets with his partners to discuss the business decisions that go into serving fine food in a strip mall setting. He demonstrates the restaurant dishes that best embody the cultural mash-up and high/low flair of his strip mall philosophy.
Preview | Season 5 Episode 5: Strip Malls
"Trois Mec and Petit Trois can be found side-by-side in a Hollywood strip mall
Episode 6: “La Mer” airs Saturday, Feb. 25 at 1:30 p.m. - Explore the oceanic bounty of France. Ludo’s eyes light up when he describes the lobsters of Brittany, oysters from Cancale and a myriad of other extraordinary culinary jewels. “La mer” means, simply, the sea.
Preview | Season 5 Episode 6: La Mer
"Ludo came up under mentors like Alain Passard and Mark Meneau
Episode 7: “La Végétale” airs Saturday, April 1 at 1:30 p.m. UPDATED - “La terre” — the earth — is where ingredients for some of Ludo’s favorite dishes are cultured, grown, harvested and served. Explore the vegetables, gardens and memories he uses in some of his dishes. Learn how “terroir” is as much a place as a taste.
Preview | Season 5 Episode 7: Le Végétale
"Today’s chef reveres his gardener as much as his butcher. Ludo explores the vegetables
Episode 8: “Joie de Vivre” airs Saturday, April 8 at 1:30 p.m. - The rigors to ensure quality and consistency in his establishments, along with TV appearances, interviews and an online presence, keep Ludo busy. When he needs to escape, he heads to Paris in the spring, where the emphasis is on life’s joy and fun.
Preview | Season 5 Episode 8: Joie De Vivre
"The demands of a celebrity chef
Episode 9: "Tous au Bistro" airs Saturday, April 15 at 1:30 p.m. - At its core, a bistro is a place where everyone can eat, and eat well. See how Ludo has brought the spirit of the bistro to Los Angeles. Join him in Paris to meet some of the people and places that first inspired him to begin a culinary career.
Preview | Season 5 Episode 9: Tous Au Bistro
"A bistro is typically defined by its modesty – they are relatively small
Episode 10: "Instinct and Discipline" airs Saturday, April 22 at 1:30 p.m. - It took a move to Los Angeles, starting a family and a rough restaurant review for Ludo to figure out what he really wanted to do. Examine the ties between artists and their education, and how childlike wonder can, in fact, translate into a career.
Preview | Season 5 Episode 10: Instinct vs. Discipline
"Does an artist follow instinct
Episode 11: "LudoBites" airs Saturday, April 29 at 1:30 p.m. - Learn how and why Ludo created a unique dining experience in the form of small, reservations only, “chef’s choice” dinners that became known as LudoBites, a pop-up that food critic Jonathan Gold deemed “a transforming moment” for the LA dining scene.
Episodes 12-14 to be announced!
WATCH ON YOUR SCHEDULE:
Episodes and clips from this series are available for online viewing.
CONNECT:
Chef Ludo Lefebvre is on Facebook, Instagram, and you can follow @chefludo on Twitter.
THE MIND OF A CHEF is on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and you can follow @MindOfAChef on Twitter.
AWARDS:
THE MIND OF A CHEF was awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Culinary Program in 2014, along with three Creative Arts Emmy awards in 2015 and five Creative Arts Emmy Awards in 2016. The series also won three consecutive James Beard Foundation Awards for Best Television Program on Location, a prestigious and unprecedented honor.
Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards:
- OUTSTANDING CULINARY HOST – Co-Hosts Gabrielle Hamilton and David Kinch
- OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN ANIMATION – Production Designer Mike Houston
- OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A LIFESTYLE/CULINARY/TRAVEL PROGRAM
- OUTSTANDING MAIN TITLE AND GRAPHIC DESIGN
- OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY
