‘The Final Table’ Is The Bigger, Badder Version Of Your Favorite Cooking Competition
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Enthusiastic cooks, food lovers and entertainment seekers, gather. “The Final Table” premiered on Netflix this fall, and we can’t stop binging the series. If you haven’t gotten into it, we’re about to tell you why you have to check it out. (We were anticipating this rockstar show for months before it was available to stream!) The main thing you need to know? This is not your average cooking competition. In fact, Yasmin Shackleton, one of the executive producers behind the show, told Swirled that she helped create the show with the idea of getting the gods of cooking all in one room. Yep, your expectations just went from blah to biblical — it’s that big.
As Shackleton pointed out, there are so many food shows out there, and they start to blend together. “We were literally ripping up the rule book and wondering how we make this different in every single way: how the show looks, who’s competing, who’s judging, the standard of food, the kind of food,” Shackleton said, before mentioning that one of the major goals for this show was to make something that appealed to everyone, whether they loved to cook or just loved eating.
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What Sets This Show Apart
The Cameras: “We used cameras that are on the side of football games and slowed them down so we could do beautiful headshots. The cameras we used have never been used to shoot food. It’s just never been done,” Shackleton said.
The Work Stations: Shackleton said that while other cooking shows often have a similar pantry and work station set up, they created the set to look modern, streamlined and “kind of like a dream.”
The Challenges: Each episode of “The Final Table” is centered around a country and its authentic flavors. The 24 chefs competing are paired and together create that country’s signature dish through their own culinary styles. “The food world is changing. A lot of shows that concentrate on one type of food or cuisine is antiquated,” Shackleton said. “People love food, and the fact is that if you’re French, it doesn’t mean that all you eat is French food all day. Every chef can put their own spin on that country’s signature food.”
The Chefs: The first season’s lineup not only doesn’t disappoint — it exceeds. With a roster of James Beard award winners, those who’ve made top 50 lists and Michelin star-earners with over 10 years of competition experience, you can bet this show is like the Olympics of food. Even better: Nine of the world’s greatest chefs, including Helena Rizzo, Yoshihiro Narisawa, and Anne-Sophie Pic, serve as judges.
The Food: Forget about that too-expensive-for-you food challenge with ingredients you can’t even pronounce. The quality of food on “The Final Table” is astronomical, but that doesn’t mean the show features impossible dishes you couldn’t make at home. The first episode of the series featured Mexico as the country and tacos as the dish. Actually, watching all-star chefs making something we’re all familiar with and love just makes the show that much better. It’s achievable enough for the novice cook but can be elevated to incredible heights thanks to the culinary geniuses competing.
Shackleton ended the conversation by sharing the message at the heart of the series: “At the heart of it, I think our show is truly all about the food. It’s a celebration of food.”
If you’ve got an hour (or a day) and want to go on an insane culinary journey, “The Final Table” is available to stream right now. Brb, we’re off to binge the rest of the episodes.
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