A perfect tasting menu relies on balance, and on not fatiguing a customer’s palate. Based on that theory, no meal should be more than 25 bites.
In this episode, all twelve courses David serves at Manresa, and the ways in which they are presented – on specific plates and served with ballet-like ...

When your first restaurant job is Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, you are inevitably destined for great things. As a high school student in New Orleans, David’s eyes were opened by the glamorous Crescent City institution, and a long career in cuisine followed.
In this episode, David goes ba...

Diners these days can be pickier than ever, and they seem to have no problem telling a chef how to do his or her job. Allergies, self-diagnosed sensitivities and customer “dislikes” have become the bane of several chefs’ existence.
In this episode, we learn how Kinch sees these typical restric...

For Chef David Kinch balance in life is as important as balance in a dish. And seeking that balance means walking away form the bustle of the line and demands of running the restaurant.
In this episode, David and his friend Carlo Mirarchi, the chef and owner of Blanca and Roberta’s in Brooklyn,...

Nothing is more calming or inspiring than the sea, and living in Santa Cruz, David is never far from one of his many muses.
In this episode, David takes the muscular abalone and transforms it into something soft and supple in one of his signature dishes, Abalone Porridge. A visit to Monterey Ab...

Food is evolution, and wise chefs never forget from whence they came. A solid foundation allows them to test new boundaries and push things to new limits.
In this episode, David gets a visit from chefs of Manresa’s past, to explore how he’s inspired them and share how they’ve shaped dishes on t...

A dish is only as good as its ingredients, but an ingredient can also be manipulated in many ways. In this episode, David focuses his attention to the strawberry, at the height of its season during production, to celebrate the summer favorite. California produces 80% of America’s strawberries, an...

Things can change in an instant, as David discovered in July of 2014, when he got a fateful call that his restaurant Manresa which he owned and operated since 2002, and has held two Michelin stars for nine consecutive years, had burned nearly to the ground. Since then, the fire has become a marke...

These days, Gabrielle is constantly looking to the future, wondering what could come next in her life after the kitchen, and who will be able to keep the traditions she works so hard to uphold, alive and well once she does.
In this episode, Gabrielle looks long and hard at how she has evolved no...

Milan holds some of Gabrielle’s all time favorite experiences on the planet in the form of food, restaurants and overall “Italian-ness.” It’s a meeting ground of both contemporary and classic Italian culture. But what really entices Gabrielle are the small details, an embroidered curtain, a clas...

Surviving the restaurant game for 15 years in New York City takes some major hustle. From lying about her age to get her first dishwasher gig to lying about her tips, getting busted and charged with grand larceny, hustling was the easy part in running a restaurant for Gabrielle.
In this episod...

It’s an age-old saying, but where you have been is almost as important as where you are going and ultimately makes you who you are today. Gabrielle has traveled the country and the world, but sometimes, it’s good to go back to your roots.

In this episode, Gabrielle visits the lush grounds of ...

Hunger can mean many different things for many different people, but for chef Gabrielle Hamilton, it can be best described as a lonely feeling. From a very young age, Gabrielle was left alone in her home to fend for herself. She rummaged through what was left in the pantry and refrigerator and ...

Just because the rose is obvious and has been admired so many times does not mean you should abandon it and stop looking. This is the philosophy Gabrielle has for Rome, Italy, a city that is on everyone’s list and a hub for camera-token tourists.
In this episode, we explore Gabrielle’s deep l...

Frugality is not a dirty word for Gabrielle. Having been raised in a large family with many mouths to feed, to then needing to fend for herself from a very young age, Gabrielle is the master of utilizing scraps. Gabrielle is constantly looking into the garbage cans to see what her cooks are car...

With every chipped plate and hand-written to-do list, Gabrielle’s “presence” is all over her NYC restaurant, Prune. Her life experience, whether it be her upbringing by a French mother who cooked serious food like calf’s livers and ratatouille, to her trip around the world with $200-worth of tra...