Sign in if you're already registered.We're pretty obsessed with This Thing Now. Here's how to get it into your life. "The best thing about being a documentary filmmaker is living like the people you're following and going on their journey," Jiro Dreams of Sushi director David Gelb says. "How fun is that, especially when they're the greatest chefs in the world?" Gelb and his crew trailed legendary grill master Francis Mallmann as he hopped from lamb roast to lamb roast in Argentina. They cram into the kitchen at Melbourne's acclaimed Attica; they sit with Ben Shewry as he turns far-fetched dishes from idea into reality in the span of a day. They trek to a remote Fargo-esque town in Sweden where Magnus Nilsson smokes, pickles and transforms the little that grows there into edible masterpieces at Fäviken, No. 19 on the The World's 50 Best Restaurants.It was all for Gelb's newest documentary series, Chef's Table, which premieres on Netflix this Sunday. RELATED   Movie Night: "The Hundred-Foot Journey" »

Dreamed up as a "spiritual sequel" to Jiro, Chef's Table is broken up into six short but mesmerizing documentaries profiling big-name chefs, as well as up-and-coming game changers. ichiban sushi menu michiganThe so-called "cast" includes the aforementioned chefs, plus Niki Nakayama, one of the world's few female kaiseki chefs and the brains behind tradition-bending n/naka in L.A.; jiro dreams of sushi uk dvdThe Third Plate author and leftovers innovator Dan Barber; umi sushi menu sgand Italy's Michelin-starred Massimo Bottura.jiro dreams of sushi dvd netflix And like Jiro, the series goes deeper than endless shots of beautiful food (though there is a lot of that, too).

"Jiro was less about how to make sushi and more about why. What it means to give yourself to your work and what the cost of greatness is," Gelb explains. "All of the chefs [in Chef's Table] have created their own style of cuisine and forged this sort of outsider's path to success. They use their places as a vessel for storytelling." Tune in Sunday, and you'll see exactly what Gelb means.In my favorite episode of Chef’s Table, a new, six-episode series premiering on Netflix this Sunday, April 26, the famous Argentine chef Francis Mallmann guts a couple of brook trout, then washes them clean by dragging them around in a lake. It's just a regular day in Mallmann land. Francis Mallmann roasts chickens over a fire in Chef’s Table. Then he uses soft, wet clay he's just dug from the water to seal the fish up, and places the bundle on a low fire to slowly cook in its own steam. It's an old, uncomplicated technique, but it's beautiful to watch him work. The best moments in this new series, each episode profiling a different chef around the world, let you quietly observe what goes on behind the scenes, equal parts food porn and character study.

This is Mallmann in his natural habitat, the vast wilderness, speaking about what he does in a characteristically poetic way. Things could easily get goofy, and sometimes they do: "When you build a fire, it's a bit like making love," Mallmann says at one point. Later he reads poetry by the dying firelight. An hour-long boat ride takes Mallmann to his home on an island. But David Gelb (who directed the lauded Jiro Dreams of Sushi, about Japanese sushi master Jiro Ono) has created a documentary series that explores complex stories about his subjects, without letting them get too cartoonish. Mallmann is the romantic, wandering the hills for firewood, reading poetry by the firelight, but he's more than that, too. Red pepper egg with everything, a dish from Dan Barber. As Mallmann grills whole lambs, and hangs chickens over the coals, the episode goes into his past, to tell the story of how Mallmann, who was born in Buenos Aires but raised in Patagonia, came to reject French fine dining and "making fancy French food for rich Argentines," and went on to champion his own rustic, homegrown cooking techniques and ingredients.

It didn't happen overnight. Chances are you're already familiar with the other chef subjects, which include Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy; Ben Shewry of Attica in Melbourne; and Magnus Nilsson of Fäviken in Järpen, Sweden. Two episodes feature American chefs: Dan Barber of Blue Hill in NYC and Niki Nakayama of N/Naka in Los Angeles. I was skeptical of the series at first. Do all these chefs deserve the Jiro treatment? After all, these chefs are famous—properly, internationally famous—and their stories have been told so many times, in so many glossy magazines, that I wondered if there would be any surprises. Salted kangaroo from Attica. Chef’s Table goes deeper into each chef's story and often nudges a bit at uncomfortable themes that most puff pieces tend to leave out, like Shewry's harsh financial struggles. Nakayama, who was not expected by her immediate family to succeed, talks about this only briefly, but the episode goes back to this theme of drive and perseverance in subtle, moving ways.

The "mad genius" is a tired trope, but all these chefs have it in them in one way or another, and it's fascinating to watch it unfold. A dish from Niki Nakayama’s kaiseki menu. So is it worth binge-watching this weekend? Yes, just make sure you have some snacks on hand, or it'll be torture. Chef’s Table premieres on April 26 on Netflix.Before you sit down with any of these movies, it’s highly recommended you get a bowl of popcorn, plenty of Milk Duds, and perhaps a ribeye steak or two. Basically, you’re going to be hungry. But besides making you salivate, each film will spin the tale of some interesting corner of the culinary world. While there are a ton of great food documentaries out there that deal with the issues of our modern food system and our unhealthy diets, we chose to focus on simply unique stories. Here are 10 you should see. Spinning Plates is like three documentaries in one. It tells the stories of three very different restaurants, the people behind them, and the hardships they faced.

Grant Achatz of the famed Chicago restaurant Alinea was faced with the diagnosis of mouth cancer and the prospect of never tasting food again, Breitbach’s Country Dining in Iowa was a town staple until disaster struck … twice, and La Cocina de Gabby was a small Mexican restaurant always on the cusp of having to close the doors for good. The stories are tied together by a few common themes: Family, friends, and a love of food. If you never had the pleasure of eating at Shopsin’s in Greenwich Village, you missed out on one of the most unique restaurants ever to grace this earth. Much of that is due to the eccentric Kenny Shopsin and his oddball humor and foul-mouthed wisdom. I Like Killing Flies documents the final years of the original location’s existence. How many chefs would kick out a party of five and ban them for life or serve up a plate of ebelskivers only if a lady flashed him? We’re guessing just Kenny, and that’s why this documentary is so phenomenal. Any movie that has a 99% approval on Rotten Tomatoes is obviously worth checking out, but be forewarned, if you’re a sushi fan, you’re going to want to book a ticket to Tokyo upon finishing Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

The story is about one of the world’s greatest sushi chefs who operates a small restaurant in a Tokyo subway station. The place has earned 3 Michelin stars and become a must visit for any sushi fanatic. The film delves into his insistence on perfection in every piece he serves. Ever have the dream of building and running your own restaurant? This film follows Danny Meyer for eleven months as he creates Eleven Madison Park and Tabla. The world-renowned restaurateur gives you a glimpse behind the creation of his empire in this award-winning documentary. You want to succeed? You’re going to have to work and be okay with failure. But don’t take our word for it, let Mrs. Stephenson drill the message into you. Pressure Cooker follows a few students at Frankford High School in Philadelphia as they train and compete for culinary scholarships under the watchful eye of Wilma Stephenson. They come from rough areas and the kitchen might be their way out, but they have to sacrifice a standard high school life to get there.

There’s a whole world of fruits out there that have never crossed your lips. Exotic things that taste like candy that you can’t pick up at the grocery store are waiting for you. The Fruit Hunters follows some fruit addicts as they track down some of this deliciousness. We’d gladly take a hearty serving of ice cream beans if someone wants to go secure them for us. Some of the cakes and pastries you’ve seen on Food Network competition shows are great and all, but they aren’t even in the same stratosphere as the sweets you’re about to see. Kings of Pastry is a documentary about the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France that happens every four years with the primary focus on the pastries vying for dessert supremacy. With the thrill of a great sports movie, Kings of Pastry will have you teetering on the edge of your seat while grown men cry over cake. At just over a half hour, Sriracha isn’t going to be confused with The Wolf of Wall Street, but in a short time it packs a lot of interesting details about everyone’s favorite spicy condiment.