Netflix Drops New Chef's Table Theme—But Who's Defining Food Today?

Forbes

27-03-2025

Netflix's Chef's Table has shaped how we think about culinary excellence for close to a decade. But with food culture evolving, what does it mean to be a legend today?
On March 25, 2025, Netflix released the trailer for Chef's Table: Legends ahead of its April 17 premiere. The new season celebrates Alice Waters, Thomas Keller, Jamie Oliver, and José Andrés—four chefs whose influence stretches far beyond the kitchen.
This new season of Chef's Table: Legends will feature four episodes, each highlighting one of the featured chefs.
Each of them has left an undeniable mark on food: Waters pioneered farm-to-table dining, Keller defined fine dining in America, Oliver changed how home cooks engage with food, and Andrés turned the food into a tool for activism.
But as food culture has expanded, so has our definition of culinary influence. Restaurants no longer have a monopoly on shaping what and how we eat. Food movements, digital creators, and sustainability advocates are now just as influential as chefs.
So, as Chef's Table looks back at the past decade, who defines food culture today? And how will the next generation of culinary legends be recognized?
For decades, food media and institutions like Chef's Table have celebrated a small, exclusive set of chefs, primarily Western, male, and Eurocentric fine dining figures. They were the tastemakers, the gatekeepers, the ones shaping what was considered "good food."
But today, the table is longer.
Food culture is no longer dictated by a handful of elite chefs. Influence now comes from a much wider range of voices, shaping food through heritage, storytelling, and activism.
Figures like Crystal Wahpepah and Claudia Serrato are redefining what American food even means by reviving Indigenous foodways, integrating Native ingredients, and reclaiming culinary traditions. Others, like Illyanna Maisonet, preserve Puerto Rican foodways through storytelling and recipes.
Meanwhile, Kat Lieu has shown how social media can be a platform for sharing modern Asian baking with a global audience, while Yotam Ottolenghi has helped move international flavors from the margins to the mainstream.
But it's not just about who's cooking—it's about who's shaping food knowledge.
Educators and activists are teaching people how to cook within the constraints of food deserts, helping communities make the most of what's available. Others are preserving and amplifying food histories that have long been overlooked. The gatekeepers of food culture are no longer just in Michelin-starred kitchens—they're in classrooms, social media feeds, and grassroots movements.
With more ways than ever to shape food culture—through media, activism, social platforms, and community leadership—culinary greatness is no longer confined to white tablecloth restaurants alone.
Many of today's most influential figures don't even run traditional restaurants, yet they are redefining how people cook, eat, and connect with food.
Social media has transformed how food trends emerge, with platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube driving viral moments that turn niche dishes into global sensations. According to research, 38% of Gen Z and millennials have visited a restaurant solely because they saw it on social media, while Hospitality Tech reports that 53% of users have tried a new recipe or restaurant after seeing it online.
Viral trends like baked feta pasta, cloud bread, and "lazy girl meals" haven't just influenced home cooking—they've forced restaurants to rethink their menus in real time. Some chefs now design dishes specifically for social media appeal, proving that digital food culture has real-world economic power.
Meanwhile, food personalities across platforms—whether it's a YouTube cooking series, an Instagram chef, or a TikTok creator—often have more influence than traditional food media, proving that the way people engage with food has fundamentally changed. Platforms that once were just for entertainment are now actively shaping what and how we eat.
Even Chef's Table itself has evolved to reflect these shifts. Netflix's expanding food content shows how streaming platforms shape our engagement with dining.
When Chef's Table first premiered, it was a celebration of elite fine dining, featuring chefs known for their technical precision, multi-course tasting menus, and Michelin-starred kitchens—figures like Massimo Bottura, Grant Achatz, and Christina Tosi, who brought avant-garde creativity into high-end dining.
However, as the food world shifted, Chef's Table gradually expanded its focus. More recent seasons have highlighted chefs whose work is rooted in cultural heritage, sustainability, and social impact, including:
The franchise has also produced spinoffs specific to areas of dining, including barbecue, pizza, and pasta. This shiftreflects a larger trend: food influence today isn't just about luxury dining—it's about culture, community, and storytelling. Home cooking trends highlight how people are rethinking their relationship with food.
Even within Chef's Table, the definition of a culinary legend is evolving.
If Chef's Table were to make a season 20 years from now, would it still focus on individual chefs? Or would it have to evolve to reflect the way food culture actually works today?
Food culture is no longer dictated by a small, exclusive group of chefs. Instead, it's shaped by a global, interconnected community—where influence comes from chefs, home cooks, digital creators, activists, and cultural movements alike.
Some figures are teaching people how to cook within the constraints of food deserts and reshaping food access and education. Organizations like The Okra Project, which brings home-cooked meals to Black trans communities, and Toni Tipton-Martin's work in food literacy prove that food influence isn't just about restaurants—it's about who has access to knowledge.
Meanwhile, chefs like Sohla El-Waylly, Paola Velez, Bryant Terry, and Chintan Pandya are proving that food culture isn't just shaped by who's on TV—it's about who's telling the stories and making food knowledge accessible. Eric Adjepong brings West African flavors to the forefront of American dining, weaving history, migration, and culture into his approach to food.
So instead of asking who the next Keller or Waters will be, maybe the bigger question is:
What remains clear is that food culture is no longer defined by a handful of figures—it's shaped by the many voices making an impact every day.
Chef's Table: Legends will premiere on Netflix on April 28, 2025, offering viewers a chance to explore the lasting impact of these culinary icons."