The Gods of Food is a new mockumentary that takes the piss out of self-indulgent dramatic food shows like Chef’s Table. Via Netflix:
Just like its inspiration, each episode will tell one chef’s life story with plenty of slow-mo shots of food being plated and classical music cues, plus commentary from culinary experts. While the chefs themselves are all fictional characters played by up-and-coming actors and comedians, some of the talking heads are actual famous chefs playing themselves. Hugh Acheson, Jet Tila, Alison Roman, and Richard Blais all appear throughout the show’s six episodes, offering context on the lives and careers of these fictional temperamental geniuses. Some episodes skewer specific Chef’s Table sagas — the second installment is a direct riff on the Jeong Kwan episode — while others take looser inspiration from Netflix’s show.
Judging by the new trailer, creator Rekha Shankar and her team absolutely nailed the look and tone of Chef’s Table. “I thought it was pretty ripe for parody,” Shankar tells Eater. “It was almost already just there. And I do love all these shows too, and I love some of the things they have to say about creating something from nothing and innovating in a space where all the ideas have already happened.” Shankar, a writer and comedian based in LA, is a huge food TV fan and says the idea was initially born out of conversations she had with a co-worker who hated these types of series. While other TV shows have poked fun at Chef’s Table and its precursor Jiro Dreams of Sushi — most notable Documentary Now! and Ugly Delicious — the world of high-end cuisine has never received a full-blown parody like Gods of Food before.