What happens when chefs put everything on the line to chase a coveted Michelin star? Apple TV+ explores that high-stakes question in “Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars,” a new fine-dining docuseries debuting this Friday that’s packed with nearly as much intensity and kitchen drama as a show like FX’s “The Bear.”
Ok, so there’s only a fraction of the swearing in Apple’s new eight-episode series (executive produced, by the way, by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay), and there’s almost none of the Berzatto-style family dysfunction. But the push-pull of obsession and perfectionism; the nonstop clatter of pots, pans, and orders rushing in; and the general pressure-cooker feel of kitchens on the brink, of restaurants trying to hold on just long enough for an elusive Michelin star to guarantee a change in their fortunes — all that, and more, make this as much a TV series about dreams and dedication to a craft as it is a show about the chaos and choreography behind how some of the most rarefied meals in the world actually come together.
Knife Edge: A restaurant show about more than food
I actually tried out the press screeners for “Knife Edge” on a whim, notwithstanding that I’m the kind of diner whose ability to critique a dish doesn’t really extend much beyond “this tastes good” or “this doesn’t” (which, come to think of it, doesn’t explain why Food & Wine magazine once thought it was a good idea to let me write for them some years ago, but that’s neither here nor there). Even for a viewer like me, this new show coming to Apple’s streamer is never anything less than riveting — especially during each episode’s Michelin star ceremony, when you’re holding your breath to see who gets crowned and who goes home with dreams crushed.
Shows like “Knife Edge” — including Netflix’s “Chef’s Table” franchise — really tap into one of the elements that defines the best stories: More than the food on the screen, these shows are mostly about ambitious people pushing themselves to the edge in pursuit of greatness. In “Knife Edge,” we meet chefs in food cities from Los Angeles to London, Mexico City, and Copenhagen. Some of them have their act together; some are financially barely hanging on. For all of them, the prospect of winning a first (or, in some cases, additional) Michelin star would be a staggering accomplishment — and the show keeps you on the edge of your seat, by first getting you invested in the chefs and then giving you fly-on-the-wall access to the awards ceremonies.
A docuseries about the quest for culinary greatness
“Life-changing success or dream-crushing failure, it all hangs in the balance,” host Jesse Burgess says at one point. The ones who hold each restaurant’s fate in their hands are the shadowy Michelin inspectors, interviewed here (while facing away from the camera, naturally) about their secretive methods. Those include everything from the use of assumed names to constantly rotating email addresses and phone numbers. For obvious reasons, solo diners always put restaurant staff in the show on high alert. In every restaurant, it’s the same buzz, the same murmurs (“We’ve got a solo diner tonight.” “Are they taking a lot of photos?” “Did they like the food?”). It adds a sort of culinary “secret agent” aspect to the normal drama we see in the kitchen.
Bottom line: Even if you’ve never set foot inside the kind of eatery with white tablecloths — and if you, like me, prefer a hole in the wall over haute cuisine — there’s a lot here to like. “Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars” is all about that fragile line between genius and burnout, making it much more of an approachable show than one might initially assume.
