If TV binge-watching is your favorite sport during quarantine, we've got your back. Foodies might miss their favorite Italian restaurant meals, but they can always count on an infinite choice of food-related TV series and documentaries to immerse themselves in. Chef’s profiles, culinary travels, and cooking competitions might also give some recipe ideas to whip up in the kitchen.
Here are some shows to explore. After all, you eat with your eyes first.
Chef’s Table - Netflix
The visually stunning tv series follows some of the best chefs in the world, including some prominent Italian masters sharing their personal lives, passions, and culinary skills. Follow Massimo Bottura’s rise to fame in Modena (Season 1 Episode 1), or Dario Cecchini, the aspiring veterinarian that became the world’s most famous butcher (Season 6 Episode 2). Don’t miss pastry chef Corrado Assenza’s episode, transporting you to the beauty of his native Sicily and tempting you with his delectable desserts, from almond granita to marzipan fruits (Season 4 Episode 2).
The Wine Show – Hulu and Amazon Prime
Do you want to learn everything about wine? British Actors have you covered! In the Wine Show’s first season, Matthew Goode and Matthew Rhys, based in a stunning Tuscan Villa, take the road to explore some of the finest wineries in Italy and reveal their fascinating stories. The show also follows wine experts Joe Fattorini and Amelia Singer visiting some of the best wineries in the world. Goode is joined by James Purefoy on a more France-centric second season, while Dominic West is a new host for the upcoming season 3 to explore Portuguese wines (launching in 2020).
Top Chef – Bravo tv and Hulu
The celebrated reality television show is in its 17th season, with Padma Lakshmi hosting an All-Stars L.A. special with the help of judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons. The cast is composed of returning contestants, and the season finale took place in Italy, marking the first time the show has traveled to Europe. Who will win the $250.000 cash prize? Tune in to find out.
Somebody Feed Phil - Netflix
Philip Rosenthal, better known as the producer of the hit show Everybody’s Love Raymond, travels the world in search of culinary gems. In his Venice episode he discovers traditional cicchetti, assorted tapas like slices of bread served with a variety of toppings, fried seafood served in paper cones ad street food, and a famous fried poke chop. In his Italian adventure, Phil passes by Modena to try the gnocco fritto, a doughnut-like pastry made with pig fat, and get a backstage sneak look Bottura’s Osteria Francescana. (Season 2 Episode 1).
F*ck That’s Delicious – Hulu
Rapper and former chef Action Bronson tours the world and enjoys the best food while diving into different cultures. The series started online as part of Vice Munchies series, and includes an Italy centric episode following the larger-than-life Bronson and his crew at in the kitchen of Osteria Francescana, trying shellfish in Naples while sharing a blunt with the local restaurant’s staff, and enjoying street food in Rome. (Season 2 Episode 6)