The Mind of a Chef (2012)

Name: The Mind of a Chef
Genre: Documentary
Rating: 8
Cast: Anthony Bourdain, Danny Bowien

Documentary

Go inside the minds of some of the world's top chefs. Narrated by Executive Producer Anthony Bourdain, The Mind of a Chef is that rare and beautiful thing: an intelligent show about cooking.

IMDb rating: 8.0 (1,502 votes)
Episode average: 6.7 -1.3 vs IMDb
Seasons: 5
Streaming (US): Amazon Prime Video
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

Browse shows by rating shape → Open in Rising Shows app → View on IMDb

Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 5 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (2012)

6.86 avg 16 episodes 7.6 → 6.4 24 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Noodle	7.6	68
2	Pig	6.8	46
3	Memory	6.7	40
4	Spain	7.1	37
5	Rotten	7.0	35
6	Rene	7.1	34
7	Simple	6.9	30
8	Gluttony	6.9	28
9	Chef	6.9	27
10	Japan	6.9	32
11	New York	6.7	28
12	Fresh	6.9	27
13	Soy	7.1	27
14	Sweet Spot	6.3	22
15	Smoke	6.4	21
16	Buddies	6.4	23

Season 2 (2013)

6.71 avg 16 episodes 6.7 → 6.4 24 min avg

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Southerners	6.7	26
2	Seeds	7.1	22
3	Rice	7.1	19
4	Louisiana	6.4	17
5	Preserve	7.0	19
6	Roots	6.6	17
7	Lowcountry BBQ	7.1	25
8	Senegal	6.9	17
9	London	6.2	18
10	Sea/Salt	6.5	13
11	Curry	6.8	15
12	Italian	6.6	13
13	British Classics	6.6	18
14	Farmer	6.6	14
15	Leftovers	6.7	14
16	Restauranteur	6.4	11

Season 3 (2014)

6.59 avg 15 episodes 6.6 → 6.4 24 min avg

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	NYC Origin	6.6	16
2	American Cuisine	6.8	17
3	Argentina	7.3	20
4	Louisville	7.1	15
5	Kentucky	6.7	15
6	Latitude	6.7	14
7	Impermanence	6.7	14
8	Bourbon	6.7	16
9	Winter	6.0	9
11	Creation	5.6	10
12	France	6.5	13
13	Traditions	6.6	12
14	Locality	6.8	12
15	Documentation	6.3	13
16	Fäviken	6.4	14

Season 4 (2015)

6.72 avg 16 episodes 6.6 → 7.1 31 min avg

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Prune	6.6	18
2	Garbage	6.7	16
3	Rome	7.0	14
4	Hunger	6.8	15
5	Past	6.4	13
6	Hustle	6.8	14
7	Napkin	6.8	15
8	Evolution	6.4	13
9	Fire	6.8	14
10	Legacy	7.1	14
11	Ocean	6.4	15
12	Strawberry	6.7	16
13	Balance	6.6	14
14	Restrictions	6.8	13
15	New Orleans	6.5	14
16	Bites	7.1	14

Season 5 (2016)

6.76 avg 14 episodes 6.6 → 5.6 23 min avg

Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Eggs	6.6	10
2	Legends	6.4	8
3	Fried	6.8	9
4	LudoBird	7.1	13
5	Strip Malls	7.0	13
6	La Mer	7.4	14
7	La Végétale	7.2	13
8	Joie de Vivre	7.2	12
9	Tous au Bistro	7.2	13
10	Instinct vs. Discipline	6.9	13
11	LudoBites	6.8	11
12	Dessert	6.5	6
13	Birds	5.9	7
14	Surf N Turf	5.6	5