David Gelb will personally direct all eight episodes across the two seasons, his first time behind the camera for every installment in the show's decade-long run.
Chef's Table isn't done yet. Netflix confirmed on Wednesday that the docuseries is getting two fresh seasons, one called Icons and the other Desserts, marking its return a little under two years after the last batch of episodes dropped in November 2024.
Icons will turn its focus on chefs who went beyond running a great restaurant and built something closer to an institution, according to Netflix's description, people who reshaped dining in their era and set a bar others still measure themselves against. Desserts does what it says on the tin: pastry and confectionery specialists from around the world, chosen for the imagination and precision of their work rather than just their plating.
Here's the twist worth noting. Creator David Gelb, who's produced the show for a decade now, is stepping in to direct all eight episodes across both seasons personally. That's new. Chef's Table has typically split directing duties among a rotating team since it launched in 2015 as Netflix's very first original unscripted series.
"After 10 years, our filmmaking team continues to strive to elevate Chef's Table to an even higher level, just like our chefs do in their restaurants every day," Gelb said, adding that filming at this close a range had left him moved by the experience.
The original show has racked up 48 episodes over ten seasons and nine Emmy nominations along the way, building out a whole franchise in the process. There's Chef's Table: France, BBQ, Pizza, Noodles and Legends, plus a companion talk format called Chef's Table: Talks. Icons and Desserts slot in as the newest branches on that tree.
Netflix hasn't named a single chef for either season yet. Casting announcements are expected later, and given how the franchise usually rolls these out, that's likely to happen closer to a premiere date rather than all at once. No release window has been set either, so for now this is confirmation that cameras are heading back into professional kitchens, not a date to circle.
Boardwalk Pictures and David Gelb Films are producing, with Gelb executive producing alongside Andrew Fried, Brian McGinn and Dane Lillegard, the same team that's run the show since its early seasons. What's changed is who's actually calling action on set. Whether Gelb's hands-on approach shows up as a tonal shift, or just a tighter, more personal version of the show fans already know, is the thing to watch for once names and a launch date land.
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