Storyline

A character-driven documentary and cooking series that takes viewers inside the life of Chef Vivian Howard, who, with her husband Ben Knight, left the big city to open a fine dining restaurant in small-town Eastern North Carolina.

First Aired

2013-09-07
Last Aired

2017-12-09
Creator
Genre

Reality, Documentary
Seasons

5
Episodes

60
Status

Canceled
Language

English
Network

PBS

Keywords:

cooking north carolina chef female chef

Stream and watch A Chef's Life

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

1. Sweet Corn & Expensive Tea

Chef Vivian Howard and her husband Ben leave New York to open a restaurant in her small North Carolina...More

Chef Vivian Howard and her husband Ben leave New York to open a restaurant in her small North Carolina hometown. Vivian revisits the Southern tradition of “putting up” corn and shares her method for making smoked corn relish. As the episode concludes, a devastating setback threatens their new life.Less

30mins 2013-09-07

2. Strawberry Stay at Home

Vivian and Ben rebuild their restaurant against the backdrop of the Southern harbinger of spring, the ...More

Vivian and Ben rebuild their restaurant against the backdrop of the Southern harbinger of spring, the strawberry. Their twins go on their first strawberry-picking excursion, and Vivian and a friend develop a recipe for coconut cornbread strawberry shortcake with basil whipped cream.Less

30mins 2013-09-14

3. Pimp My Grits

The restaurant gears up for a practice service when the new equipment and new menu will be tested in r...More

The restaurant gears up for a practice service when the new equipment and new menu will be tested in real time - but nothing is going as planned. One of the big changes to the restaurant's menus is the addition of a section called "Pimp My Grits," where Vivian exalts the lowly, quintessentially Southern ingredient in four distinct ways.Less

30mins 2013-10-01

4. Cracklin' Kitchen

Vivian goes about christening the restaurant's new "whole animal, no waste" program with two little pi...More

Vivian goes about christening the restaurant's new "whole animal, no waste" program with two little pigs from Warren Brothers' farm. She uses everything - including the skin - and, on her father's recommendation, demonstrates how to make sweet potatoes with cracklins.Less

30mins 2013-10-08

5. Tomatoes: You Say Heirloom, I Say Old Timey

Vivian preps for a Southern Foodways Alliance luncheon. Food enthusiasts from around the country are c...More

Vivian preps for a Southern Foodways Alliance luncheon. Food enthusiasts from around the country are coming to study BBQ & Vivian plans to serve them the ultimate tomato sandwich. She weighs the risk of serving something so simple to this discerning crowd, but in her gut she believes it will be the highlight of their trip.Less

30mins 2013-10-15

6. The World is Your Oyster

Vivian goes to Cedar Island to explore the new culture of farm-raised oysters in the Southeast. She an...More

Vivian goes to Cedar Island to explore the new culture of farm-raised oysters in the Southeast. She and Ben share plans of opening an oyster bar across the street from Chef & the Farmer in hopes it will be a place that adds character and variety to the tiny town's "dining scene." Vivian and her dad orchestrate their family's first-ever oyster roast and are blown away by how much everyone enjoys it.Less

30mins 2013-10-22

7. Muscadine Time

Ben, Vivian and the twins pick muscadine grapes at a small local vineyard while learning the history o...More

Ben, Vivian and the twins pick muscadine grapes at a small local vineyard while learning the history of this native grape. Vivian visits Mike and Gator, her grape suppliers, and makes homemade wine. Back at the restaurant, Vivian makes a pizza with mulled muscadines, and Ben tests this new creation during their first stressful pizza night in the wine shop.Less

30mins 2013-10-29

8. Amber Waves of Grain

Vivian travels to Columbia, South Carolina, to meet with Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills and learns about...More

Vivian travels to Columbia, South Carolina, to meet with Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills and learns about Carolina heirloom rice growing in fields on the Savannah River. Glenn explains Anson Mills' efforts to save heirloom grains and discusses the importance of ingredient biodiversity. Glenn's passion inspires Vivian to host a "rice dinner" at Chef & the Farmer, where each course centers around this grain. Scarlett, Vivian's mom, schools her daughter on how to make the chicken and rice she grew up eating.Less

30mins 2013-11-05

9. A Peanut Pastime

Vivian visits neighbor Marty Harper's peanut farm just before and during harvest. Vivian's dad introdu...More

Vivian visits neighbor Marty Harper's peanut farm just before and during harvest. Vivian's dad introduces Ben and Vivian to the old school break snack, a pack of salted peanuts dumped into a Pepsi in a glass bottle. At the restaurant, Vivian translates the snack into Pepsi glazed pork belly with country ham braised peanuts. Vivian reinvents the popular Southern snack, boiled peanuts, for the local farmers' market.Less

30mins 2013-11-12

10. Love Me Some Candied Yams!

Vivian introduces us to Rob and Amy Hill, proprietors of one of the largest sweet potato farms in the ...More

Vivian introduces us to Rob and Amy Hill, proprietors of one of the largest sweet potato farms in the country and two of the restaurant’s best customers. Vivian and her mom, Scarlett, make her grandmother’s candied yams and Vivian later re-imagines these for the restaurant with texture, sorghum and pecans.Less

30mins 2013-11-19

11. Collard Green Queen

Vivian spends the morning with her neighbors, the Mills brothers, participating in their 100-year-old,...More

Vivian spends the morning with her neighbors, the Mills brothers, participating in their 100-year-old, all-male family tradition of making collard kraut. Vivian visits Warren at Brother’s farm to talk about the Eastern Carolina ingredient with a cult following, the Cabbage Collard.Less

30mins 2013-11-21

12. The Buttermilk Belt

Vivian and Ben go to Maple View Dairy to pick up product for the restaurant. They talk buttermilk with...More

Vivian and Ben go to Maple View Dairy to pick up product for the restaurant. They talk buttermilk with the dairy’s manager, and the noise Ben makes while savoring his cup of the thick liquid annoys his wife.Less

30mins 2013-11-28

13. Have Yourself Some Moonshine

Vivian visits Broad Slab Distillery, where they talk about the art and soul of white lightning. The re...More

Vivian visits Broad Slab Distillery, where they talk about the art and soul of white lightning. The restaurant’s mixologist works moonshine into several new drinks, while the restaurant staff struggles through the holiday party season. They end the season with a party of their own at Ben and Vivian’s new house, with AppleJack Moonshine cocktails making a guest appearance.Less