Vino Voices Special Edition: "Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars - Season 2" by Apple TV—Episodes 1 & 2

"Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars - Season 2" by Apple TV

This Special Edition Vino Voices post is one of seven that will take place while episodes from the series "Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars - Season 2" from Apple TV are released.

I was fortunate enough to be provided with advanced screenings of this series and have been watching them during past weeks. Episodes 1 and 2 premier today on Apple TV. Below is a brief overview.

The visuals are gorgeous, not only of the food and restaurants, but of the geographical settings, including forested rural Wales, the island of Guernsey and of coastal Florida.

Sound bites in each show help drive storylines, such as from the Florida chef Jonathan Kaiser of Calusso who declares, "I want to get a goddamn Michelin star—just chase that down and get it," to the clandestine Michelin inspector who reveals that to receive a first Michelin star, "We are looking for incredible quality of product, mastery of technical skills, fantastic flavors, personality of the chef, and we're also looking for consistency."

The truth that most of these chefs are driven by passion becomes clear throughout episodes. Chef Gareth Ward of Ynyshir Hall says, “Never had any money when I grew up on a council estate in the northeast. Didn’t have a penny. This is a passion project.” Speaking about himself and his partner of 14 years—Ameila Eriksson—he revealed that, “We put literally everything into this restaurant. . . Money will hopefully come later in life."

There are modifications in format from Season 1. Rather than focus on only one or two restaurants per episode, sometimes three restaurants are tracked. And whereas the Michelin ceremony that awards stars (or does not) was at the end of each episode in Season 1, that reveal now comes during the following week/episode.

"Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars - Season 2"

Episode One: Dare to be Different

Restaurants & Locations: Ynyshir Hall in rural Wales and Vraic on the Island of Guernsey, United Kingdom. Ynyshir—which seats 20 diners—strives for a third Michelin star, while Vraic—which seats 25—seeks its first Michelin star.

Tensions/Conflict: Ynyshir receives bizarre news from the environmental agency, while Vraic staff need to locate, and then master, the cooking of a rare Channel Islands sea snail in just days. It has a taste between a scallop and oyster, it cannot be frozen, and must be served within five days of being found.

Quotations:

Chef Gareth of Ynyshir Hall: "It's an obsession. You're constantly pushing, striving to be better. It's an addiction. . . I want to leave a legacy. I want people to talk about this restaurant in years. It's a commitment—more than just food and hospitality."

"All my ingredients are the best ingredients on the planet."

Chef Nathan Davies of Vraic: "My food philosophy is local produce. We want to give people a taste of Guernsey."

Anonymous Michelin inspectors: "Restaurants at the three star level, they know exactly what they want to say, and how they want to say it."

"It is incredible to watch chefs take risks. This is one of the most exciting parts of the job. What's important is that you are able to generate the consistency across all your dishes across time."

Narrator/Host Jesse Burgess: "Ynyshir is not just a meal you're paying for—it's a whole show."

Culinary Highlights:

Ynyshir Hall—A 500 gram Spanish truffle the size of a baseball.

Vraic—Hot and sour broth with 8 types of seaweed; rhubarb and nettle dessert.

Local Quirks:

Ynyshir Hall—The restaurant built its own salt chamber to age meat and fish, with a UV filter to keep the air inside clean.

Vraic—Guernsey is closer to France than to the U.K., and 40% of diners travel to the island to eat at the restaurant. However, rough seas can cancel boats and planes.

"Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars - Season 2"

Episode Two: There is no plan B

Restaurants & Locations: Calusso in Fort Lauderdale and Cotoa in North Miami, Florida. Calusso includes 200 seats, while Cotoa has 26 seats. Both seek their first Michelin star.

Tensions/Conflict: Calusso strives for Michelin level quality in a 200 seat restaurant, while the heat in small Cotoa (with 26 seats) is melting ice cream before it is served.

Quotations:

Chef Jonathan Kaiser of Calusso: "I am a goalkeeper. I am not letting anything go past me. If something is not correct I will throw out every damn dish until we get the right one."

Chef Alejandra Espinoza of Cotoa: "I never stop. Every single service is a perfect choreography. Ten people trying to coordinate how to move around in a space as small as a living room. But we've learned to work to a Formula 1 level."

Anonymous Michelin Inspector: "Size doesn't matter as long as a restaurant has consistency."

Narrator/Host Jesse Burgess: "For restaurants chasing stars, there is one big problelm—spotting an inspector. Because over the years they've perfected flying under the radar."

Culinary Highlights:

Calusso—Honey garlic sauce on a reverse Heritage Chicken ("take the mushroom out of the chicken and put the chicken into the mushroom").

Cotoa—La Tonga de Ecuadorian Langostinos, served in banana leaves.

Local Quirks:

Calusso—The restaurant is located within a 'mega-resort' named Pier 66, which cost $1 billion to create.

Cotoa—When Ecuadorean chef Alejandra arrived in Miami and wanted to convert a hot dog stand into a restaurant, 30 investors turned her down. Yet when this series was filmed, there was already a two month wait list to eat at her restaurant.

Vino Voices

Thanks for tuning into this Special Edition episode of Vino Voices!

Please also check out my regular Tuesday posts, which will soon feature a visit to one of the world's largest boat shows in Genoa in Italy, to a wedding of Californians in Provence in France and to various wineries in the Languedoc region of southern France.

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