Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars Review

I fancy myself a bit of a foodie. I’m from Chicago – a world class city when it comes to food – and I have been lucky enough to have eaten at Michelin starred restaurants around the world. I’ve also watched every season of Bravo’s Top Chef, making sure to visit the restaurants of contestants around the country as well. I say all of this to let you know that I am absolutely the intended audience of Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars, the new docudrama from AppleTV+. And you know what? There’s some really interesting stuff within the series. But it too often falls victim to a desire to heap more and more into the series when all we really need – and want – is the chance to watch some brilliant chefs trying their absolute hardest to reach the pinnacle of their profession.

So, what’s the story of the series? Well, it follows chefs around the world – in the cities that have Michelin Guides (which are a select few in the grand scheme of the culinary world) – as they chase the elusive Michelin Star (or, in the case of some chefs whose restaurants have already been awarded one or more stars, chase additional stars). We spend an episode to an episode and a half in a particular locale – the series starts in the US with three episodes split between New York City and Chicago – getting to know a few chefs and restaurants who are looking to elevate their menus to catch the eye of the anonymous Michelin inspectors. Some are successful, some fall short. But the time spent watching what goes into planning a menu, training their staff to meet the high standards needed to impress, and ultimately watching them create within the kitchen makes for great television. And if that were the whole of the story here, this would be an enthusiastic rave. Unfortunately, someone had the bright idea that an audience couldn’t truly understand the story being told here without an intrusive host to over explain everything.

That host – the British “food expert” Jesse Burgess – is decidedly not the right fit for the program. He pops in to eat at the selected restaurants, offering effusive praise of dishes (even when the story behind the restaurant is how it is struggling to win over diners). These asides add nothing to the real story being told and serve more to distract from it and take time away from the chefs we’re here to watch. And when we head to the Michelin gala to see who has secured their stars, Burgess is there, standing at a table in the back, cutting into the proceedings like a golf announcer, reminding us of just what is at stake for each restaurant. Which we already know, since we just spent the last 45 minutes learning exactly that. So, the big moment of revelation for each of these chefs turns into watching Burgess talk about them, telling us how much he wants them to succeed and then how happy or sad he is with the outcome. The series also never really introduces who Burgess is or why we should trust his thoughts on food or the restaurant business. I actually had to look up his qualifications after watching the premiere because I was confused at why he was even in the series.

If the show was structured more like Netflix’s Chef’s Table, a series where we get a deep dive into a chef and their restaurant, it would be much more successful. The current structure – with Burgess introducing the new location*, the restaurants we’re following and why they want their star, him eating at each, and then the Michelin ceremony – is a mistake. Rather, make the chefs and their restaurants the star. Whenever the story is focused on them – their story about how they became chefs, how they got their restaurant, why that food matters – the series is great. I was interested to watch the various restaurants in the different cities. To see how each chef reached this point. Why they wanted to achieve that star. But then Burgess would reappear, pulling the focus and shattering the delicate narrative that was developing.

*And while it’s a minor thing, when Burgess was introducing Chicago, they naturally talked about pizza and hot dogs – while showing an Italian Beef sandwich when they mentioned hot dogs. Come on.

So, is Knife Point worth a look? I found I enjoyed it enough to keep watching. But then again, I’m very interested in this corner of the food world. I was even able to mostly overlook Burgess’ appearances – his voice over is much less intrusive than his actual on screen appearances. If you aren’t plugged into the Michelin scene, your mileage may vary. This is series focused on how chefs get their star – or fail to do so. If you don’t particularly care about the Michelin Guide, you won’t get much out of this one. But a second season? If Apple goes that route, I suggest they ditch Burgess and let the chefs speak for themselves.

Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars premiers on Friday, October 10 on AppleTV+.