A Chef's Life

- Season 4

(2016)

Spring onions kick off the season in high gear as Vivian takes a break from penning her first cookbook to prepare a benefit dinner at a training ground for beginning farmers. Even though The Avett Brothers make an appearance, the underdog onion steals the show, playing both star and support.

The heat is high and watermelons are ripe for the picking. After being away from the restaurant all summer, Vivian returns to a staff of unfamiliar faces and works to build camaraderie with the newbies while accepting inevitable changes. As her cookbook capers continue, Vivian employs an avid home cook to put recipes from her forthcoming book to the test.

As a visit from her editor accelerates book preparations, Vivian reckons with handing over the restaurant reins to John and Justise. A tutorial in "beatin' peas" delivered by a 92 year-old expert is an entertaining and therapeutic history lesson.

Vivian preps for a first-time trip to Feast Portland. Sam Jones and Miss Lillie share old-school cabbage recipes that influence the dish she prepares for festival goers. While on the road, she trusts John and Justise to hold down the fort back home.

Vivian can't resist the opportunity to romp around the city before firing up the BBQ cabbage at Feast Portland. The crisp Oregon air and thousands of patient festival patrons make hiccups with her cooking equipment easier to overcome.

Vivian's rabbit demo at the Carolina Meat Conference is met with a rowdy rabble of protesters. As a cherished staff member prepares to leave the restaurant, Vivian mourns his loss while anticipating the additional strain.

An up-close-and-personal experience with farm-raised catfish offers Vivian an enlightened perspective on the industry. When a staff member's last day at the restaurant arrives, heavy emotions and fond memories create a bonding moment for the crew.

Flo and Theo's pre-school class visits the restaurant for a meal where table manners are the focus, but exceptionally slow service makes everyone antsy. When Vivian's sunchoke recipe doesn't make the grade, she enlists guidance from an old friend.

A view behind the scenes reveals the hot and cold of curing ham. At a New York dinner party in her honor, Vivian serves up a gift of seasoning meats - the pig tails, ham hocks and fatback that give Carolina cuisine its quintessential kick.

A surprise brand takes top prize in Vivian's mayo blind taste test. After a new chef takes the reins, her diminishing role at the restaurant becomes clearer. Vivian's long-held vacation plans are stifled by a series of strange events.