Here in Westchester, it’s common knowledge Chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns is one of the best in the business. But now, he and his farm-to-table restaurant in Pocantico Hills are receiving more attention than ever.
Last week, Blue Hill at Stone Barns won the 2015 James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant—in its first year of eligibility, might we add (restaurants must be open for 10 consecutive years to be considered for the award). And, perhaps more exciting for the average layman, Barber is featured in the new Netflix documentary series Chef’s Table.
The series, which premiered on Netflix in late April, has six episodes, each featuring on a different world-renowned chef. Barber is the focus a 50-minute episode, which gives viewers an intimate look into the life of the chef and the operation of his restaurant.
Barber is a pioneer of the farm-to-table movement, a fact the episode zeroes in on. Viewers get to see Barber conducting business literally from farms to the tables of his restaurant. In the episode, he visits multiple farms, including the original Blue Hill Farm in the Berkshires.
Whether digging in the field or running day-to-day operations at Blue Hill, Barber clearly isn’t one to avoid getting his hands a little dirty. |
Other episode highlights include a behind-the-scenes look at a Stone Barns chef meeting, where the restaurant’s chefs discuss the ingredients for the day and how to integrate them into the dinner; Barber’s stories about some of his early failures, like being fired by renowned baker Nancy Silverton; and hearing from the farmers who actually produce food for the restaurant (Barber asks them to farm for the best flavor, which is apparently a rare request).
All six episodes of Chef’s Table are now available on Netflix, here; watch a trailer of the Dan Barber episode below