Here’s a preview of a documentary that goes behind the scenes with celebrity chef Thomas Keller. ‘Thomas Keller: Uncorked’ provides glimpses of the man’s perfectionism and a closer look at how a 14-year-old boy working the line grew to become the Michelin-starred chef of The French Laundry.
In the 30-minute documentary “Master Chef: Thomas Keller UnCorked,” Keller reveals his quirks and eccentricities as he takes cameras through the hallowed kitchens of The French Laundry, his flagship restaurant in the heart of Napa Valley.
“When we store the fish, we always store it the way it swims,” he said. “Storing a fish like this supports the filet in its natural shape.”
Keller is also seen cradling soft-shell crabs gingerly in his hands and holding a loaf of bread to his ear and tapping it on the bottom.
When correspondent Michael Okwu opens the fridge door in his home kitchen, Keller quickly rearranges a few items that are haphazardly out of place.
A little obsessive compulsive?
“Yeah, it’s one of those things,” he shrugs. “It comes from my mother.”
The full documentary airs over the weekend, Friday, September 23 at 8:30 pm PT on KCET, the largest independent public TV station in the US. Other air times: Saturday September 24 at 6 pm PT and Sunday September 25 at 6:30 pm PT.