National Geographic’s Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted Season One review
By Verona Jones
National Geographic’s Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted is a six-part TV series documenting the world-renowned chef on his globe-trotting adventures to six unique world destinations. The mission: to discover culturally inspired cuisine.
The best way to describe Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted is it’s Josh Gates ‘Expedition Unknown meets Hell’s Kitchen. The only difference is that instead of archaeological artifacts, Ramsay is searching for culinary treasures from each episode’s chosen country. Ramsay then creates dishes combining the ingredients he’s discovered with his knowledge of that region’s traditions.
The series itself takes a unique look at the conventional cooking show because the show revolves completely around Ramsay’s view and experiences—it doesn’t allow the viewer to completely understand the culture of each region. Nor does it introduce the local chefs who are sharing their knowledge and experiences with Ramsay. These people are trained in their regional traditions and can explain their country’s culinary history more thoroughly then Ramsay could learn trekking through the countryside.
He would also learn more about each region if he worked side-by-side with the local chefs in their respective kitchens. Afterward, they could tour the exquisite landscape as they explained the history and culture that goes into their culinary creations while we enjoy the breathtaking scenery. Such exposure would allow each chefs dream of introducing their traditional dishes to the rest of the culinary world to become a reality.
We’re briefly introduced to some of the finest chefs in their chosen style of cooking, though we don’t learn anything about them personally. For instance, in the Sacred Valley of the Andes in Peru, Ramsay meets with Chef’s Table veteran Virgilio Martinez. Martinez is the head chef at the Central and is considered one of Peru’s new generation chefs. He’s best known for applying modern cooking method techniques to indigenous Peruvian ingredients. Mind you that none of this information is relayed to the audience.
You have Monique Fiso who is well-versed in Maori traditional cooking living in the Matukituki Valley in New Zealand. She is a head chef to her restaurant Hiakai and explains to Ramsay that Maori cooking is more than just food, that there is also a spiritual connection interweaving the elements of nature into each of their dishes. Fiso had been working at a New York restaurant when a desire to re-connect with Maori roots made her pack up and move back to New Zealand.
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In the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco, he meets Spanish-born Moroccan chef Najat Kaanache who after taking a long and winding road in her culinary career finally settled in Fez, Morocco with her restaurant Nur. She has made a name for herself as one of the top chefs in traditional Moroccan cooking. Side note here, what was mentioned in the series is that Kaanache had applied seven times to Ramsay’s restaurants and was turned down seven times.
Ramsey then meets Top Chef star Sheldon Simeon from Hana coast off Maui, Hawaii which is the home of multi-cultural dishes influenced by Polynesian, Portuguese, Philippine, Asian, and traditional Hawaiian ingredients. Simeon celebrates the recipes and cooking techniques passed down through generations of Hawai’i families at his restaurant Lineage.
At the mighty Mekong river of Laos in the Su Phan Don valley, we are introduced to local chef Joy Ngeuamboupha who introduces Ramsay to cast net fishing, sticky rice, toe biters, and other traditional Laotian dishes. Ngeuamboupha is owner and chef of Tamarind restaurant.
Back in America, we meet Lionel Uddipa, head chef to Juneau Alaska’s SALT restaurant where they specialize in Alaskan Seafood cuisine. He was crowned King of American Seafood at the 14th annual Great American Seafood Cook-off, held in New Orleans. He introduced local Alaskan ingredients such as Sea Asparagus, fresh Salmon Roe (which is fish eggs) and blueberry branches highlighting the best of Alaskan cuisine that won him the title King.
This series has Gordon Ramsay’s name in the title but it should be about more than Ramsay scavenging ingredients for personal growth than food. I understand that having him doing the harvesting is a way for him to experience firsthand how indigenous people live, but the series glosses over genuine culinary expertise.
National Geographic and Gordon Ramsay have the right idea but each party needs to take a more personal approach and connect more with the local communities. That way they can teach audiences about the culture and history behind each regions’ local dishes. Essentially, what the series needs is less Ramsay and more spotlight on local chefs—that’s all.
Despite how little we got to see, it was obvious these people take their cooking seriously, and only need a little prompting to talk about what they love most. That alone is worth centering a series around. Now it’s just up to National Geographic to set their following season of Uncharted around the local chefs rather than Ramsay alone.
What do you think of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted? Please leave your thoughts in the comment sections below.
Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted is currently streaming on Hulu. Stay tuned for updates on a potential Season Two.
(Source: National Geographic)