The Endless Feast is an American cooking/lifestyle/travel television series produced by Film Garden Entertainment which brings together local farmers and food artisans, food lovers and star chefs to explore the connection between the land and the food on our tables.
In each episode, a top local chef celebrates the bounty of a particular region by creating tantalising menus with local specialties.
This "extreme-dining" series, shot in High Definition, premiered in the USA on public television stations in April 2007. There are 13 half-hour episodes in the series.
The Endless Feast originally aired in South Africa on DStv's BBC Food channel from 12 October, 2007 to 4 January, 2008, on Fridays at 20h00.
A rebroadcast of the series premiered on BBC Food on Wednesday 21 May 2008, at 21h30.
Synopsis
The Endless Feast brings together local farmers and artisans, food lovers and culinary experts to explore the connection between the land and the food on our plates — one bountiful feast at a time.
In picturesque locations throughout North America, guests dine al fresco, coming face-to-face with the origins of their food.
Locations include: Arizona, California, Oregon, Virginia, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and British Columbia.
In each episode, a star chef — including John Gorham, Ben Dyer, Scott Dolich, Remi Lauvand, Ronald St. Pierre, Gail Hobbs, Grant Cousar, Jason Tostrup, Laurent Saillard, Andrew Gruel, Michael Leviton and Kelsie Kerr — creates tantalising menus featuring regional organic specialties.
The producers of the feast first visit the host location — whether a lush farm field, a fragrant vineyard or an urban community garden — to select the perfect site to stage their meal.
They then set out to meet the local artisans, wine-makers, produce farmers, cheese-makers, organic cider farmers, fishermen, ranchers and olive-growers who will contribute the food and drink for the meal.
They describe their production methods and evoke an inspiring passion for their work.
Once the food providers and ingredients are introduced, the staff races to get everything in place for the feast. The chef cooks nearby in an impromptu kitchen, as guests watch the last-minute preparations unfold.
Finally, as diners take their seats at long, linen-covered tables, a local vintner pours wine and the much anticipated family-style meal begins.
During the feast, guests share the meal with those who have grown, raised, caught or prepared it.
From heirloom tomatoes grown by father-and-son farmers, to cheese made from the milk of a small herd of grass-fed goats, The Endless Feast celebrates local and sustainable agriculture at its very source.
Episodes
Episode 1: Whistler
Chef Grant Cousar holds his French-inspired feast of beef carpaccio canapés, roast corn and potato vichyssoise, locally raised beef with roasted beet jus, and hazelnut meringue with fresh berries and cream, in the majestic mountains of Whistler, British Columbia.
Episode 2: Portland
For an island dinner just outside of Portland, Oregon, chefs John Gorham, Ben Dyer and Scott Dolich craft a meal of frogmore seafood stew and pasture-raised goat.
Episode 3: Brooklyn
Chef Laurent Saillard incorporates seasonal vegetables like collard greens, kale and sweet potatoes from a Brooklyn, New York community garden into his autumn feast.
Episode 4: Vermont
On a homestead in the mountains of southern Vermont, Chef Jason Tostrup incorporates meat and produce from four farms and a cider mill to create a meal of tomato tarts, quail, beef, lamb and locally made cider syrup.
Episode 5: Phoenix
With saguaro cactus and a striking mesa as a backdrop, a desert feast held on Yavapai Nation land near Phoenix, Arizona, features dry-climate fare such as prickly pear margaritas, fresh dates and guarijio squash.
Episode 6: Virginia
Chef Gail Hobbs’ five-course meal of locally raised rabbit, chicken and pork, hand-crafted goat cheese and fresh-picked produce and raw honey takes in a lush vineyard in Virginia’s Hickory Creek Valley.
Episode 7: New Hampshire
Under the boughs of fruit trees at New Hampshire’s Gould Hill Orchard, Chef Andrew Gruel creates a meal of venison, trout and produce gathered from seven local farms and a dairy.
Episode 8: Vancouver
Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, a picturesque dairy in the foothills of Vancouver Island’s Mount Arrowsmith, is the perfect site for Chef Ronald St. Pierre’s delectable meal of locally raised pork, fresh-picked wild blackberries, seasonal greens and, of course, hand-made cheeses.
Episode 9: Petaluma
A “full moon feast” held on a ranch in Northern California features beef raised on-site, winter squash and roasted beets, prepared by Chef Kelsie Kerr of famed Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California.
Episode 10: Sherwood
At Baggenstos Farm, a third-generation family farm located in the verdant hills of Sherwood, Oregon, chefs David Machado and Vitaly Paley serve an Indian-influenced six-course feast, including samosas, curried corn bisque and braised lamb.
Episode 11: Arroyo Grande
A central California feast highlights local seafood, lamb and pork served in a pasture amid the rolling hills of Arroyo Grande.
Episode 12: Massachusetts
On a small-town farm in Massachusetts, Chef Michael Leviton crafts a fall harvest supper featuring root vegetables, autumn squash, oatmeal stout-braised Angus beef and seared sea scallops.
Episode 13: Carpinteria
A California coastal feast on the Coleman family farm in Carpinteria, prepared by chef Remi Lauvand, features sustainably caught black cod, fresh herbs and local heirloom tomatoes.