The best food documentaries according to food photographers

In this article, we asked seven of our top food photographers to share with us their amazing work as well as recommendations on the best food documentaries.

Across the world, food and eating have always been seen as a social activity and much more than just a means of survival. With the advancement of the media and proliferation of our insatiable appetite for content, the interpretation of food has been taken to the next level.

No other time in our collective history have we produced and created more content or memories about food than now. Today, our fascination with food extended beyond how to cook something right, but to myriad of aspects: how we acquire it, who prepares it, what’s the story behind it, what does it represent, and the list goes on.

The genre of food-focused content has also developed greatly. With today’s media production technology, the quality of food documentaries and other shows (such as Netflix’s Chef’s Table) can go very far and phenomenally fuel our collective obsession with food like never before.

Inspired by the food wave, we asked Cherrydeck’s Food Photographers to share with us their amazing work as well as their current best food documentaries. Below, you can find some of the recommendations, together with their statements and work. Enjoy!

Søren Staun

Søren has worked as a photographer since 2010. Specialised in both interior, fashion and food, he loves the variety and the many different types of tasks in his job, which allows him to meet lots of different people. He spends his leisure time among art posters and food blogging.

“I generally LOVE all Netflix produced food docu-series! They all exude well thought out visual story telling. The cinematography is mesmerizing and as a photographer this is, of course, a huge plus for me. Never before have I seen food shows that invest so heavily in visuals. And on top of that, they are really informative as well!

For me, some of the best food documentaries include Salt Fat Acid Heat, COOKED, and of course Chef’s Table. Aaand if you need a break from all the serious business, Nailed it! always get me laughing!”

Mikkel Jul Hvilshøj

Mikkel is a Danish photographer based in Copenhagen. He has been shooting advertising and editorial assignments for the past 15 years, specialising in high-end still life photography. In his work, he aims to convey minimalism and serenity, combining it with a dynamic, elegant and luxurious feel.

“Ratatouille is one of my favourite for being one of the best animated movies I have ever seen. A movie for the entire family and a charming story about the joy of cooking. And Sideways for being one of the movies I have seen multiple times. Great story, both fun and tragic in many ways. A classic!

Regarding the best food documentaries, Chef’s Table – generally just a great view into the artistic and creative world of food. I particularly remember the episode with Italian chef Massimo Bottura and his efforts to help save the parmesan industry after a devastating earthquake in his local area of Modena. A great story and wonderfully produced.”

Work by food photographer Mikkel Jul Hvilshøj

Uta Gleiser

Uta has been working as a professional photographer since 2007. While studying photography in the US, she developed the passion for storytelling with the focus on travel, food and interior. Although you can find her most of the time in Hamburg, Germany, she loves to travel to different places & meet different people all over the world to photograph their stories.

“I would say one of the best food documentaries is Chef’s Table. Especially stories like the one of Alex Atala are some of my favourite. I like the idea of getting the whole picture and understanding why do people love what they do. Especially when cooking, you have to have a passion and this starts with the love for good products and a great relationship to producers as well.

Also has a photographer, my passion is to show the whole story: from the product and the producers to the table, because all those parts make a final dish. There is no great dish without a tasteful product to start with.

Right now, magazines focus more on showing restaurants and dishes to readers, but hopefully stories about producers will find their followers too. Every time I am able to shoot a food documentary, my understanding about the importance of a healthy food chain and the effort of all the involved gets a bit wider.”

Caspar Miskin

Caspar is a former chef de cuisine now turned photographer specialized in working with gastronomy. Currently working in Paris, his Scandinavian background inspired by simplicity and minimalism often translates into his work.

“I do like Chef’s Table On Netflix as I imagine a lot of photographers in this field like as well. Very aesthetic, both in the way they show the food and the general shots of photography.

Otherwise, the movie Chef is something that stands out for me. I imagine this is because I was a chef before. This is one of the few movies where you really see the detail and perfection of cooking. You want to eat everything they cook! Actually, it has also now its own series on Netflix, more of a cooking show, but it is quite good as well.”

Wim Jansen

Wim Jansen is the Hamburg-based photographer behind the project “What’s cooking on?” Here he serves his audience with exclusive insights into the world of restaurant kitchens and documents a diverse group of passionate chefs that ensure your mouth waters – every day.

“One of my favourite movies is Kiss the Cook. A head chef suddenly quits his job at a prominent restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity. He is left to figure out what’s next — teaming up with his ex-wife, a friend, and his son, buying a food truck and taking the road. The Chef goes back to his roots and finds his passion and love for the kitchen again.
The movie has so many parts I enjoy. Like going on an adventure with the family and gathering valuable memories or that those simple things in life are still the best (What could be better than a Cuban Sandwich right?) or discovering what makes us happy in life and pursuing the vision and all happens on a courageous road trip!

So hop on the food truck and sing… Yeah, baby I like it like that!

Fabian Häfeli

After completing his photography training in Zurich, Fabian became involved in various photo studios and advertising agencies. Driven by his love for cooking and interest in people and their stories, he’s now a specialized food and people photographer.

“My favourite movie related with food is Ramen Shop by Eric Khoo. It is one of the best food documentaries”

Ryan Linnegar

Ryan is freelance photographer based in Sydney specialised in interiors, hotels, food, still life and people. In his work, he combines a distinctive, moody and evocative style with expert composition, lighting and retouching skills to create beautiful images for his clients.

“The best food documentary would have to be Chef’s Table – each episode tells the story of a different chef in various places around the world, all of which have their own unique take on a particular cuisine or an interesting life story.

The series is beautifully shot and is worth watching for the cinematography (and lush opening credit sequence!) alone. I love the way the production of the show makes food into something cinematic and dramatic while also telling these very human and intimate stories of restaurant owners, chefs and the various personalities involved the the world of food.”

These were the best food documentaries from our food photographers!

We’d like to thank all of the creators who shared their wonderful work and recommendations with us. If you want to get inspired too and discover more talents in the food scene, try out our search, here.

To see more choices from the community and other creative content, visit our blog. ?