A Chef’s Life is a cooking and documentary series that takes viewers inside the life of Chef Vivian Howard, who, with her husband Ben Knight, opens a fine dining restaurant in her small hometown in Eastern North Carolina. Each episode follows Vivian out of the kitchen and into cornfields, strawberry patches and hog farms as she hunts down the ingredients that inspire her menus. Using a chef’s modern sensibilities, Vivian explores Southern cuisine, past and present – one ingredient at a time. A celebration of true farm-to-table food, the series combines the action and drama of a high-pressure business with the joys and stresses of family life.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T the Butterbean
Vivian and Ben are on the cusp of opening their new restaurant, the Boiler Room, and they’re facing a new challenge: how to make a veggie burger stand out. Vivian chooses the beloved butterbean as the star of her new burger, but quickly learns that the bean is a straight up diva – the Aretha Franklin of the legume family – when it comes to growing conditions.

This program will encore 11:30 pm