Chef Kristen Kish Journeys Across the World in New Restaurant Series

National Geographic is spicing up the small screen with Restaurants at the End of the World, a brand-new docuseries hosted by trailblazer, entrepreneur, and Top Chef Season 10 champion Kristen Kish.

In the four-part series, Kish travels to off-the-beaten-path pockets of the planet in search of the people, places, culture, and traditions behind the world’s most remote restaurants. Running any successful venture takes a certain tenacity and gift, but those who set up deep in the wild, cut off from the grid and normal supply lines, are in a class of their own.

From local purveyors, farmers, and herders to kitchen crew, managers, and fellow chefs, Kish is going behind the scenes to meet the people, hear the stories, and witness the day-to-day operations required to keep food on the table in the most remote outposts on Earth. She then dives into the depths of the land to forage only the freshest ingredients, while also unearthing the culture and heart behind the cuisine.

Kish took some time to dish more about the series with OFM.

Let me begin by asking, how excited are you for Restaurants at the End of the World to premiere?

I am so excited! We finished filming last summer, so I am very ready for it to be out in the world and for people to watch.

Can you tell us more about how this series came to fruition and why you wanted to do it?

It initially started with a different idea, an idea that is not so far departed from Restaurants at the End of the World, but it was something different. (That was) over the course of 2019, and then 2020 happened; things shuffled around and changed. It eventually got picked up by Nat Geo, and they put their spin on it and made it Nat Geo-worthy, which I was fully on board with. When I was told Nat Geo was interested, and they wanted to greenlight the project, I was like, “Yes! 1000%.” I didn’t even have to think about it.

Throughout the four-episode series, you visit Panama, Norway, Maine, and Brazil. Of the four, which location was the most fun setting?

I think all of them are equally fun because they’re all very different and new for me, but the Svalbard, Norway episode, that’s a place I never thought of finding myself. I think that really kind of captured the essence of a true restaurant at the end of the world.

I love that you are also cooking alongside the chefs. Which dish was your favorite to make?

Honestly, I don’t think my favorite dish was anything I made. They’re also differently unique, and food is so subjective. I think the one that impressed me the most was the feeding-sack cocktail, so it wasn’t even the food. If I’m impressed by something, it doesn’t necessarily mean I like it. I’m just impressed by the thought process of even thinking of doing something like that. So for me, it was like, “we’re going to do what?” All the things leading up to that one cocktail. I don’t need to drink it again, but it was definitely the one that was like, “Oh, wow!”

What was one of the most challenging dishes that you made?

I think the one that was most challenging was the episode we did in Maine. Not because it was hard to do, but conceptualizing it. Maine is a place that’s familiar to me, but I’d never been to North Haven. Maine and New England is a place that I’ve known and loved for a long time, so conceptualizing a dish of a place that I already felt like I knew, that was a little bit of a challenge because I’m like, “OK, clear your mind of anything that you think you know, and then go in and kind of capture the things.”

I wasn’t tasked with making something on my own for every episode, but I was in North Haven at Turner Farm, and it wasn’t challenging because it was hard to come up with something—It was challenging because I wanted whatever I made to fit in and accent the meal that was already being prepared by Chef Carolyn Ladd. Quite frankly, the show isn’t about me. It’s about them. So, it was finding and striking that balance of something that’s very much me, but also very much could have been her as well.

Ultimately, what do you hope viewers take away from Restaurants at the End of the World?

My hope is that there’s something for everybody to take away. Whether you simply like food, restaurants, or travel shows, it doesn’t matter. I know the title and by nature of what I do is very leading into thinking the show is going to be just purely about food, travel, and restaurants, but it’s really about learning about other people and understanding how they got to a place where they wanted to operate a restaurant at the end of the world or off-the-beaten-path. So, my hope is that there is something in there, even if you don’t love food, or particularly find restaurants entertaining.

What was something that surprised you the most throughout this journey?

I was surprised by many things, but the one thing that really surprised me in a good way, and maybe I need to find a more positive outlook sometimes when I get a little bit jaded at the state of the world, is the kindness and generosity of these people. I spent a week with these people at a time. We filmed for six days; then I had a day off. Whether it was on-camera or off-camera, the sense of kindness, and it wasn’t for the cameras.

This is simply who these people are. There are real people, not TV people. These are real people that wanted to show you what they do, and that generosity and kindness gets me every time. It didn’t show, but I cried in every single episode (laughs). It was a happy surprise. They were very genuine, welcoming, and so excited to show you where they come from.

What was something you learned about yourself as a chef?

As a chef, I learned that I tend to control things a little too much. That I want to control the outcome, maybe more so than I need to. Obviously, their restaurants are slightly different from my restaurant, and I feel like I have to control the outcome as much as I can for my business, but it was a very nice, refreshing take to go in there and feel like you could just cook. They were cooking and experimenting in a way where they had no fear of judgment.

Rogier’s boss was like, “I don’t like this cocktail, but it’s all good. Don’t worry about it. I like where it came from,” and that was it. There was no, “Maybe you should try it this way.” It was letting him exercise his complete creativity, and I think that’s the beauty of a lot of these guests that come to these restaurants. They’re fully committed to the experience, whether they enjoy the flavors of something or not.

Have you always had such a love and passion for cooking?

I’ve always found cooking entertaining, but I wasn’t a kid that grew up thinking, “I’m going to be a chef.” The first job that I wanted to be was a secretary, no joke (laughs). I wanted my desk; I liked typing on the keyboard, so I was going to be a secretary. Cooking shows, to me, were entertaining. They were shows that I watched to pass time, and I really enjoyed them.

It wasn’t until I was 19 when my mom and dad were like, “You sound really miserable with what you’re doing right now in traditional college, so why don’t you try culinary school?” I was like, “Yeah, you’re right.” They encouraged that, and I don’t think that it clicked that I was becoming a chef until I actually became a chef. So, it was always something of interest, but more of a hobby than a driving force.

Obviously, a pivotal moment in your life and career was winning Season 10 of Top Chef. Do you think your life would have been different if that moment didn’t happen?

Yes. If that never happened, I wouldn’t ever have had this kind of career. That’s a very realistic way to look at it. Then there’s another side of me where it’s like, OK, if that didn’t happen, I wonder where I would be right now. Who knows? The choices that we make lead us down different paths, and we don’t ever realize. I think the biggest thing that Top Chef taught me was that it was OK to be myself. So, as much as I got out of that experience professionally, clearly a lot, but more so personally, I needed that validation, and I needed that to happen to become the person that I was meant to be. That, for me, was the thing that is irreplaceable and the most valuable.

Any word on if Restaurants at the End of the World will have a second season?

Everyone needs to watch it so we get those views! We all know how TV works. The better it does out there, the more likely, and I really hope it does. Obviously, I love doing my job, but more so, we’ve only gone to four places. There are so many people and pockets of this world that are worth exploring, and I’m eager to get out there and do more.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?

I’m always plugging my restaurant in Austin, Texas—Arlo Grey. I might not be there every single day anymore, but my team is absolutely phenomenal, and I’ll do anything to support them as well. So, come visit us at the restaurant; I have a cookbook, and watch the show!

Stay up-to-date and connect with Kish by following her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @kristenlkish. Restaurants at the End of the World premieres March 21 on National Geographic, and all episodes will be available on Disney+ March 22.

Photos Courtesy of National Geographic/Missy Bania