A Chef's Life

Spring onions kick off the season as Vivian takes a break from penning her first cookbook to prepare a benefit dinner for beginning farmers. Even though The Avett Brothers make an appearance, the underdog onion steals the show.

The heat is high and watermelons are ripe for picking. After being away from the restaurant all summer, Vivian returns to a staff of unfamiliar faces. As work on her cookbook continues, Vivian employs an avid home cook to test recipes for it.

As a visit from her editor accelerates book preparations, Vivian reckons with handing over the restaurant reins to John and Justise. A tutorial in “beatin’ peas” delivered by a 92 year-old expert is an entertaining history lesson.

Vivian’s itinerary picks up with a 14-day photoshoot as she preps for a trip to Feast Portland. Before heading west, Sam Jones and Miss Lillie share old school cabbage recipes that influence the dish she prepares for festival goers.

Vivian can’t resist the opportunity to romp around the city before firing up the BBQ cabbage at Feast Portland. The Oregon air and thousands of patient festival patrons make hiccups with her cooking equipment easier to overcome.

See how Vivian handles protests at the Carolina Meat Conference.

See Vivian's response to an up-close-and-personal experience with farm-raised catfish.

Flo and Theo’s pre-school class visit the restaurant for a meal where table manners are the focus, but exceptionally slow service makes everyone antsy, especially Ben. When her sunchoke recipe doesn’t make the grade, Vivian enlists guidance from an old friend.

A view behind-the-scenes of curing ham. At a New York dinner party hosted in her honor, Vivian serves up a gift of North Carolina seasoning meats -- the pig tails, ham hocks, and fatback that give Carolina cuisine its quintessential kick.

Vivian holds a mayo blind taste test and a surprise brand takes top prize. After a new chef takes the reins, her diminishing role at the restaurant becomes clearer. Vivian’s vacation plans are stifled by a series of strange events.