In 2012 we were captivated by the story of master sushi chef Jiro Ono , whose unbreakable work ethic brought him national fame—not to mention three Michelin stars for Sukiyabashi Jiro , his 10-seat restaurant in the basement of an office building off a Tokyo subway station.

Now, Jiro Dreams of Sushi director David Gelb returns with Chef's Table , a new Netflix-exclusive documentary series on six of the world's most awe-inspiring chefs that premiers April 26. Each of the six hour-long episodes profiles a different chef: Dan Barber (Blue Hill, NYC); Niki Nakayama (N/Naka, Los Angeles); Massimo Bottura (Osteria Francescana, Italy); Magnus Nilsson (Fäviken, Sweden); Ben Shewry (Attica, Australia); and Francis Mallmann (Restaurante Patagonia Sur, Argentina). We chatted with Gelb about the new series and life after Jiro .

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What is each episode about?

These are six documentaries shot in the style of Jiro Dreams of Sushi , but with different characters in different places in the world. Before I made Jiro , I had this idea that I wanted to make what I was calling the Planet Earth of food. But it was a bit ambitious for me, considering I hadn’t even made a feature film yet. So I narrowed it down to a film just about sushi, and the story follows this one chef, Jiro Ono . It became about Jiro’s philosophy and his family and why he cooked. In Chef’s Table , each episode is its own documentary about a chef who is pioneering their own style of cooking and definitely not taking the easy path. It's about people who dared to follow their vision regardless of what critics were telling them and just relentlessly pursuing it until they found their audience. I think that's inspiring for anybody who endeavors to do something creative.

Courtesy of Netflix

Was Jiro one of the characters you were originally considering for this ' Planet Earth of Food' series?

Back when I was calling it "The Untitled Sushi Documentary," I was like, "Oh, I'll make a film about four to five different sushi chefs who all have different perspectives on sushi." But it was kind of dry and informational, and not really emotional. So when I met Jiro himself through Masuhiro Yamamoto , the food critic who serves as the narrator in the film, it clicked that this was a fascinating story. His son was 50-years-old and still working by his side. He was 85 years old and refused to quit. And he worked in a subway station. Jiro's turning 90 this year and he's still working there. That's fascinating. All the information I wanted to impart about sushi was better served through an emotional story about a character.

How did you choose the chefs to feature on Chef's Table ?

A lot are people I’ve always thought were interesting, and a lot were recommended to me. We wanted to make sure the chefs were all very different from each other. For example, we have Massimo Bottura , the #3 chef in the world . The man is like the national hero of Italy. But then you also have Niki Nakayama in Los Angeles, and L.A. doesn’t even have a Michelin guide. She’s making a name for herself right now, whereas Massimo has been huge for awhile. So they're in different places in their lives, but they all defy the conventions of what they’re supposed to be doing. Perseverance is a common thread between the shows.

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What was Netflix's initial reaction to the show?

Jiro found its biggest audience on Netflix. But Chef's Table is a challenging show. We don’t have a host, and it’s not a competition. Each one is an individual documentary told by the chefs and by their loved ones, be it the chef's wife, or a food critic like Yamamoto in Jiro who knows that chef's work very well. In a way, Netflix is the only place a show like this could exist. They know that Jiro works, and they're really willing to take a chance. I don't have the data, but clearly Jiro was successful enough for Netflix to order six more [documentaries].

As viewers, should we walk away from Chef's Table feeling inspired to fly to Fäviken, or should we just appreciate the fact that these are incredible and inspiring stories?

If people can afford to go to Fäviken, I think they should do it. But I also want people to watch these films and then look at their own lives and the places where they do eat and see how it changes their perspective. These chefs' journeys and how they got there will reveal a lot lessons for people who are aspiring to do creative things.

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Do you and Jiro stay in touch?

Yeah. The movie was pretty successful in Japan, and I think that was kind of funny to him. I went to Tokyo to do press when the movie was first coming out there and he sort of looked at me like, "I thought you were just doing a student film. I didn’t think this was actually going to be coming out in theaters." That's a testament to his humility. He's like, "Why would people care about watching sushi?" But I think he appreciates that his vision of sushi has been proliferated.

Do you think there will be a Jiro sequel?

[ Chef's Table ] is the sequel! Will there be a sequel about Jiro? I mean, I would love to do a film about his son. I think as time passes, another story could certainly reveal itself.

Chef's Table will premiere April 26 on Netflix. Watch the trailer here: