Tony Bourdaindiedsix years ago, ending the near-decade I spent as his assistant.
Tony was also an investor-partner in Roads & Kingdoms, the travel website Goulding started with journalist Nathan Thornburgh.
Being associated with an icon like Bourdain opens lots of doors.
René Redzepi and the team at Noma in ‘Omnivore.‘PER ARNESEN/Apple TV+
It also invites lopsided comparisons and near-impossible expectations.
And thats what were going for here.
Where were we gonna go from here?
The first question I asked him was, Do you see yourself in front of the camera?
Are we following you on this journey?
He was really quick to say, No, I dont really want to be a host.
I want this to be a bigger story.
Its much bigger than me.
Whats your comfort level with being on camera?Redzepi:I am not comfortable on camera.
The series is not driven by all sorts of celebrity talking heads there are no actual celebrities at all.
Im only a well-known person in the chef trade.
Redzepi:Ive not done this [series] because I want to be on TV.
Ive done it because we need to do this; its important work.
Were so far removed from where food comes from.
And like, that is the real miracle.
Is this a call to action?
Were not telling anyone, You should change your life tomorrow.
But Rene has always insisted that this has to be a conversation; it has to be open.
Its not meant to be overwhelming, or feel like a burden.
Its actually meant to be inspiring, and a reminder that were not totally powerless here.
And if we perceive more value, then we take better care of it.
Yes, lets talk about Anton!
Hes the pig featured in Episode Five, appropriately titled Pig.
This is at odds with Tony Bourdains insistence on dispatching various animals on camera over the years.
Thats the challenge in doing episodes about animals.
She had her own feelings about how much she wanted to show.
Our current treatment of animals is so problematic.
So we felt wed earned the moment.
But you have to find the right balance.
Omnivoreis a visually beautiful show that clearly had a serious budget.
We worked with literally thousands of people to make this happen.
In Bangkok [for Episode One, Chile], we had a crew of 75 people.
We were blocking traffic on a Saturday evening to film a tuk tuk running through central Bangkok.
That takes money, right?
And to be able to do that was an extraordinary privilege.
We didnt do it for shock value; we want the viewer to have fun with it.
And we dont want to take ourselves too seriously.
