SINGAPORE, April 12 — David Gelb, creator and director of the hit Netflix series Chef’s Table, is here in town. And he has plans to eat at Restaurant Andre and Burnt Ends, which recently took the No. 2 and No. 10 spots on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017 list.

The American director, of Jiro Dreams of Sushi fame, is in Singapore to give a talk about storytelling and cinema technology today, organised by advertising organisation D&AD.

He is only here for a couple of days, but has already started sampling local food offerings.

Gelb said there is “certainly a possibility” that an episode of Chef’s Table might be dedicated to a Singapore chef.

Asked specifically about Restaurant Andre’s Chef Andre Chiang, and Gelb said: “He’s a famous chef and I got to meet him briefly at last year’s 50 Best (awards ceremony in New York), but I can’t really say if someone’s being considered for the show.”

He added: “Any chef with a great story has a possibility of being on the show — the hard part is just finding the right combination of different types of stories that we want to tell.”

Chef’s Table, he asserted, is less about food and more about the “human story behind food... the creative process of that chef and what are the intentions, and what happened in that chef’s life that led them down the path to create this thing”.

Still, it is undeniable that Chiang might be a contender for Chef’s Table based on the merit of his establishments.

Earlier this month, the Taiwan-born chef’s Restaurant Andre — co-owned and which he runs with his wife, Sudarampai “Pam” Chiang — jumped up by a whopping 18 places to land at No. 14 on the World’s Best list. Burnt Ends, which Gelb is also planning to visit, is backed by Chiang and hotelier and restaurateur, Loh Lik Peng.

But while he is “trying to eat a lot while I’m here ... I’m not going to name any names yet because it just causes problems for me”, Gelb, 33, said wryly.

“We want to expand our reach around the world, and it seems like Singapore is a place that really appreciates good food. I have a keen interest in Asia and South-east Asia because of how important food is as a part of everyday life here,” he said.

He has not been averse to checking out more local offerings as “I especially have an interest in street food”, he said.

“Last night, I visited Lau Pa Sat and was able to enjoy a variety of different satay, and black pepper crab and chilli crab. It was incredibly delicious and a lot of fun,” he said.

He also visited the restaurant Ola Cocina Del Mar on the recommendation of Bangkok-based chef Gaggan Anand, who was featured in the second season of Chef’s Table; as well as Adrift by David Myers at Marina Bay Sands.

Although he conceded that “I really have a lot to learn about Singaporean cuisine”, he said that “I’m interested in exploring more of South-east Asia and eating more food here”.

He is currently working on a new fourth season of Chef’s Table.

One of the criteria Gelb uses for selecting who to profile is that “the chefs have to be willing to speak openly about intimate and sometimes difficult parts of their lives, because our show is an emotional experience. So, they also have to also be able to tell their story in a compelling way, because there’s no host on the show — the chefs themselves do most of the talking.”

Although each chef’s story is strikingly different, the one thing that all chefs have in common, he thinks, is that they are “generous people who want to take care of people”.

They are also natural leaders — which gives them a lot in common with film directors.

“Chefs are like directors to me. They have a vision and a crew of people that they have to lead towards that vision,” he said.

So what happens on set when directors have to take direction? Because “chefs are the ones who are used to bossing people around”, Gelb said he approaches his job on set with a light and collaborative touch.

“We always approach the chef from a place of humility and respect.” Also, “we love to eat and I think that that’s the way to show a chef that you care — to eat the food that they make for you.” — TODAY

*The third season of Chef’s Table is currently available on Netflix.