Chef's Table: Pizza

Naturally, viewers can expect mouthwatering shots of gooey cheese and perfectly charred pizza crusts from this series, but its biggest draw is the intimate peek it gives us into the creative process. Chef's Table: Pizza looks beyond expected pie hubs like New York City and Chicago, introducing us to chefs like Chris Bianco, who has been creating what several food critics deem the "best pizza in the world" -- and from the Southwest, of all places. This is a guy so dedicated to his craft that he had to step back from it and learn to delegate, as the childhood asthmatic ended up developing "baker's lung" from inhaling so much flour over the years. Seeing a foul-mouthed, rough-around-the-edges man like Bianco be vulnerable and learn to accept help while continuing to innovate his cuisine is something we rarely see in the stereotypically macho chef world.

The chefs profiled in this six-episode series rarely have a straight path to pizza stardom, and we root for them as they recount the way they've pushed through to get where they are today. Especially poignant is Ann Kim's story: A first-generation Korean American, Kim wrestled with the traditional career expectations of her disapproving parents, yet eventually found a way to honor and explore her culture through food -- not an easy feat for someone who grew up being teased by classmates who were disgusted by the kimchi in her lunchbox. As we hear Kim say as she accepts the James Beard award, "If we can't see it, we can't be it."