Chef’s Table introduced the first Chinese female chef. Behind the scenes , there is also a brave and independent Chinese woman filmmaker.

Chef’s Table is a Netflix documentary series that showcases the kitchen lives of renowned chefs around the world. It records not just food, but the human stories behind the food. In October 2024, the seventh season, Chef’s Table: Noodles, premiered, introducing the first Chinese chef in the series—who also happens to be a female chef.

The chef’s name is Wei Guirong, affectionately called “Sister Wei” by locals. Born into a poor family in Shaanxi province in China, Sister Wei made her way from a rural area to a big city, and then all the way to the UK. She now owns four noodle restaurants in London. Her story is resilient, simple, and genuine, embodying the struggles of an immigrant while also showcasing the bravery of a Chinese woman.

Sister Wei in the Kitchen

Behind the scenes of the documentary, there is also a brave and independent Chinese woman— Evelyn Zheng.

Evelyn has worn many hats: a media worker, a writer, a former reality TV show director in China, a student turned from Albanian language major to media. But when asked how she defines herself, Evelyn says she is simply a foreign worker—a person working in a foreign country.

We were fortunate enough to invite this “foreign worker” Evelyn to share her experience of working in screen production in the UK.

Can you introduce yourself?

Evelyn: My name is Evelyn. I used to be a director for reality TV shows in China. Now I’m exploring the film and television industry in the UK, striving to find my place in an industry that has almost no East Asians. I often say that I’m a foreign worker because it feels like the most fitting description.

Evelyn holding a camera

 

How did you get this job?

Evelyn: I randomly received an email from a job site, immediately sent my resume, and got the job after an interview. During the interview, I had two video calls with the show’s producer, director, and Sister Wei, where I was asked to do translations for both sides. At the time, the show needed an assistant with a good command of both Chinese and English, and since I had production experience and spoke both languages, it was a fortunate coincidence that I got the role.

What was your role in Chef’s Table?

Evelyn: I was hired as a PA (Production Assistant), but in the end, I was given the title of Associate Producer. My role involved handling various basic tasks, such as asking people on the street to sign release forms when they were accidentally captured on camera. Sometimes, we would invite random people to come and eat noodles at the restaurant.

But since Netflix’s team is very experienced (the core team has worked together for over ten years!), there wasn’t much for me to handle in terms of production procedures. My work was more related to content, coordinating the production team and the featured guests. Most importantly, I acted as a “cultural decoder” to bridge the creative logic between both sides. I helped ensure mutual understanding beyond just language, such as making sure the chef understood the camera movement and which scene was being filmed. In the crew, I was the only one who spoke Chinese, and there was a lack of Chinese cultural knowledge, so I gradually became the information hub. Additionally, I made sure Sister Wei’s needs were communicated clearly to the rest of the team.

Behind the Scenes of Filming

Since the documentary is about Chinese noodle dishes, why did they choose to film a Chinese chef in London instead of directly filming in China?

Evelyn: From a distribution standpoint, Netflix does not have service access in mainland China. Telling the story of Chinese food through the lens of cultural migrants allows international audiences to connect with unfamiliar food through familiar landmarks in the city. This “localised foreignness” resonates more than directly presenting the raw Chinese experience, making it easier for international viewers to understand.

From a storytelling perspective, Sister Wei’s journey from China to the UK as a female chef is unique. Chef’s Table focuses on food anthropology, exploring the people behind the food, and for this, the story needed to be captivating. The preparation took a long time, and the producer in charge of casting spends several years on the job, traveling worldwide to try different foods and conduct background checks to understand the story of the chef behind the dishes. Sister Wei, who isn’t fluent in English, stood out in this selection process with just a bowl of oil-splashed noodles, showing that stories in cross-cultural contexts require new narrative techniques.

Behind the Scenes in Chinatown During Chinese New Year

Were there many cultural differences in a production team made up of foreigners while telling a Chinese story? How did you address these issues?

Evelyn: There were certainly cultural differences. For example, we set aside a whole day to shoot the presentation of the food. Sometimes, for the sake of better composition, the crew would care less about the placement of utensils—like placing chopsticks on the left side instead of the right, which felt off to those familiar with Chinese culture. There were also issues with Chinese writing conventions, such as vertical versus horizontal text layout.

Luckily, after these situations occurred a few times, the crew began to ask questions on their own. Of course, they had already been to many different places around the world and explored diverse cultures, so the entire crew had a high level of cultural sensitivity and made a conscious effort to understand cultural differences during filming.

You mentioned that you previously worked in reality TV in China. What are the differences between working in China and the UK?

Evelyn: The biggest difference is the industry standards protected by unions. In the UK, there are strict regulations for working hours, and the overall lifestyle can be more regular. For example, the standard workday is usually 10 hours (9 hours of work + 1 hour for lunch), and overtime is paid at 1.5 times the usual rate. As a result, the production team tries to finish filming within the allotted time.

Is it difficult to get a job in the UK film industry? Do you have any good job-hunting tips?

Evelyn: Finding a job in the UK film industry is still quite difficult. There are very few Asians in this field. Even though I feel like I adapted to the environment quite quickly, entering the industry with an Asian face is still challenging. Not long ago, I came across a shocking statistic: only 0.6% of the workforce in the UK film industry is Asian—that’s just one person for every 200. Two years ago, this number was 0.8%, and it has decreased in recent years.

Another challenge is knowing which positions to apply for. Although I have experience as a variety show director in China, the job titles in the Chinese film industry don’t directly correspond to those in the UK, and my experience in China isn’t recognised locally. At the beginning, the hardest part was not knowing which positions to apply for. After sending out countless resumes, I gradually figured out that the most basic roles I could apply for in UK productions were Production Assistant (PA) and Floor Runner.

Currently, as a freelancer, most of my work is on short-term contracts, so I spend a lot of time sending resumes and participating in industry events. My industry mentor once told me that years ago, a friend described her as someone who “treated job hunting as a job,” which was both funny and a bit helpless, but probably a necessary path. Even when my attempts often get no response, I feel that all the effort is not wasted. Even when I’m certain a job will send a rejection, I still carefully revise my resume and cover letter. Even if the company never opens my email, one day, if I meet someone from that company, I can say, “I emailed you before and researched your company.” At the very least, it’s a good networking starting point.

Behind the Scenes

You mentioned that there are very few Asian faces in the industry, and you’re often the only Chinese person on the crew. Do you have any good advice for integrating into the UK workplace?

Evelyn: I think it’s important to forget about your identity during most of the workday. Repeatedly emphasising who you are and thinking “no one here is like me” will only make you more frustrated. For me, being “different” is actually an advantage. When I don’t see language and culture as barriers, my appearance, being different from others, actually makes me more memorable to them.

But when I do emphasise my differences, it’s when I don’t understand something or don’t know how to do something. For example, if I come across a word I don’t know or a task I’ve never done before, I always make sure to ask for clarification. If someone refuses to answer, that’s their problem, not mine. Many colleagues say, “There’s no such thing as a stupid question.” We should all learn to ask questions, speak up, and make our needs known so that we’re heard and seen. This way, we can address the collective issues of being in a vulnerable position.

Chef’s Table is now available for streaming on Netflix.
(It’s a shame, we missed you at our annual film festival Odyssey 2024 which focused on #foodandtravel)