Explore the Czech Culinary Delights With “Šéfové na Cestách”

A new food and travel show is set to premiere on Mall.TV next week.

‘Šéfové na Cestách’ is the first TV show co-produced by Prague Morning, MDC Gastro and Ben Barden, a British filmmaker based in Hradec Králové.

The first episode will go online on the 2nd of November with new instalments following every Monday. The series will culminate in a two-part Christmas special on the 22nd and 23rd of December.

The show follows a trio of chefs on their travels around the Czech Republic, in search of the best food and wine producers that the country has to offer. From a tantalising tour of a Wagyu farm in Pardubice, to hunting venison in Moravia, foraging for mushrooms in the Sumava forest, hot-air ballooning through the vineyards of North Bohemia, and spending three days cooped up together in a caravan, their adventures make compelling viewing.

Matteo De Carli (Case de Carli) is an Italian chef who honed his craft in some of the world’s finest culinary establishments. The natural leader of the group, with his relentless drive and humour, he steers the gang through their many adventures.

Alberto Vitale (Ryba je ryba) hails from Italy, although to look at him you’d swear he was Irish. Speaking a colourful mix of Slovak, Czech, Italian, and English, his good humour and great enthusiasm for the food he cooks and the natural world around him, binds the group together

Renowned Asian chef Christian Chu (Levitate) is the refined member of the group. Whether walking the streets of the capital or stuck ankle-deep in mud on a goat farm, he’ll always be dressed in a fine suit with matching shoes. Chris brings a touch of glamour to the show.

Photo: Ben Barden/Šéfové na Cestách

The idea for the project was sparked during one of the trio’s regular visits to their suppliers.” I wondered how we could make people aware of what is around us sometimes just 30 min from Prague.” Explained Matteo, “Alberto and Chris were a natural addition because to have fun you need friends around! We all share a passion for good quality food so even though we cook in very different styles, which often ends in arguments, our common love for what we do keeps us close.”

He continues: “We really wanted to work with producers who share the same philosophy as us, which meant we didn’t look for any large corporations but instead for family businesses who work with love and give a personal touch to their products.” 

You can see this connection in Matteo’s favourite episode, Krasolesi. “I love the fact that we could really go through the all process, from milking the goat to making cheese,” he explains.

It’s been a great experience working together with such a good team to produce the series, hopefully, the first of many. There’s already talk of season 2!

The show is filmed in mainly in Czech (with a little Slovak, Italian, and English thrown in) however English subtitles are available for all episodes.  New episodes can be found each week on mall.tv and praguemorning.cz

Photo: Ben Barden/Šéfové na Cestách