Alle afleveringen

The premiere episode of Being Frank is like nothing you have seen before. You might have seen the various elements that comprise this show; restaurants, Italian food, chef's, Queens etc., but you have never seen them filtered through the lens of the two most mercurial restaurateurs we have ever met, Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli. In this first episode, we get to know the Franks' by watching them host an epic party, visit their parents, and make lasagna for the world's best chefs.

Being Frank means visiting Sicily every October to taste the "olio nuovo" ("new oil" in English), an early harvest unfiltered extra virgin olive oil. The Franks have been in the olive oil business for a little while now, and their annual trip has turned into something more like an extended family reunion. This episode is stuffed full of epic food, breathtaking landscapes, and a quick lesson in what it takes to get your olive oil neon green.

This episode of Being Frank takes us down to Mexico City. The Franks were in town for chef Enrique Olvera's culinary symposium Mesamerica, and ended up cooking for two nights at Enrique's restaurant Pujol, which is considered the best fine dining restaurant in all of Mexico. In true Being Frank fashion, this meant tomato sauce, pecorino cheese, eggplant, and The Grateful Dead. Not only did the Franks import the cuisine they are known for in New York, but they brought the laid-back party vibe that they've been cultivating for a long time. The dinners went off without a hitch, and Mexico City's dining elite are now familiar with how to properly enjoy eggplant parm while listening to "Ripple." Buen provecho.

The Franks have taken us on some pretty unique food adventures over the course of shooting Being Frank, however the most enlightening was last August at the MAD Symposium in Copenhagen. From Italian butchers to environmental scientists, MAD hosts an eclectic mix of presenters. The brainchild of world renowned chef René Redzepi, watch as the Franks take us through the event, present, mingle, and cook for the world's culinary intelligentsia.

In the first half of this two-parter in Peru, The Franks introduce viewers to chefs Virgilio Martinez and Gastón Acurio. After dining at the bastion of Acurio's international, 40-restaurant empire (Astrid & Gastón), our guys dive for their dinner with the chef de cuisine, Diego Muñoz. On a boat, this T-Pain-less trio cooks ceviche before backtracking to Lima with Martinez—owner of the nation's top-ranked restaurant (Central, which was also named the #15 Restaurant in the World), who only found food after shoulder injuries snuffed out his pro skateboarding career. Jonesing for Martinez's signature dish, Cushuro—a plant reminiscent of "mountain-water tapioca" and foraged from Andean swamp-land—Being Frank ascends 13,000 feet to Lake Coricocha to handpick some of nature's most toothsome bacteria.

In the second half of their Peruvian tasting tour, Franks Castronovo and Falcinelli chomp chili peppers and swig a natural aphrodisiac (branded "Panty Dropper") en route to the jungle-side city of Iquitos. First up, a crash course in Amazonian concept cuisine from chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino in Lima at his sustainable restaurant, ámaZ—side project to his beloved fine-dining restaurant Malabar, ranked #11 in South America. With their guide in tow, The Franks fly North to ogle Santiago Alvez, a former harpooner who farms 400-pound paiche in his backyard pond. Finally, in Iquitos—where the food vibe is survivalist—the boys get down with grubs, piranhas, and all sorts of exotic fruits at Belen Market while getting a noseful of waño waño—local-speak for meat rotted to perfección.

The Franks hit Brazil for a whirlwind tour led by Alex Atala, one of the world's best and most influential chefs. Starting in São Paulo, the Franks head to Mocotó, a Northeastern-style Brazilian eatery known for it's beef foot stew served with white beans and chorizo. To counterbalance all of the eating, Alex takes the Franks to his favorite jiu-jitsu gym for an afternoon sparring session. The following days are filled with open-air markets, Atala-style feasts, fresh scallops, swimming, beaches, and—of course—pisco. This is a "triple A" trip according to the Franks: Action, Alex, and Atala.