Many of us find joy in cooking: the simple but vital task of making food for our loved ones and ourselves can be an act of mindfulness and self-care. Cooking helps us to be present in the moment, to focus on simple tasks, and to filter out the noise of our busy lives. Cooking also brings us closer to the source of the foods that nurture our bodies and our minds.

Calm has partnered with our friends at José Andrés Media and Michelin-starred chef John Fraser to bring to life a series that celebrates the connection between cooking and mindfulness. Our first three episodes of SILENT CHEF follow Chef Fraser as he explores the beauty and bounty of the North Fork of Long Island where he operates his award-winning restaurant The North Fork Table Inn. Each journey revolves around a central ingredient that he will harvest and bring to his kitchen to create a unique and memorable dish.

In this episode, Chef Fraser visits the Catapano Dairy Farm to procure some of their award-winning goat cheese to use in a recipe for a sweet and savory Basque-style cheesecake. Farm owners Erin & Connor Burke tend a herd containing Saanen, Alpine, and Lamancha goats. After a milking lesson and a visit to the processing room Chef Fraser is off to his friend Ira Haspel’s biodynamic farm, KK’s, to harvest berries and honey for use in the recipe. In the kitchen, fresh eggs, cream and Madagascar vanilla are folded into the goat cheese and the batter is poured into a parchment lined pan. While it bakes in the oven, red wine is cooked down with spices and the berries to form a delicious topping. Once out of the oven and cooled the cheesecake is topped with the berry sauce and a healthy drizzle of honey.

Calm your mind and soak up the atmosphere of Long Island's North Fork and its bounty of summer produce.

Created By:
José Andrés Media (@chefjoseandres )
John Fraser

Production Crew:
Executive Producer: Richard Wolffe
Executive Producer: John Fraser
Co-Executive Producer: Ellen Kaplan
Producer/Director: Todd Wendel
DP: Tony Smith
2nd Camera: Julian Nguyen
Sound: Nejc Poberaj
Gaffer: Jeff Fitzgerald
Sound Design: Chip Sovek
Editor: Ryan Walker
Editor: Todd Wendel
Colorist: Julian Nguyen
Production Design: Nathaniel Savage
Associate Producer: Gabby Lozano
Stylist: Paul Marlow
Marketing: Casey Hyken
PR: Ashton McLeod
Culinary Advisor: Berenice de Araujo

Talent:
Chef: John Fraser:
Dairy Farmer: Erin Burke
Dairy Farmer: Michael Catapano
Cheesecake taster: Finn

Special Thanks:
Erin and Connor Burke and Catapano Dairy Farm (@CatapanoDairyFarm)
Production accommodations provided by Laura Hirsch
North Fork Table and Inn