EXCLUSIVE: Michelin-starred chef Mory Sacko‘s upcoming Japanese culinary voyage Food Samurai is headed for Disney+ in the U.S. and Canada.
The six-episode show sees Mory, accompanies by pastry chef and friend Theó Segretin and guests such as Omar Sy, immerse himself in Japanese culture and gastronomy to unlock how to prepare the perfect bento. Alongside Lupin star Sy are other guests including multi-Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire, writer Chihiro Masui.
The doc series – created, produced and directed by Eric Nebot – marks Mory’s first time in Japan and sees him set out to master a cuisine he has admired since childhood. He has encounters and goes on tastings, engages in centuries-old traditions and eats from small streetfood stalls to uncover what makes Japan’s food culture tick.
Mory, who is of Malian and Senegalese heritage, is one of France’ most well-known celebrity chefs. he was raised in the Paris region before rising to national prominence on the French edition of Top Chef and then opening the renowned MoSuke in France’s capital city. His food is considered a blend of French technique, African flavors and Japanese influences, and he was awarded a Michelin star in 2021.
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The show is partly inspired by the story of Yasuke, the African man who became a samurai in 16th century Japan. Nebot has been selling it piecemeal through his Eagles Team Entertainment imprint, and has already signed Disney+ France up to the show. In the U.S., it will launch on September 30.
“We all have an idea of Japan – we think we know sushi, tempura or yakitori, but through Mory’s eyes, we discovered just how limited our imagination had been: the air between grains of sushi rice, the sound of tempura, the discipline of fire,” said Nebot.
“The same was true of Hiroshima. Oppenheimer brought the bomb back into popular culture without taking us there. Meeting a survivor made that history immediate and human. Food Samurai is about going beyond what we think we know.”
Nebot was the founder of product placement firm Hill Valley, which has worked on projects for films such as One Upon a Time in Hollywood, the James Bond franchise and Emily in Paris. He began a filmmaking career as a co-writer on Philippe Faucon’s The Disintegration, which was at Venice in 2011.
As a producer, his recent recent credits include Arnaud Desplechin’s Filmlovers!, Yann Gozlan’s Visions, and the Academy Award-nominated animated short Yuck!, and he created and directed The Chef in the Truck, which followed Ritz Paris pastry chef François Perret in California and launched on Netflix.