A passion for Indigenous culture and food storytelling has led to an Italian-based Netflix Directors’ Attachment for emerging First Nations filmmaker Jack Steele.
Steele, whose credits include Amazon Prime’s Unheard, ABC’s Built to Survive, and short film Between Two Lines, had the opportunity to work on the US documentary series Chef’s Table: Noodles as part of Screen Australia’s First Nations Internship program.
A spinoff of Chef’s Table, Chefs Table: Noodles spotlights a different renowned chef as they explore the art of noodle-making and share their culinary journeys.
The Wiradjuri man from central NSW came under the guidance of Indian-born New Zealand director Zia Mandviwalla on the fourth episode, which centered on self-taught Michelin star chef Italian Peppe Guida and was filmed across three weeks in Italy last September.
He was encouraged to apply for the program after pitching his passion project Native Kitchen, a docuseries exploring Australia’s culinary identity, to Screen Australia.
“I pitched the show, and the First Nations Department was super supportive of the idea and thought it would be great to develop the show, but also get me some experience on how premium content is made,” he said.
“They suggested I get put on placement on the Chef’s Table team in Italy… and the next thing you know, I was on a plane.”
After being involved in pre-production, including the first video call with the chef, Steele travelled to Italy for the location scouts which then rolled directly into principal photography in the coastal town Vico Equense in Naples, followed by the edit, overseen by executive producers Brian McGinn and Danny O’Malley.
He said being on set at Guida’s Antica Osteria Nonna Rosa restaurant gave him fresh knowledge of the production process.
“Having that insight from the very start all the way through to post-production showed me how premium content is made and how different it is to a standard documentary’s style,” he said.
“That perspective really allowed me to see how these things are made properly, and then also going into marketplace has given me perspective to what they’re looking for in a development.”
Steele added he would draw from the experience in adapting food storytelling for an Australian audience in his own series, which he hoped to start shooting next year.
“Pepe was explaining to us how, in Italy, dry pasta was considered poor people’s food by a lot of people, but Pepe said, ‘I don’t agree with that, why is it that people think that poor people’s food can’t be elevated in a specific way?’ and that really hit home for me,” he said.
“It resonated with this fact that that’s what I’m trying to do with Native Kitchen. I’m trying to show that native ingredients are our culinary identity, that it’s not bush tucker, it’s not poor people’s food. It can be elevated into something that is truly fine dining.”
He paid tribute to Chef’s Table creator David Gelb, Mandviwalla, and Screen Australia for their support.
“I wouldn’t be in the position of my career without every single one of their supports. Zia did an incredible job on that episode… the director that you’re attached with has a job to do, but they’re also carving out time to have you there in the space to make sure that you’re a part of what’s being made,” he said.
Steele’s episode of Chef’s Table: Noodles is now streaming on Netflix.