Danny Bowien is the latest name to feature in Mind of a Chef, which focuses on a different chef each season and has so far included the likes of April Bloomfield, Magnus Nilsson and Ludo Lefebvre. Bowien’s story is one of the most interesting of the six seasons so far, and what makes it unique is the fact he isn’t drawing on childhood inspiration or nostalgia. The South Korean-born chef was raised in Oklahoma by his adoptive parents and grew up eating bland, uninspiring food – instead of the classic tales of tugging on his mother’s apron as she cooked, Bowien shares stories of whipping up Hamburger Helper (a packaged pasta product) for his parents. The season follows the usual recipe-laden formula, with a coming-of-age aspect as Bowien meets his birth mother, cooks with former mentors and recounts how he made San Francisco cult favourite Mission Chinese Food such a success.