For Bryan Roof ’06, food has always been about more than what’s on the plate.

Now, the Framingham State University alumnus is traveling across the country to explore the people, cultures and traditions behind American cuisine in On the Road, a new eight-episode Netflix documentary series.

The series, which premiered Aug. 18, follows Roof, an America’s Test Kitchen chef, as he visits communities around the country to discover the stories behind their food.

The first season takes Roof from Texas barbecue and New Orleans during Carnival season to Massachusetts seafood, Wisconsin cheesemakers, family-run restaurants in Los Angeles and a 150-year-old Georgia farm. In Oregon, he explores the region’s natural bounty alongside local chefs and Indigenous leaders, while the season finale looks at an American staple from both coasts: the sandwich.

But for Roof, the real focus isn't simply finding great food. It’s the opportunity to meet the people who make it and learn what their food says about their communities.

“Being able to sit down with people and have conversation about their life, culture, food, and share a meal with them,” Roof says, “is the absolutely best part of my job and life for the last 11 or 12 years.”

“You get a broader understanding of what is really happening in America,” he adds. “There are so many beautiful places to visit, so many wonderful, kind people to meet.”

From chef to food expert

Roof came to Framingham State after spending five years as a professional chef, pursuing training as a registered dietitian.

After graduating in 2006, he began what would become a 20-year career with America’s Test Kitchen, starting as a test cook before becoming a recipe developer, writer and editor with Cook’s Country magazine. Today, his roles with America’s Test Kitchen include deputy editor, recipe developer, writer and podcaster.

Roof has also spent years developing his skills in front of the camera, appearing on PBS programming and working with speech and performance coaches.

“The experience can still be nerve-wracking,” he says. “But it’s gotten to the point now that I don’t mind that the camera is pointing at me. I’m kind of oblivious to it.”

That experience now comes together in On the Road, which Roof filmed in 2024 before the completed series was sold to Netflix. He is currently working on a second season.

For Roof, the continued appeal of the work is the chance to discover something new and to shine a light on the independent restaurants and chefs preserving America's diverse food traditions.

He worries about the future of mom-and-pop restaurants as they increasingly compete with large chains, but believes the independent chefs who endure are those who genuinely believe in what they are cooking and present it without unnecessary bells and whistles.

For a chef who has spent his career exploring food, On the Road gives Roof a new platform to explore something even bigger: the people and stories that make America’s culinary landscape so rich and diverse.

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