Michelin Love 2014.Hassan is the successor of the Kadam family snack bar in Mumbai, India. Due to an unexpected change, the family emigrated to Europe and came to the French town of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val. Attracted by the quality of local ingredients, they revived their business and opened an Indian restaurant called Bombay House. Margaret, the chef who initially helped them settle in, worked at the Michelin-French restaurant across the street from them, and Madame Mallory, the owner, was initially unhappy with the arrival of her Indian rival.
But celebrity chef Mrs Mallory was quick to recognise Hassan’s culinary talents and he helped her restaurant earn a second star in the Michelin Manual. After a lucrative stint in Paris, Hassan returns to the small town to start his own business, along with his romantic partner Margaret…
Culture is about inclusiveness. What will French food taste like when it meets “exotic” Indian food?
Chef de la Elysee 2012.
The story is based on true events in Mitterrand’s time. Hortense runs a small restaurant in the Periguire region of France. This tense female chef has become a local celebrity for her exquisite ingredients and cooking skills. However, she did not expect that her fame would attract the attention of the president, so she was appointed as the president of the Republic’s personal chef.
Moving from a sleepy rural town to the tense Elysee Palace, the chefs in the central kitchen are jealous, cynical and Hortense. Even so, she quickly gained the respect of her peers with her skill and strong personality, and captured the president’s stomach with her culinary “L ‘Authenticite.” But behind the scenes there are obstacles to power, and Hortense, who has just gained a foothold in the kitchen, has developed a tacit understanding and a delicate relationship with the president.
How to satisfy the president’s desire to “rediscover taste”? The mastermind of the female chef strikes at the soul of French cooking.
Ace Chef 2012.
Jack, 32, has a genius palate and dreams of opening a fancy restaurant, but his financial situation with his girlfriend forces him to leave the restaurant business and take odd jobs. Until one day, when he runs into Michelin-starred chef Alexandre (Jean Reno), he is struggling to create new recipes and maintain his star at Cargo Lagarde. He was about to be replaced by the restaurateur, and a deteriorating relationship with his daughter made matters worse.
Jack joined Alexander’s team for free in order to dream of chef, but the two were too picky and stubborn in the cooperation, once broke up. By this time Alexander’s restaurant rating was on the horizon, and Jack’s girlfriend was upset that he had given up paid work. Can two chefs get stuck together again and get out of trouble?
Delicious Inheritance 2011.
Michel Bras, the French chef behind the famous dessert Lava Chocolate, flies to his restaurant in France for three Michelin stars. When Michel is old enough to retire, he wants to leave his son Sebastien in charge, but on the other hand he feels uneasy. To prove his cooking skills, Sebastien decided to open his first and only overseas branch in Japan…
The documentary portrays two generations of food innovation and inheritance. The film is full of textbook demonstrations, such as a platter of dozens of ingredients:
The original title, “Between Bras”, puns on “between arms”, depicts a generation of famous chefs passing the baton to the next generation.
Anonymous Emotions 2010.
Angelique is a talented chocolatier, but she’s also a very emotional person, and she doesn’t know what to do when she’s the center of attention. For seven years, she has been a chocolate maker for the Mercier brand, working in the shadows under an anonymous fictional identity. While looking for a new job after Mercier’s death, she met Jean-Rene, the owner of a chocolate factory that was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Their shared love of chocolate soon brought them together and they fell in love. But their morbid shyness prevented them from facing the relationship. In fact, Jean-Rene is also a un grand emotif who consults a psychologist, while Angelique suffers from a series of unspeakable emotions. Although they seem to have all the ingredients for success together, their relationship remains difficult…
Although more tangled than the happy reunion of the American film Chocolate, the aesthetic pursuit presented in the film is blended with real emotion in the delicacy of chocolate.
Julie and Julia 2009.
Julia Child was the first American housewife to learn French food and improve her cooking skills, changing the way American cooking is done forever. In 1948, she was an anonymous American housewife who settled in Paris, France, for her husband Paul’s work. Julia developed a passion for French food in order to find a career.
2002, New York. Julie Powell felt she had hit a dead end in her life. She was about to turn 30, living in the chaos of a development company call center in lower Manhattan while her friends enjoyed happiness and success. To lighten up the monotony, she set herself a crazy challenge: to cook 524 recipes in Julia’s book “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” over the course of 365 days. To tell her story, she created a blog… That led to a successful transition to becoming a food writer.
The movie not only makes people feel warm, but also makes many people remember the “sensual” beef stew with Burgundy wine.
Millet and Mullet 2007.
In Sett, France, Simon, who worked in a shipyard on the port, was out of work again. The divorced father of an Arab immigrant family, he lives with the female owner of a hotel and his daughter, Rim, but remains very close to his children and ex-wife.
With Rim’s encouragement and help, Simon plans to open a restaurant on an abandoned ship with his severance money from the factory, but investors’ doubts about his assets nearly scuttle the plan.
But Simon has regained his courage and confidence in life. He leads the family gradually out of the haze, and just as a restaurant to prepare food, they encounter unprecedented trouble… The title echoes the Arabic risotto with millet and mullet, which is what the characters think home tastes like. Like countless trivial annoyances, the story takes you back to the basics of life in a homely way.
Paris Wet Dream 2000.
The story takes place in France in 1671. The extravagant life of the princes and nobles makes the people fall into a dire situation, and anger and rebellion are increasing. Even so, in order to curry favor with his father, Louis XIV, and gain military power, Prince Kurd decided to hold a three-day feast. He delegated the task to Vatel, the castle steward.
Walter did his job well, and all the guests at the banquet were satisfied and amazed by what they saw and heard. The appearance of a noblewoman named Anne made Walter fall in love, and unfortunately Louis XIV seemed to want Anne too. In front of such a strong rival, Walter is in pain.
Walter and Anne.
The film restores the Baroque court feast in the 17th century, and it is breathtaking.
Babette’s Feast 1987.
In the 19th century, in a small Lutheran village in Denmark, the two daughters of the local minister, Martina and Philippa, came to live with a French woman, Babette, who asked for asylum as a servant. Fifteen years she humbly served two sisters dedicated to religion, but one day suddenly received news from France: she won the prize of ten thousand francs. Babette offered to prepare a French meal herself on the evening of the centenary of the late vicar’s death.
A few days before dinner, Martina and Philippa realized that the meal did not fit their ascetic life. Too late to back out, the religious community decided not to say anything during the entire meal.
But the guests quickly took to the meal and were gradually overtaken by a sense of well-being. The sisters thanked Babette heartily and prepared for her departure. But Babette told them she was staying: she had nothing to do with Paris, and no money, because she had spent all her money on this one meal.
Gourmet 1976.
Du Chemin, director of the world’s most famous food guide, is a fervent defender of traditional French cuisine, accustomed to testing restaurants indiscretions in France. Duchemin plans to retire when the new guide is published and is training his son Gerard to take over one day. Gerard, however, showed no interest in his father’s career and tried to run a small circus.
A few days before the publication of the new guide, Charles learned that Jacques Tricatel, the director of the industrialised food chain with a strong presence on the French motorway network, was planning to expand his campaign to buy up some of the organisations the guide awards on its annual visits, and to openly mock Duchemin on television. Determined to defend his values, Du and his son finally joined forces to wage a final crusade against junk food.
It’s a classic food comedy that has influenced generations, which makes sense in a world dominated by American fast food. In the film, the old grandfather is stubborn and lovely, and the French teacher of the French King had recommended the wall crack.
Which of these new and old French food stories suits your taste best? Which of the main course desserts in the film have you eaten before and which have you never heard of? What’s your idea of a French meal?
