You may not be surprised to learn that I am a big fan of the movie Chef. After all, it was a movie about a great chef seeking redemption—and finding that redemption in a food truck. The star Jon Favreau is Carl, a talented chef who has lost his passion and creativity for making food by tying himself to a restaurant whose owner just wants him to make what customers like (or what the owner, played by Dustin Hoffman, thinks they like).
Carl buys a food truck and, with his son and a loyal colleague, sets out on the road to create great food and make people happy across the country. In rediscovering and communicating his love of food, he reconnects with his son, friends, and family.
No one can watch Chef without wanting to run out to the nearest food truck and sample its menu. It is also great to watch if you are anticipating the need for event catering in Doylestown, Malvern, or elsewhere in our region, as it is sure to help you generate ideas.
Other great food movies will also inspire your passion for food, and perhaps the passions of your family and friends as well. In addition to Chef, here are a few movies that you might enjoy together, both as cinematic and food spectacles.
Ratatouille is a great animated movie about discovering who you are through food. Set in Paris, its hero is a rat, Remy, who loves food and believes that rats don’t have to eat garbage to fulfill their destiny. Remy adopts a young, aspiring chef as his front to create his great French cuisine, including ratatouille. I don’t know if the movie inspires children to undertake food adventures, but it is a wonderfully enjoyable film for all ages.
While Big Night is not as well-known as the other two films, it is a moving tribute to food and family. Two immigrant brothers run a failing Italian restaurant in New York City (or what looks like New York). One brother is a great chef who refuses to waste his talent on ordinary dishes that customers tend to expect (hence, the failing restaurant). The other brother, the restaurant manager and host, works tirelessly to keep the business going. With a big bet to save their restaurant, the two brothers stake everything on one big night—and on one very memorable risotto dish.
Julia and Julia is another in the must-see cannon of food films. It tells the story of two women: the first is the great chef Julia Child, while the second is a contemporary, struggling writer who decides to cook her way through Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Child was drawn to French cooking when, as the wife of a U.S. diplomat, she found herself in Paris just after the Second World War. Through perseverance and imagination, she learned the art of French gastronomy and made it her life’s work to introduce her love of French food to American audiences.
There are just a few of the great food films. There are several chocolate-focused films (including Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, another child favorite). Whatever you watch, make sure you have some food within reach!