“Hunger,” directed by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri, is a film about a young woman who runs her family’s noodle restaurant and gets a chance to make it as a chef at a top dining restaurant. In the film, we get to see Aoy as a young woman, the eldest daughter of the household, continuing the family business after finishing graduation. She was very reluctant at her job because the family was poor, and they did not earn enough money from the family restaurant. But one day, she gets an offer from a junior sous chef named Tone, who worked under Chef Paul, to go and cook for Chef Paul. Aoy was very talented at her job and thus was given the opportunity to work for the most famous chef in the country. The film deals with how Aoy struggles in the fine restaurant workspace and her journey to become the most famous chef in the country.
Burnt (2015)
“Burnt” is directed by John Wells and stars an ensemble cast including Bradley Cooper, Alicia Vikander, Omar Sy, Uma Thurman, Daniel Bruhl, Matthew Rhys, Riccardo Scamarcio, and Emma Thompson. The film is about a chef, Adam, who used to work at a high-end Parisian restaurant until his addiction got the better of him, and he tried to get back into the game. The chef, or the main protagonist, is played by Bradley Cooper, struggling with drug use and temperament while trying to go for the third Michelin star. Adam went into exile, got sober up by having up one million oysters, and then headed to London to restart his career. He was a talented chef with a great team who was very observant about every detail, like a great chef and journeyed to London to gain back his lost credibility and fame. The film is about finding oneself after losing everything and coming back as the winner of the game of life.
Ratatouille (2007)
“Ratatouille” is an animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released worldwide by Disney Pictures. The film is written by Brad Bird and is about a rat who becomes the chef of a restaurant. The film is about the ideology that anybody can cook and is a metaphorical satire that food is not restricted to people with money and power but is meant to satisfy hunger. No matter how fancy the food looks or how many qualified chefs prepare something creative to present it to the people, good food can be prepared by anyone, and its sole purpose is to satisfy hunger. The rat is used as a metaphor for common people, and the dish prepared by the rat is a common farmer’s food, which satisfied the biggest food critic of the time. This implies that anybody can prepare good food, and one should not shy away from their identity when it comes to the representation of the food.
Julie And Julia (2009)
“Julie and Julia” is a biographical comedy-drama written and directed by Nora Ephron, starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Messina. The film is about the contrast in life between Julia Child, in her early years set in Paris, learning culinary arts and practices, and Julie Powell, a young New Yorker who was trying to make her living as a New Yorker while making recipes from the book of Julia Child. The film is about two women finding their own identities through food by experimenting with it. The film takes a deep dive into food as a cultural identity and how it can help people communicate and connect with one another. The film is presented in a series of flashbacks between the present and the past, jumping between the moments of Julia and Julie’s lives.
Chef (2014)
“Chef” is a road comedy film written, directed, and produced by Jon Favreau, who also starred in the film as a chef. The film deals with Favreau losing his job in one of the most famous restaurants in Los Angeles and his journey to begin something new. After losing his job at the top restaurant, he decided to drive a food truck with his son across the country. While driving the food truck across the country, they made Cuban sandwiches and yucca fries for everyone. Through the journey, he strengthened his bond with his son and worked on his marriage, and his fame and popularity across the country gave him credibility. He found himself through the journey of the truck by selling sandwiches and fries and by rebuilding his relationship with his family.
No Reservations (2007)
“No Reservations” is a romantic comedy film directed by Scott Hicks, starring Catherine Zetta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, and Abigail Breslin. The film is about a hard-working chef, Zoe, whose life gets altered when she has to take care of her niece after her sister dies in a tragic accident. The film then focuses on the new sous-chef recruit, Nick. While Nick is the new guy in the kitchen, his ways of cooking soon start to bother Zoe, but she takes a liking to him. Nick also becomes successful in building a rapport with the niece, making it harder for Zoe to push him. The chemistry between them flourished because of their shared love for cooking; food helped them find each other for their own good.
Jiro Dreams Of Sushi (2011)
“Jiro Dreams of Sushi” is a documentary film directed by David Gelb that talks about the 85-year-old sushi master and owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro, which was a three-star Michelin restaurant. The documentary focuses on how Jiro Ono never takes a day off and still makes sushi in one of the world-famous restaurants based out of Tokyo. Sukiyabashi Jiro is the only 10-seat sushi restaurant in Tokyo where people get the chance to eat after months of reservations. The documentary looks into the details of how the raw materials are being brought and how the sushi master makes the sushi out of them. The film also sheds light on his two sons, who are also sushi masters. The elder son, Yoshikazu, is supposed to carry on the legacy of Jiro Sushi after his father, Jiro Ono, while the younger son, Takashi, has his own sushi restaurant, which is a mirror image of his father’s Sukiyabashi Jiro.
Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)
“Hundred-Foot Journey” is a comedy-drama film directed by Lasse Hallstrom from a screenplay by Steven Knight that is adapted from Richard C. Morais’ 2010 novel of the same name. The film stars Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, and Charlotte Le Bon. The film is about the story of the rivalry between two restaurants in a French village that are located just across from each other. One of the restaurants is well-established and owned by a Michelin-starred owner, and the other restaurant is owned by a new Indian immigrant family.