Food in Film

Food And Film: The Heat A Kitchen (R)Evolution

Once Upon A Time

Many years ago, a woman in Lyon, France created not one but two stellar restaurants and celebrated the winning of three Michelin stars, not once but twice.  You see Eugenie Brazier pictured here with her team, arms around each other in a familial way. She was respected and lauded, but suffered  no shortage of difficulties. Her trials included a childhood in rural poverty, losing her mother at age 10, having a child out of wedlock at 19, and surviving two world wars. Additionally, one of her “commis” cooks was Paul Bocuse, who admitted how much he learned from her, although in an interview in the 1970s he said that he would rather have a woman in his bed than behind the stove in his restaurant.  Her achievement of being the first chef to earn six Michelin stars was mistakenly bestowed upon Alain Ducasse in 1998 by the press (and then sheepishly rescinded). Eugenie Brazier’s restaurant today has been purchased by a noted Meilleur Ouvrier De France, and retrofitted to be like La Mere Brazier of old, except his team chefs are all men. 

 

 

Fast Forward

And now in 2018 comes a film  from Maya Gallus, which discusses cuisine’s unfortunate sexist sentiment and its heritage in a documentary profiling seven  current women chefs.  While there is  no real thematic conclusion, I think you will find this film a rewarding watch.  Ironically, it should be noted that Sophie Pic (one of the featured chefs) is the first woman chef to receive three Michelin stars – more than a half century after Eugenie Brazier’s remarkable feat.   And actually one of the most subtle and charming moments in the film is a glimpse of a tasting that Sophie Pic has with her crew of cooks.  There is serious note-taking, reflections, and discussion, but in the end, she wants her team to understand what her perceptions are and not theirs. And it is her preceptions that drove the three Michelin stars to Restaurant Anne-Sophie Pic

 

Dinner Theater

The Heat – A Kitchen (R)evolution provides us with a small overview of the workdays and nights of these chefs, their backgrounds, and how they rise above or simply survive The Boys Club.  Take a look at the current list of  The World’s  Fifty Best Restaurants  and you will gain an even greater insight. Top chefs who happen to be women are sidelined or given a “Female Chef” award.  To quote Clare Smyth, the winner in femaleness of chefdom,“For the last 10 years of my career I’ve been asked, ‘What is it like to be a female chef?’ to which I reply, ‘I’m not sure what you mean, because I’ve never been a male chef,’” And in the end, it is films like this documentary that remind us as diners how much we take for granted.  

 

Hungry for More?
Subscribe to Kitchen Detail and get the newest post in your inbox, plus exclusive KD Reader discounts on must have products and services.

Share Us on Social Media:
Share
Published by
Nancy Pollard

Recent Posts

Celebrations: Praise For Passito

Not On My Christmas List I had to make a confession recently to the RWM*…

5 days ago

Superior Sources: The Art Of Mantecatura

Spaghetti Without Meatballs Like many before me, I  have long been in love with these…

2 weeks ago

Juicy Post: Lard vs Crisco

A Fat Confession The person writing this post was known in her previous life to…

3 weeks ago

Bonus Recipe: I Think We All Need A Brownie

Down Memory Lane With my move to Bologna, I forgot to count the Wednesdays in…

4 weeks ago

Food For Thought: Facts and Fables About Vertical Farming

A New Era In Virginia Farming My older brother, a stellar NASA engineer for over…

1 month ago

Superior Sources: Tasting Terčič Wines at Twinside

Broadening My Wine Horizons One of my favorite restaurants (well actually it’s two for one)…

1 month ago