Delicious 

Release date (USA): Jan. 14, 2022

Directed by Eric Besnard

Starring Gregory Gadebois, Isabelle Carre, and Benjamin Lavernhe

Available on various streaming services, including Amazon Prime

The Plot 

France, 1789, just before the Revolution. With the help of a young woman, a chef who has been sacked by his master finds the strength to free himself from his position as a servant and open what could be the first modern restaurant in France.

Delicious is certainly a “foodie” movie, along the lines of Chef and Julie and Julia. But it’s also the story of a prideful but talented man who manages to reinvent his career and his personal life through a relationship he develops with a woman who pesters him into taking her on as an apprentice as he tries to eke out a living in a rural inn, making meals for weary travelers.

What I Liked About It 

Great production and costume design, artistic cinematography, what feels like an authentic period drama, and a sweet and uplifting story.

Interesting 

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the film is the conceit that it is the story of how the French “restaurant” was invented. Apparently not true.

Critical Reception 

* “A sweet and savory tribute to food, pleasure, and égalité at a particularly piquant moment in French history.” (New York Times)

* “Delicious is far more than tasty eye candy. Strip back the inescapably gobsmacking palette, and you have an enveloping story of regret, freedom, and will set against the backdrop of pre-revolutionary France.” (James Hanton, Outtake Magazine)

* ”You could do a lot worse than this well-intentioned tale of mirthful mouthfuls and other appetites.” (Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times)

You can watch the trailer here.