Food-Related Movies That Chefs Love

[Pink Freud]

Interesting that no one chose "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover" (if you've seen it, you know why): https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/t-ma ... =url-share

Note to mods: I'm a Times subscriber, and this is a gift article.

[edwin drood]

I'm surprised that no one mentioned Babette's Feast. The 1987 Danish movie won the Academy Award for best foreign film. Babette is a cook for 2 elderly sisters in Denmark. When she wins the lottery, she decides to prepare a feast for the sisters and their small religious congregation. In the movie, all the food was prepared by Danish master chef, Lasse Sorensen. A few years after the film, Lasse and his wife Mary Jane bought an old roadhouse/ tavern a few miles north of Carbondale Illinois and SIU - Tom's Place. I only had the opportunity to dine there twice and those are still the 2 best meals I've ever had. Unfortunately, Tom's closed in 2023, a victim of the pandemic.

https://www.foodislove.tv/team

[Pink Freud]

I'm surprised that no one mentioned Babette's Feast. The 1987 Danish movie won the Academy Award for best foreign film. Babette is a cook for 2 elderly sisters in Denmark. When she wins the lottery, she decides to prepare a feast for the sisters and their small religious congregation. In the movie, all the food was prepared by Danish master chef, Lasse Sorensen. A few years after the film, Lasse and his wife Mary Jane bought an old roadhouse/ tavern a few miles north of Carbondale Illinois and SIU - Tom's Place. I only had the opportunity to dine there twice and those are still the 2 best meals I've ever had. Unfortunately, Tom's closed in 2023, a victim of the pandemic.

https://www.foodislove.tv/team

A NY Times reader does mention "Babette's Feast" in the story's comments:
"Babette's feast. I grew up conservative Lutheran, I just felt so connected to her and also the people she was trying to impress. The whole atmosphere. I remember the first time I cooked with wine for my family, I was 16, it was cooking wine from the grocery store, they were like "what are you doing?" I kept saying, "it will be wonderful, you just wait." Looking back I laugh, but it changed my life in the kitchen. I always aspire to be as perfect as Babette for every special meal."

Other food-centric movies mentioned by readers: "Tampopo"; "The 100-Foot Journey"; "Diner", and "Untangling My Chopsticks". Food truck fans will enjoy "Chef", co-starring Sofia Vergara and Scarlett Johanssen. Whoa.

I'd love to suggest "The Menu", for anyone who has ever worked for a slave-driver in a kitchen. When I was the food buyer for Stouffer's Riverfront Towers (1981-82) I had to provide victuals to prepare for Executive Chef Klaus Von Ritter, who was a Fellini-esque gargoyle in the kitchen and a favorite of gossip-meister Jerry Berger. You couldn't have even a brief chat with Chef Von Ritter without him taking a gulp of seltzer, then belching while calling everyone a slew of four-to-twelve letter names.

[Bighorn66]

I am surprised that the Pixar animated movie Ratatouille did not make it. I thought it was a favorite among them.

[Clark Kimble]

I am surprised that the Pixar animated movie Ratatouille did not make it. I thought it was a favorite among them.

I love "Ratatouille", especially the Peter O'Toole voiced Anton Ego, the imperialistic, feared dining critic. I wonder if he was based on longtime St. Louis Globe-Demagogue dining doyen/Wash U. Professor of Romance Languages John Garganigo, who would open a restaurant review with gems like "We were in a mood to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Rat, so we headed for Rice 'n Mice....".