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Shuswap Film Society: Enjoy a Delicious feast at Salmar Classic

Cinemaphile by Joanne Sargent
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Delicious, showing at the Salmar Classic on Jan. 8, celebrates the preparation and love of fine cuisine. (Contributed)

By Joanne Sargent

Contributor

Happy 2022 from the Shuswap Film Society! I love that our first film of the year has been called “the real false story of the restaurant’s invention.” In Delicious, French filmmaker Eric Besnard romanticizes historical reality somewhat as he envisions the beginnings of dining out.

On the cusp of the French Revolution, when peasants were dying of hunger and only the nobility enjoyed fine food, each castle had its own cook and its prestige was dependant on the reputation of its obscenely lavish banquets. Pierre Manceron, innovative master chef for the entitled and fussy Duke of Chamfort, has the audacity to serve a creative but unapproved dish at a dinner and is humiliated and promptly dismissed by his employer. Pierre swears off cooking and returns to his childhood home where he turns the family barn into a rest stop.

The mysterious Louise shows up, and, in a time where women would not be allowed to do haute cuisine, is persistent in her quest to have Manceron make her his apprentice. Louise re-ignites Pierre’s passion and they embark on a gastronomic journey of discovery which generates seeds of a history-changing idea: to open a gourmet eating room available to the common man, not just the high class. The brilliance of their edible art gains their “restaurant” esteem in the region and Manceron’s chance to one-up the man who fired him is very satisfying.

Delicious is a wildly enjoyable story celebrating the preparation and love of fine cuisine. It’s a visual feast with the art direction, set design, costumes and cinematography all stunning, not to mention the mouth-watering creations. It offers a slice of escapism which we can all use.

Delicious shows at the Salmar Classic on Jan. 8 at 5 and 7:30 p.m.

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