Opens on Virtual Cinema in North America on September 18
Interviews available with Filmmakers & Chef David Kinch
First Run Features is proud to present the release of A Chef’s Voyage, a Flapjack Production, on Virtual Cinema, opening nation-wide on September 18, 2020.
The film follows Emmy (Mind of a Chef) and James Beard award-winning Chef David Kinch and his team from their 3 Star Michelin restaurant, Manresa, in California for a one of a kind “four hands” collaboration with three legendary chefs at their iconic restaurants in Paris, Provence, and Marseille.
A Chef’s Voyage begins in Los Gatos, California, as Kinch and the Manresa team close the famous restaurant for a month so that they can travel to France to celebrate their fifteenth anniversary. Planning the trip has been going on for months. In order to represent the refined Californian cuisine of Kinch in France, the team must bring some of the characteristic ingredients of Manresa, such as seasonings, sauces that take days to make and Pacific seafood such as abalone.
But the logistics are tricky and they worry about whether they can get all the food through airport security and customs. Each kitchen staff member is responsible for packing up certain items in their suitcases, so Kinch tells them to leave out personal items so they have more space. “Underwear and abalone,” he quips. The stakes are high and, as Kinch says, “Everything could go wrong.”
As soon as they arrive in France, the crew prepares to cook alongside chefs and teams from three of the country’s best starred restaurants: Le Taillevent, L’Oustau de Baumanière and Le Petit Nice. Even for Kinch’s well-oiled team, it’s difficult to navigate their host kitchens and represent Californian gourmet cuisine on Michelin’s home turf while jetlagged, on a tight schedule, and with a language barrier.
We accompany the team in unknown kitchens, joking with their French counterparts wearing toques, consult Yelp to find out which restaurants in Paris are open until well after midnight – and celebrate the 15 years of Manresa excellence by doing what Chef Kinch and his team do best: creating meals and experiences worthy of those three stars.
Reminiscent of a classic “Rock Doc”, A Chef’s Voyage goes behind the scenes of their ‘voyage’ as they stage five dinner and four lunch events over the course of just 10 days in the world’s most cinematic venues, observing culinary superstars and their young and diverse supporting cast, and ultimately create something much more than food.