A familiar situation: you sit down to dinner with the family that you see twice a year. No matter how hard you try, there's only one word for it. Awkward.? ?Honestly, though, isn't it the food that truly brings everyone together? Cleanse your palate. Scroll down and enjoy one of the films in this collection all about food. Appetizing, unusual, beautiful, important, necessary food.

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TODAY'S SPECIAL - Directed by David Kaplan

https://www.fandor.com/films/todays_special

TODAY'S SPECIAL, a heartwarming comedy with culinary flavor, tells the story of Samir (Aasif Mandvi, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, THE PROPOSAL), a sous chef who dreams of becoming the head chef at an upscale Manhattan restaurant. When he is passed over for a promotion, he impulsively quits and tells his co-worker Carrie (Jess Weixler, TEETH) that he intends to go to Paris and apprentice under a master French chef.

But dreams must be put aside after his estranged father, Hakim (Harish Patel, RUN, FATBOY, RUN), has a heart attack and Samir is forced to take over Tandoori Palace, the nearly bankrupt family restaurant in Jackson Heights. Samir's mother, Farrida (legendary cookbook writer Madhur Jaffrey), is consumed with trying to find a wife for her son, while Samir is trying to master Indian cooking to salvage the family business. Luckily, he crosses paths with Akbar (Naseeruddin Shah, MONSOON WEDDING), a taxi driver, passionate chef and worldly raconteur. Akbar inspires Samir and teaches him to trust his senses more than recipes; to stop measuring his life, and to start truly living it. With Akbar's guidance, Samir has a chance to rediscover his heritage and his passion for life through the enchanting art of cooking Indian food.

LE CIRQUE: A TABLE IN HEAVEN - Directed by Andrew Rossi

https://www.fandor.com/films/le_cirque

LE CIRQUE: A TABLE IN HEAVEN is an intimate portrait of Le Cirque founder Sirio Maccioni and his three sons (Mauro, Marco and Mario) to whom he will one day leave his formidable cultural and culinary legacy. Director Andrew Rossi not only gains unbelievable access to the larger-than-life Maccioni family but also catches the family at a dramatic transition: the closing of Le Cirque in 2004, its celebrated re-opening two years later followed by the nerve-wracking wait for New York's restaurant critics to weigh in on their new incarnation.

Not only is LE CIRQUE: A TABLE IN HEAVEN a must-see for anyone who is passionate about food and dining, but it shows us a family embroiled in the age-old struggle between fathers, sons, tradition and change - which, for the family behind Le Cirque, means the fate of one of New York's most treasured institutions hangs in the balance. LE CIRQUE: A TABLE IN HEAVEN is a fascinating portrait of a family business caught in the world's spotlight.

STEP UP TO THE PLATE - Directed by Paul Lacoste

https://www.fandor.com/films/step_up_to_the_plate

French chef Michel Bras, one of the most influential chefs in the world, has decided to hand over his renowned 3-Michelin-Star restaurant to his son Sébastien. Having worked with his father for 15 years, Sébastien is ready. But it's not easy to take over the family business when your father is a master in his field. Filmed in the gorgeous Aubrac region in the South of France, home to the Bras family for generations, STEP UP TO THE PLATE offers a rare glimpse into the Bras' culinary process while capturing one of the most closely watched transitions in the world of haute cuisine.

A MATTER OF TASTE - Directed by Sally Rowe

https://www.fandor.com/films/a_matter_of_taste

A MATTER OF TASTE takes an intimate look inside the world of an immensely talented and driven young chef, Paul Liebrandt. At 24, he was awarded three stars by The New York Times for unforgettable and hyper-modern dishes such as "eel, violets and chocolate," "espuma of calf brains and foie gras," and "beer and truffle soup."

Times critic William Grimes likened Paul to "a pianist who seems to have found a couple of dozen extra keys." Conversely, Gourmet critic Jonathan Gold called Paul's food "the result of a failed science experiment." He soon became a chef critics loved or loved to hate. The film follows Paul over a decade and reveals his creative process in the kitchen, as well as the extreme hard work, long hours, and dedication it takes to be a successful culinary artist in the cutthroat world of haute cuisine in New York City.

Featuring an A-List of culinary luminaries including Grant Achatz, Heston Blumenthal, Frank Bruni, Mike Colameco, William Grimes, Thomas Keller, Drew Nierporent and Eric Ripert, A MATTER OF TASTE explores the complicated relationships between food critics, chefs and restaurant owners as it delves into the life of an uncompromising, thought provoking, young chef ahead of his time.

THE RAW AND THE COOKED - Directed by Monika Treut

https://www.fandor.com/films/the_raw_and_the_cooked

Taiwan is known around the world as having one of the most diverse cuisines in Asia, and food is the foremost passion of its 23 million inhabitants. THE RAW AND THE COOKED is a sumptuous exploration of the island's rich culinary traditions, and their relationship to the Taiwan's unique mix of cultures. The film begins in Taipei, circles the island, and then heads inland.

Along the way we enter the world-renowned restaurant Shin Yeh atop the city's Taipei 101 skyscraper; are treated to a mathematically precise lesson on how to eat soup-filled xiaolongbao at Din Tai Fung, Taiwan's most celebrated dumpling house; and visit Shitiping, where aboriginal chef Ladibisse makes a bouillabaisse from inside a tree trunk, cooked by heated stones. The grande finale is set at Jindou Restaurant in Pulin, where fusion chef Liu Heng-hong offers spectacular edible objects such as roses, paper, bitter gourds, water bamboo and ailanthus prickly ash.

OMA AND BELLA - Directed by? Alexa Karolinski

https://www.fandor.com/films/oma_and_bella

Two older Jewish women, best friends who live together in Berlin (and one of whom, Regina "Oma" Karolinski, is the filmmaker's grandmother), are Holocaust survivors who have remained in Germany since the war. Oma and Bella spend their days telling stories and cracking jokes, dispensing advice and devoting the majority of their time to their greatest love of all, cooking.

Their cooking is a passionate connection to their culture and heritage, a demonstration of their creativity and skill, and a showcase for some of the most unique and delicious looking dishes we've ever seen on film (Karolisnki has also recently self-published a cookbook featuring Oma and Bella's one-of-a-kind recipes). OMA & BELLA paints an intimate portrait of two incredibly strong, funny, endearing women who look candidly at their lives as they both wrestle with the past and engage with the present.

FOR THE FULL LINE-UP OF FILMS IN THIS COLLECTION,

VISIT: https://www.fandor.com/spotlights/food-glorious-food

Bon Appetit!

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