One of the first things we see on screen is a stack of Michelin-guides, while food critic and author, Christine Muhlke explains to us what Michelin-stars really are. They're basically the culinary Olympic medals and very hard to obtain. Once you get a star, you strive for another and try to keep the one you already have. "It's hard to make it look so easy", says Emmy Award winning chef, David Kinch, from the comfort of his own kitchen in Santa Cruz, where he's figuring out what to make for breakfast.
A Chef's Voyage begins a year after the residency that took Kinch and his team across France, where we go back and forth in time while interviewing sous-chefs, pastry chefs and sommeliers on their experiences with Kinch, and follow them on their foreign adventure. For many of the kitchen members, this is their first time abroad. While Christine Muhlke adds, "Being on your feet in a kitchen takes a physical toll. It's not just about the food or how it gets made. It's about the whole dining-experience.", the camera flies over Los Gatos, California, into the in blue-tile covered kitchen of Manresa.
The cinematography is breathtaking, benefiting from the vibrant colours of each dish that gets prepared, while quotes such as GQ's "Touring chefs are becoming the new touring bands" fill the screen over the upbeat tunes of Plastic Bertrand's "Ça Plane Pour Moi". Soon we learn more about this "four hands dinner" that's being planned. A collaboration between two chefs but above all, between their teams. After fifteen years, Kinch is closing his parking lot based, 3-star restaurant for a month. One mistake on this trip could mean living hell for him and his team. But it's when sous-chef de cuisine, Koji Yokoyama, gets interviewed, while Kyle Newmaster's ominous score contributes to the atmosphere, it suddenly seems like something did go wrong along the way, but keeps you guessing until the final minutes of the film.
Rémi Anfosso and Jason Matzner's culinary voyage is meticulously made, focusing not only on the chefs but on the locations they're at and how all these strong personalities work so well together. Steven Holleran has a great eye for detail and using different cameras and very specific techniques to make everything pop and look interesting from start to finish. The Provence has never looked better. A Chef's Voyage goes deeper than you think, pulling heart strings and uncovering what makes each chef stand out in his own unique style.
An honest documentary made for foodies and those who respect culinary insights, that not only crosses borders, but pushes for new experiences.
(Screened for Doc Edge Festival)
