Receta para el amor

Over the past decade, comedies about chefs and cooks have become more common in the movies and the Hallmark Channel has created a few. In this one, we have another Hallmark romcom about a brittle, driven professional and a casual, inventive, uncertain genius -- but this time, it's the guy who's the brittle, unhappy professional and the gal who's casual and so forth.

Well, hallelujah for that. Danielle Panabaker is awfully cute and able to project her vulnerability very well. Shawn Roberts offers a fine two-toned performance: control freak in the restaurant and barefoot in the country. Apparently no one bothered to talk with the script writer, because the dialogue makes reference to Miss Panabaker as being controlling.

Well, occasionally, some subversion needs to go on to keep things fresh. Ron Oliver has gotten enough shots to make it visually clear that this takes place in San Francisco, the leads are good and the talking about food is intelligent. The result is more than good enough.