Food Network posted the recipes for all of the dishes on their website. Specific dishes prepared for the movie include:
- Lobster Salad in Potato Leek Nests
- Duck Hash on Toasted Baguette
- Spiced Lamb Shanks with Blood Orange Relish
- Roasted Quail with Brioche and Chorizo Stuffing
- Risotto Barolo with Roasted Vegetables
- Bananas Foster
- Poulet Tchoupitoulas.
All the dishes served in the movie were prepared by Food Network chefs who traveled with the crew to do the cooking. They also taught Queen Latifah some basic cooking techniques so she would look like a professional chef in the movie.
The writers of this film are big fans of Ealing Studios comedies, and jumped at the chance to remake the original Alec Guinness film, Last Holiday (1950). Originally they intended for John Candy to play George Bird, but the project was shelved after Candy's death. It was resurrected years later when Queen Latifah's agent read the script, and contacted the writers about rewriting the story for a woman in the lead.
During one scene where Queen Latifah's character is serving LL Cool J the Duck Hash on Toasted Baguette, the Food Network staff had to substitute duck in the actual dish because LL Cool J doesn't eat it.
The Grand Hotel Pupp was also used in the James Bond film, Casino Royale as Hotel Splendide in Montenegro.