Le Grand Chef 2 Kimchi Battle

This movie is intense. There are some great scenes and nods to the source of inspiration in the kitchen (family) and how what we taste ultimately is most pleasing when the food experience transports us to another moment in time or just stops us in our tracks because it tastes so good. . It also pays homage to insane dedication and what lengths a chef will go through to make a dish right (mining your own salt to make kimchi-for example)

The story starts as the Korean President has a heated argument with the Japanese Prime Minister about the origins of kimchi. Of course the Japanese thinks it started there (they also think 7-11 is a Japanese brand-among other things that are not true-not relevant to the movie but me just spouting off) and this sets off the Korean President. He flips his lid, goes back to Korea and sets up a contest to bring kimchi to the world.

The contest ends up with Jang-eun, a Korean chef working in Japan, heading back home to compete against her step brother Sung-Chan. The contest is over a few days and at the end it comes down to both of them using their mothers kimchi recipe.

The sub plot is that the mother has a traditional restaurant and who ever wins will get to take it over. There are great cooking sequences, great images of Korean food, great kitchen scenes with Jang-eun running a crew in her hotel kitchen in Japan.

There are lots of good food movies coming out of Korean now-stay tuned for more!