A feast of foodie films

Sit back and digest the holidays with these favorite culinary flicks.

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No Reservations (2007)

Kate, a loveless single woman, lives in a spacious New York apartment and devises culinary masterpieces for an upscale Greenwich Village eatery. Her life changes suddenly when she becomes the caretaker of her 9-year-old niece Zoe who comes to live with her after her mother, Kate's sister, is killed in a car accident. Nick, a newly hired, opera-loving sous-chef in Kate's kitchen, shakes things up – smitten by more than Kate's culinary confections. (This is a remake of the German film, "Mostly Martha," 2001.)

Stir It Up! Editor

Kendra Nordin

Ratatouille (2007)

For the first, and only, time in history, rodents and gourmet food make for a glorious combination in Pixar's Michelin-guide worthy confection. The film, about a rat who wants to be a chef, proves once again that no other animation studio pays as much attention to story and character as it does turning pixels into fine art.

Tortilla Soup (2001)

Similar to "Eat Drink Man Woman," Martin Naranjo is a Mexian-American widowed chef who lost his sense of taste. He shares a Los Angeles home with his three adult, single daughters. Lavish dinners for his loved ones serve as a centering and uniting force as each family members discovers, and rediscovers, the thrill of romantic love.

Independent films
Here are a few titles you may have missed but are worth checking out.

Perfect Sense (2011)

Edgy and fast-paced, a chef and a scientist fall in love amid the swirl and panic of an epidemic that causes people to lose their senses.

Today's Special (2010)

Samir is a sous chef who is gunning for head chef at an upscale Manhattan restaurant but loses out to someone younger and less experienced. Samir’s crisis in identity and career coincides with his father’s health scare and Samir is suddenly tasked with keeping the day-to-day operations of the family’s ailing Indian restaurant, Tandoori Palace. His mother, Farrida, (played by legendary cookbook writer and actor, Madhur Jaffrey), complicates every scene with her quest to find a wife for Samir, her only living child.

The Trip (2010)

A British journalist is assigned to test out high-scale restaurants on a week-long road trip. When his girlfriend backs out as his trip companion, he resorts to his aggravating best friend. A roadie food trip complete with hilarious impersonations ensues.

Documentaries
If you are interested in the food system and the major players in it, these films are a must.

Food, Inc. (2008)

A thorough look at how fast industrial growth in the 1950s has impacted our global food system.

Fresh (2009)

A sun-light filled documentary that showcases individuals working to create a healthy food system. Featured are: Will Allen, the recipient of MacArthur's 2008 Genius Award; sustainable farmer and entrepreneur, Joel Salatin, made famous by Michael Pollan's book, "The Omnivore's Dilemma"; and supermarket owner, David Ball, who challenges our box-store economy.

King Corn (2007)

Two college friends rent acre of Iowa soil where, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America's most-productive, most-subsidized grain: corn. Through it all they learn about the world of genetically modified seeds, powerful herbicides, factory farms and just how much corn is used in the food we eat (a lot).

If we've missed one of your favorites foodie films, feel free to recommend it in the comment box below.