Chicago Foodies

Foodie Film – "Three Stars" Doesn't Shine as Brightly as It Should

Three Michelin star chefs are the rock stars of the dining world. They may not all be household names, but many, like Copenhagen's Rene Redzepi and New York's Jean Georges Vongerichten, are pretty darn close. A 90-minute German documentary, Three Stars, screening now at Facets Multimedia on Fullerton, offers a broad look at three-star chefs around the world, from Redezpi and Vongerichten to Tokyo's Hideki Ishikawa and Milan's Nadia Santini. While the director, Lutz Hachmeister, has incredible access to the kitchens of nine chefs on three continents, the film left me hungry rather than satisfied.

El Bulli Documentary Hits Screens in Evanston, Chicago

For those of us that didn't have the chance to eat at El Bulli before it closed, or who will never be able to snag tickets to Next's El Bulli menu, a new Spanish documentary is the closest we'll ever get to the progressive cuisine of Ferran Adria. El Bulli: Cooking in Progress offers a glimpse into the mad scientist mind of one of the world's most regarded, and debated, chefs. Whether you think he's a genius or a basket case, the film will shed some light on his singularly creative process.