Drei Sterne - Die Köche und die Sterne

Tonight I saw two excellent food documentaries at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts (MFA).The second was "El Bulli".Of the 2 films, I think "Three Stars" by Lutz Hachmeister (2011, 83 min.) was the superior one. It focused on 10 Michelin 3 Star restaurants in Scandinavia, Europe, Japan and the U.S., their chefs, staff and environment. Passion was the operative word for all of these chefs, with focus, commitment, excitement and exhaustion all sharing the mix. Extremely well edited, i learned a great deal from the film. Because it tried to cover a great deal of ground, it was not able to answer all the questions you might have, but it did manage to cover many of the angles involved with achieving and maintaining the success that these talented chefs have achieved.Similar to "Danny Meyer, the Restaurateur",but with an international scope, Three Stars will undoubtedly give you a greater appreciation for what goes into giving you a memorable evening the next time you dine at a great restaurant.

This is a documentary where the subjects largely speak for themselves. It's not really about the Michelin guide or the challenge of achieving a *** rating. Rather, I interpret that as a framing device for a subtle character portrait of a handful of famous and not-so-famous (yet incredibly skilled) chefs. Those who are familiar -- Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Rene Redzepi were the ones I recognized -- are seen in a light somewhat different from Top Chef Masters, or even David Chang's "Mind of a Chef".

There are no startling revelations in this film about the business of producing elite cuisine. The most interesting thing I learned was that Edouard Michelin was rather visionary, in 2002, to implement a strategic plan to expand the global scope of the Michelin guide, including new editions for various Asian cities. (This call seems to have been unquestionably correct, with the benefit of hindsight.)

I was most intrigued by the variation among the chefs' personalities. The expressions on Elena Arzak's face as her father Juan pontificates are hilarious. Redzepi is almost *too* earnest. Vongerichten is ... pretty much exactly what you'd expect for a classically trained, Asian- influenced chef with an empire. Ishikawa is the one whose restaurant I want to eat at most.

This is definitely a small film, but enjoyable nonetheless. There is a perceptible hint of editorializing by the film-maker, but by and large he leaves viewers to draw what they wish from the people as he films them. That, I appreciated.