She Chef

She Chef chronicles the life of Agnes Karrasch, an aspiring chef from Austria, who embarks on a series of internships at three renowned two-Michelin-star restaurants: the Vendôme, on the outskirts of Cologne; Disfrutar, in central Barcelona; and, Koks, lost in the wilderness of the Faroe Islands. All three experiences will partake in sharpening her skills as a cook, yet maybe more importantly, they will help her to figure out what kind of cook she wishes to be, and in what type of work environment she wishes to evolve. The film, co-directed by Melanie Liebheit and Gereon Wetzel, intelligently tackles crucial questions that resonate with the world of cuisine and beyond: the structural imbalance of gender representation, in the favour of men, at the top of so many professions; the fine balance to be found between passion and exhaustion when one loves one’s job, particularly when that job is as mythologised as that of head chef. Indeed, She Chef chronicles the essence of what constitutes an outstanding dish, but, above all else, it unravels all the human commitment that goes into creating one.

Dimitri de Preux