In all cultures food is the universal language. Food brings people together from all walks of life. When you sit down for a meal it can start conversation, illicit laughter, and inspire new ideas. Although every culture has different styles of cuisine, food is a common ground we can all land on. This week’s documentary review shows another example of how food can change the world.
Theater of Life follows Chef Massimo Bottura, a renowned restaurateur in Modena, Italy, as he passionately sets out to feed the homeless and needy in Milan, Italy. Bottura’s idea is to take the leftover food from the 2015 Milan Expo and utilize them to feed the community. His vision however doesn’t stop there. He builds a soup kitchen in an abandoned theater renamed Refettorio Ambrosian. Bottura finds a location next to Church where he partners with Priest Don Giuliano to make this vision reality. Another layer to this journey is Bottura gathers some of the greatest chefs on earth to turn leftovers into beautiful culinary creations. Highlighted on the other side of the table are the trials and tribulations of five regular visitors of the Refettorio. The director, Peter Svatek, takes a raw look at the lifestyle and attitudes of these interesting people.
As a security guard at Danbury Hospital for 12 years my perception of the homeless community was extremely jaded. I would often see these patients at their worst point of their struggles. Never putting myself in their shoes, I always came away with negative emotions. Until I joined the Knights of Columbus and began to volunteer at the Merton Center in Bridgeport, CT did I start to see the other side. As people would approach the steam table you could see how appreciative they are just to have a hot meal. As I navigated through this documentary I am reminded of getting myself out of my comfort zone and giving back in different ways. Food once again is the tie that can bind.
The five highlighted all had different stories. There is Marco and Steffi who are looking for a permanent shelter and would rather sleep at the train station or under a bridge then go into the local shelter. Steffi sells her handmade bracelets and sings with Marco as he plays guitar. Bob Dylan’s classic Like a Rolling Stone in Italian is their favorite song to play. The lyrics are fitting. Next is, Fatou a handicapped Senegal refugee. She talks about how her country negatively views the physically challenged and her dream of being a model in Italy. Christiana is a mother and Nigerian refugee who is looking to find a better life for her and her child. Giorgio, a heavily tattooed resident of Modona, is a recovering addict who finds his purpose picking up and delivering food to the Refettorio. Lastly, there is Fawaz who was the only one highlighted that became skeptical of the soup kitchen. He worried about what will happen when the expo is over and didn’t trust the process. The documentary does an excellent job of putting the spotlight on a diverse group of people with vastly different obstacles on their journey come to break bread at the community table.
In the beginning of the documentary Chef Bottera meets with the first Chef he worked for Lidia Cristoni. The director sets the scene for their conversation so well you could smell the basil, garlic, and tomatoes through the screen. Although there are subtitles as I was watching I didn’t really seem to notice as they talk about Chef Bottera early years as a chef. He credits Chef Cristoni with teaching him on how to shop, how to prepare, and how to be a professional. Chef Cristoni also talks about the country’s philosophy of using entire plant and the entire animal. These scenes were strategically placed to set the tone for the endeavor Chef Bottera was undertaking.
Theatre of Life has a star studded class of chefs come to support and cook meals at the Refettorio Ambrosian. Each chef brings their own style and expertise to the table…..literally. For these Chefs it was like a socially conscience episode of Chopped. They took available ingredients and made it into fine dining. The Chefs and volunteers created these meals and the atmosphere to feel like home. One guy even sounded a lot like my mother when he said “you know how much this would cost at a restaurant?” They placed beautiful wood community tables with comfortable chairs. The food is not just placed on a plate and served, no; it is plated with style and love. They have created an atmosphere of community and belonging. The chefs will come to the table and sit with people and not talk about how they got to their current situation but they will talk about food, laugh, take pictures, and talk about everyday things.
Anybody who has a passion for cooking will relate to this film. This film can be relevant to what we are going through today in our country. Most people will often ask what I can do to help. Chefs are natural caretakers. They have an innate need to feed people to make their day better, to make you relax, or to energize you. That is in their DNA. Theatre of Life takes you along on that journey and builds an emotional connection that you want to know what happened to these people. What it also does that is probably more important is put you in another person’s shoes and puts things into prospective.
As a security guard at Danbury Hospital for 12 years my perception of the homeless community was extremely jaded. I would often see these patients at the worst point of their struggles. Never putting myself in their shoes, I always came away with negative emotions. Until I joined the Knights of Columbus and began to volunteer at the Merton Center in Bridgeport, CT did I start to see the other side. As people would approach the steam table you could see how appreciative they are just to have a hot meal. As I navigated through this documentary I am reminded of getting myself out of my comfort zone and giving back in different ways. Food once again is the tie that can bind.
Traveling Bro: Chef David Hertz, founder of Gastromotiva
Chef Hertz had the most intriguing story in this Documentary of all the chefs. He runs a program where he takes people from the roughest neighborhoods in Brazil, teaches them to cook, and gives them employment opportunities. He embodies what Chef Bottura is trying to do in Milan. He traveled from Brazil with a staff to feed the needy people of Milan. A man who is selfless, knows his talents, and uses them to contribute to the betterment of society.
Best Quotes:
“The kitchen is very simple. If you have a lot of persistence and you get connected to the ingredients, you can become a good cook.” –Chef David Hertz
“With a crumb of bread or a rind of parmesan you can transmit much more emotion than with caviar.”
– Chef Ferran Adria “My home is my skin, the stars are my ceiling, and my blanket is my dreams” – Steffi
