A cook shown the door by his aristocratic employer finds an unexpected second calling in Delicious, a period comedy-drama directed by Éric Besnard. Set in the final years before the French Revolution, the story ties one man's change of fortune to a shift in how people would come to eat outside the home.
What is Delicious about?
Manceron has built his reputation in the kitchen of the Duke of Chamfort, in a world where a noble household judges its own standing by the meals it sets before guests. After the duke abruptly dismisses him, Manceron withdraws to a modest house in the countryside and loses all wish to cook. His outlook begins to change when Louise appears, a woman who keeps her own history to herself and who is determined to learn from him. The two discover they share a grievance against the duke, and from that uneasy partnership grows a bold plan: to open a place where members of the public, not only the nobility, can sit at a table and be served. The story follows their attempt to build that venture from scratch while the old social order around them starts to crack.
About the cast
Isabelle Carré and Grégory Gadebois head the credited cast, joined by Benjamin Lavernhe and Guillaume de Tonquédec. Christian Bouillette, Lorenzo Lefèbvre, Marie-Julie Baup and Laurent Bateau complete the ensemble. Much of the storytelling moves through kitchen work, shared meals and conversation rather than large-scale set pieces.
Context & significance
Delicious runs 112 minutes and was made as a co-production between Belgium and France. It is catalogued under comedy, drama and historical genres, and it uses the period immediately before the Revolution as its backdrop. At that time refined cuisine was largely confined to noble estates, prepared by household staff for their employers and their guests. The narrative stays close to the kitchen, the countryside house and the people working to get a new enterprise off the ground. Besnard gives considerable screen time to the preparation of food, and ingredients, cooking techniques and the rhythm of service play a central role in how scenes are built. The release has drawn a favourable response from viewers.
Watching Delicious on Ktime
Delicious streams on K-Time in a Persian-dubbed version and with Persian subtitles, so viewers can choose the option that suits them. Reading this page is free; watching requires signing in with a K-Time account. The Farsi interface keeps browsing and playback straightforward.