King Georges

2016 • 77 minutes

About this movie

Philadelphia, circa 2010, is about to lose its culinary treasure: Le Bec-Fin, one of the finest French restaurants in the country. The 67-year-old owner, Georges Perrier, nearly as iconic as his landmark eatery, is preparing to sell the restaurant after more than four decades in business. Filmmaker Erika Frankel, a native of the Philly suburbs, asks if she could film Perrier as an era-ending tribute. Perrier, however, has other plans. He decides to withdraw the sale and reinvent Le Bec-Fin by hiring a new protégé, Chef Nicholas Elmi, who achieved national fame on the "Top Chef" TV show. Perrier wants to pass the business to Elmi, but finds he has trouble letting go of the spatula. Over a three-year period, Frankel captures this mercurial, passionate, quixotic force of nature as he struggles to preserve his sumptuous Gallic dishes in an era where casual attitudes and lighter fare are taking hold. Spiced with archival footage and interviews from world-renowned chefs, such as Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, and Eric Ripert, King Georges is a feast for the eyes, as well as a touching portrait of a master artist in the twilight of his career who realizes he is still hungry for seconds.

Ratings and reviews

I watched this left night and loved it. It's a great story of an iconic chef who has sacrificed everything in the pursuit of perfection in the kitchen. Now, as he looks to step down, he faces an unknown future where he is no longer in control. Unlike "Cooked" or "Mind of a Chef", this is not a hyper produced film focusing on food imagery and cooking of food. It's all about the people behind the stove and their drives, fears, and strengths.

Very well done documentary on the simple passion of a complex Philadelphia legend, the world he created and how it practically devoured him.

Amazing.