"A Matter of Taste: Serving up Paul Liebrandt" - Review of a foodie documentary

Two years ago, I saw a trailer for a documentary about the driven chef Paul Liebrandt that I knew I wanted to see. "A Matter of Taste: Serving up Paul Liebrandt" was playing at the Mayfair, but for whatever reason, I missed the showing, but I recently discovered it was available for rent at the Ottawa Public Library. The documentary follows Liebrandt over a ten year period, and documents the highs and lows of his career. Those include being the youngest chef ever to earn a three star review from the New York Times; to being unemployed after a dispute with the owners a restaurant he worked at (they preferred a menu of comfort food over his more avant-garde menu); to re-opening a restaurant at the request of a famous restaurateur. Liebrandt is worthy of all the hype that surrounds him, as he is as much an artist as he is a chef, and the documentary shows how focused he is at achieving the perfection he demands from his staff to prepare his food creations. The film concludes with the new restaurant's opening and the staff eagerly awaiting the review that can make or break a restaurant, the one that appears in the New York Times. If you're a fan of molecular gastronomy, or enjoy watching an artist perform in their element, you should seek out this film, as there is quite a lot to enjoy in a fast-paced 69 minutes.

• A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt [Import]