Bradley Cooper is bringing his wry smile and rugged charm to the kitchen with Burnt, a hotly anticipated new film about a chef who's, well, too hot to handle. As an appetizer for this promising culinary comedy, we're celebrating our favorite chefs of cinema. Plus, we've managed to track down the recipes to several of them should you want to give 'em a try.
1. Carl Casper, Chef (2014)
The Digest: Enraged by a snarky food critic, Carl (Jon Favreau) commits career suicide in a public display that goes viral. But with a little help from his friends, Twitter and a food truck, this flamed-out chef reignites his passion and reputation.
Signature Dish: A devilish combination of ham, pork, Swiss cheese and pickles, his Mojo Pork Cubanos is a dish so delicious that fans demanded a real-world recipe.
Finest Moment: Proving the key ingredient to any great meal is love, Carl brings his expertise to making his adorable son the world's greatest grilled-cheese sandwich.
2. Primo, Big Night (1996)
The Digest: Fiercely protective of his homeland's traditions, Primo (Tony Shalhoub) has built his American Dream on the back of a restaurant too authentically Italian for 1950s New Jersey. But one big night could turn everything around.
Signature Dish: Tasked to impress a major celebrity, Primo busts out Timpano, a complicated baked-pasta dish so good it might incite threats of murder. (In case you want to try your hand at it…)
Finest Moment: Restaurants come and go, but family is forever, as the film's breakfast-centered finale proves.
3. Remy, Ratatouille (2007)
The Digest: A rat is about the last thing you'd want to see in Paris's top kitchens. But with the help of his friends and plenty of hard work, Remy (Patton Oswalt) will win over even his harshest critics.
Signature Dish: Ratatouille, naturally.
Finest Moment: After much mayhem, Remy pulled himself--and a small army of his rat brethren--together to create a dish so delectable that it melted the icy heart of notorious food critic Anton Ego (Peter O'Toole).
4. Martha Klein, Mostly Martha (2001)
The Digest: Head chef at a gourmet eatery in Hamburg, Martha (Martina Gedeck) is so dedicated to turning out impeccable dishes that she leaves no time for relationships. But business turns pleasure--to her initial displeasure--when a new sous chef named Mario (Sergio Castellitto) turns her head and shakes up her life.
Signature Dish: She serves a rare steak you dare not call overdone.
Finest Moment: Martha learns how delicious romance can be.
5. Udo "King" Cropa, Dinner Rush (2000)
The Digest: Head chef at his family's restaurant, Udo (Edoardo Ballerini) has updated the menu and reinvented Italian cuisine to the delight of local foodies. But no matter how many gourmet groupies he gains, his gangster father (Danny Aiello) remains unimpressed.
Signature Dish: Lobster with vanilla cream sauce and a tower of fried spaghetti may sound strange, but it's a delight to the eyes and--we imagine--the taste buds.
Finest Moment: Even greater than winning an infamously tough food critic's praise is winning the respect of his dear old dad.
6. Madame Mallory, The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)
The Digest: A feisty French chef very stuck in her ways, Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren) initially seeks to destroy her competition across the road, a newly minted Indian restaurant founded by a family of refugees.
Signature Dish: Her yardstick for talent is an omelet, so you better bet no one makes one better.
Finest Moment: Mallory overlooks her culinary prejudices to see the raw talents and rare taste of budding chef Hassan (Manish Dayal).
7. Julia Child, Julie & Julia (2009)
The Digest: Before she was a TV sensation who demystified French delicacies for home cooks, Child (Meryl Streep) was a fervent food lover that dared to take her passion to Le Cordon Bleu. There this big and boisterous American broke the mold.
Signature Dish: Child’s recipe for a labor-intensive boeuf bourguignon helped earn her book deal for Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Finest Moment: She finds her bliss by being true to herself.
8. Vianne Rocher, Chocolat (2000)
The Digest: A chef dedicated to all forms of chocolate, Vianne (Juliette Binoche) loves sharing her mouthwatering treats with her quiet French village. But provincial tastes cause some bumps in business when she befriends the charming Roux (Johnny Depp).
Signature Dish: Ancient Aztec hot chocolate, a recipe more than 2,000 years old, is rich, warm and deeply delectable with a kick of chili pepper to "give you a lift."
Finest Moment: With the power of a positive attitude and display window of chocolate, she's able to convert even the town's most vehement opponent of pleasure to her sweet side.
9. Antonio Biscaglia, I Am Love (2009)
The Digest: The sensual delights of this chef's (Edoardo Gabbriellini) cooking unmoor the heartstrings of elegant wife and mother Emma Recchi (Tilda Swinton). So begins a fiery affair that will change both of their lives forever.
Signature Dish: Prawns ratatouille with a sweet and sour sauce may sound simple, but its elegant execution was not only the culinary couple's first flirtation but also a food scene so sexy that Swinton described it to New York as "prawn-ography."
Finest Moment: The sultry chef shows his love to Emma by preparing a treasured dish from her childhood, the Russian fish soup ukha.
10. Mr. Chu, Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)
The Digest: Once a respected master of Chinese cuisine, Mr. Chu (Sihung Lung) has lost his lust for life and his sense of taste in the wake of his wife's death. However, his loveless days--and those of his three single daughters--could come to an end thanks to Sunday dinners full of traditional food and family support.
Signature Dish: Over 100 recipes were employed in this Ang Lee classic, but Chu's Peking duck looks so good you can almost taste it.
Finest Moment: After opening himself up to love and life once more, Chu discovers while slurping his daughter's dedicatedly prepared soup that he can taste again!
Burnt opens October 23.
