The Hundred-foot Journey

A middle-aged chef, Hassan Haji, recounts his life’s journey, from hisfamily’s modest restaurant in Mumbai to his elegant restaurant inParis where he has conquered the insular world of French hautecuisine. A tragedy at home in Mumbai pushes Hassan’s boisterous familyinto a picaresque journey across Europe, where they ultimately settleopposite a famous chef, Madam Mallory, in the remote French village ofLumiere. After a series of hilarious cultural mishaps, the grandFrench chef discovers, much to her horror, that the young boy cookingin the cheap Indian restaurant across the way is a chef with naturaltalents far superior to her own. A culinary war ensues, full of plottwists, pitting Hassan’s Mumbai-toughened father against the imperiousMadam Mallory, a battle royale that finally reveals to young Hassanhis true destiny in life. Full of eccentric characters, vividsettings, and delicious meals, Hassan’s charming tale lays bare theinner workings of the elite world of French haute cuisine. In theprocess, however, Hassan also discovers a truism that bedevils any manwho has gone out into the world to make his mark: the true costs ofrising to the top are only revealed later in life.