By Adam Rabiner
Plow to Plate is very proud to present next month King Georges whose theatrical release in cinemas was on February 26th. King Georges is not the usual food we serve up; there’s little in the way of pedagogy. Rather, in tune with a time when the Cooking Channel can boast a plethora of highly rated shows hosted by celebrity chefs such as Bobby Flay and Anthony Bourdain, this documentary is a portrait of a singular chef, French expatriate George Perrier, and his acclaimed Philadelphia restaurant, Le Bec-Fin, which until it closed in 2013, was for forty years one of the great French restaurants – to Philly what Lutece had been to New York City.
But this documentary is, after all, being brought to you by the Safe Food Committee, so we’d be remiss not to provide a degree of educational content. Therefore, heed this warning. If you are considering moving to Philadelphia to apprentice yourself to a famed, now retired, master chef with Gallic roots, think twice and consider yourself forewarned. Yes, George Perrier is every bit as charismatic as Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsey. Let’s just say that he is easier to take on a television or movie screen, than in person.
Perrier is a workaholic. His restaurant is his mistress, his ex-wife scolded him, wondering why he even married her. He agreed. He’s a perfectionist, driving himself as hard, if not harder, than his often beleaguered staff. “I’m a cobbler,” he frequently whispers to confused customers as he mops up a flooded basement or performs some other debasing chore. Many of those who work for him fear his fierce temper and salty tirades (he and others throw the F bomb with abandon), avert their eyes, and shake their heads in glum resignation. Yet understudy, Nicolas Elmi, has figured Perrier out and knows how to handle him. In their rare calmer moments, they are genuinely affectionate friends.
King Georges is more than just a character study. It is also about, Le Bec-Fin, the restaurant business, and the challenges of staying at the top of one’s game for four decades. Eating at Le Bec-Fin was not a casual night out. The decor was Versailles fancy with an expansive wood paneled dining room lighted by ornate and expensive chandeliers. Wait staff were uniformed and diners wore their Sunday best. Food was delivered to tables on covered silver platters. Prices were high. Over the years, as this type of haute cuisine and dining experience became increasingly passé, the business suffered. Elmi does his best to contemporize the menu, cut back somewhat on the rich cream and butter (Perrier often sneaks in an extra dollop anyway) but the unalterable dining room sets the tone and Elmi acknowledges that many of his contemporaries are simply too intimidated by the décor to eat there. In 2014 Elmi won Top Chef and used his $140,000 prize money to open Laurel, an informal, BYO French/American restaurant.
After closing up Le-Bec Fin, Perrier, who cannot remain still for long, busies himself by helping Elmi concoct the perfect galette and collaborating with other Philadelphia restaurateurs. He’s single again, except for his precious poodle Isabella. But he seems more relaxed and is breathing deeper. Le Bec-Fin is now just a happy memory for some. But Perrier inspired and influenced a new generation of cooks. He’s left his mark on American cuisine. He is, in his own words, indeed a “lucky cobbler.”
Plow to Plate is very proud to present next month King Georges whose theatrical release in cinemas was on February 26th. King Georges is not the usual food we serve up; there’s little in the way of pedagogy. Rather, in tune with a time when the Cooking Channel can boast a plethora of highly rated shows hosted by celebrity chefs such as Bobby Flay and Anthony Bourdain, this documentary is a portrait of a singular chef, French expatriate George Perrier, and his acclaimed Philadelphia restaurant, Le Bec-Fin, which until it closed in 2013, was for forty years one of the great French restaurants – to Philly what Lutece had been to New York City.
But this documentary is, after all, being brought to you by the Safe Food Committee, so we’d be remiss not to provide a degree of educational content. Therefore, heed this warning. If you are considering moving to Philadelphia to apprentice yourself to a famed, now retired, master chef with Gallic roots, think twice and consider yourself forewarned. Yes, George Perrier is every bit as charismatic as Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsey. Let’s just say that he is easier to take on a television or movie screen, than in person.
Perrier is a workaholic. His restaurant is his mistress, his ex-wife scolded him, wondering why he even married her. He agreed. He’s a perfectionist, driving himself as hard, if not harder, than his often beleaguered staff. “I’m a cobbler,” he frequently whispers to confused customers as he mops up a flooded basement or performs some other debasing chore. Many of those who work for him fear his fierce temper and salty tirades (he and others throw the F bomb with abandon), avert their eyes, and shake their heads in glum resignation. Yet understudy, Nicolas Elmi, has figured Perrier out and knows how to handle him. In their rare calmer moments, they are genuinely affectionate friends.
King Georges is more than just a character study. It is also about, Le Bec-Fin, the restaurant business, and the challenges of staying at the top of one’s game for four decades. Eating at Le Bec-Fin was not a casual night out. The decor was Versailles fancy with an expansive wood paneled dining room lighted by ornate and expensive chandeliers. Wait staff were uniformed and diners wore their Sunday best. Food was delivered to tables on covered silver platters. Prices were high. Over the years, as this type of haute cuisine and dining experience became increasingly passé, the business suffered. Elmi does his best to contemporize the menu, cut back somewhat on the rich cream and butter (Perrier often sneaks in an extra dollop anyway) but the unalterable dining room sets the tone and Elmi acknowledges that many of his contemporaries are simply too intimidated by the décor to eat there. In 2014 Elmi won Top Chef and used his $140,000 prize money to open Laurel, an informal, BYO French/American restaurant.
After closing up Le-Bec Fin, Perrier, who cannot remain still for long, busies himself by helping Elmi concoct the perfect galette and collaborating with other Philadelphia restaurateurs. He’s single again, except for his precious poodle Isabella. But he seems more relaxed and is breathing deeper. Le Bec-Fin is now just a happy memory for some. But Perrier inspired and influenced a new generation of cooks. He’s left his mark on American cuisine. He is, in his own words, indeed a “lucky cobbler.”