Epic Chef is a new challenge for me. You know. Since it’s a brand new game. And a game that features some of my favorite past-time: Cooking. But at the same time, it’s an opportunity for me to introduce a mix of old and new movies along with the game. Indeed. Every single one of the movies featured in this article has a chef (real or fictitious) that’s passionate about the art of cooking.
But the truth is so am I. Which is why I relish indulging in games like Epic Chef. I love cooking so much that just last year I cooked a couple of recopies from the Elder Scrolls cookbook I got as a present for my birthday. Check out my culinary adventures here and here.
But I’m here about Epic Chef. And the amazing chef-inspired movies I mentioned earlier. Sure I’ll get to them in a second, but first I believe a word or two about the game itself is in order.
What’s Epic Chef All About?
Developed by Infinigon Games and published by Team17, Epic Chef is a story-driven adventure game flavored with life-sim farming, and crafting elements. They’re blended together into one delicious dish via an interactive cooking experience. All served with a side of humor and an elaborate cast of characters inspired by classics. Such as Mister Ajikko, or the writing of Sir Terry Pratchett. So, grab your spatula and start on your journey to becoming… Epic Chef!
And don’t forget. In Epic Chef you will combine ingredients, stirring and tossing with culinary precision. All in order to bring out the flavor elements of Vigor, Sophistication and Spirit in your dishes.
So, take on bitter rival chefs in epic culinary clashes to see who is crowned cooking king of Ambrosia! Furthermore, you can live off your land by growing foods such as fruit and vegetables. Not to mention gather resources to craft specialized machinery that can process your ingredients further.
Welcome to Ambrosia. A place of gastronomic delight and agriculture wonder, renowned the world over. You are free to explore all that Ambrosia has to offer. From winding narrow streets to lush green fields. From quaint restaurants to bustling taverns. All full to the brim with ‘friendly’ locals eager to meet you.
Hurry up then. Epic Chef is currently on sale here at IndieGala. Don’t miss out on this amazing game. And if you’re not a fan of Epic Chef, then we have plenty of other cooking games you can choose from. The Overcooked series is one of our finest. Get it here. And so is Cook, Serve, Delicious! Check it out here.
But What Are Some Of The Steam Comments Saying About The Game?
* If you’ve read this review you’ve wasted your time! you should be playing this game damnit! now bugger off and enjoy some time in ambrosia! I need to sleep so I can play this some more… says aurondenengrad in his Steam comment.
*While Buddha adds: Loving this Epic game so far!! Really funny and a great game all around.
And Which Movies Go Well With Epic Chef?
Well, we have a mix of movies that we hope will satisfy even the pickiest fans out there. We have comedies, animated movies, romantic movies and even documentaries. There are 6 movies in total on this list and we hope you’ll like them.
Julie & Julia
A movie that has 2 inspirational cooks. One famous and professional cook and the other is an amateur home cook. However, what’s great about Julie & Julia is the message that not even the great Julia Child was a great cook at the beginning of her career. No, far from it. She was just an ordinary woman who just loved to cook and taught herself how to cook. And subsequently, become one of the most influential people in the history of gastronomy. And that’s fascinating. Even the most ordinary housewife can learn how to cook just by following her recipes. That’s the case with Julie Powell (Amy Adams) and I love that. All you need is a passion to do it. The rest will come on its own. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Julia Child is played by the one and only Meryl Streep, but this is a fantastic movie for every foodie out there.
Fun fact: Nora Ephron insisted that the actors not only ate for real but also fully played how tasty the dishes were.
Chef
Speaking of foodies, let me introduce Jon Favreau. The writer/director and star of Chef. And yes. He’s chef Carl Casper in this 2014 movie. A burnout and stressed-out chef who’ll embark on a culinary journey with his son and best friend. They’ll make some fantastic food and they’ll discover something special. How it feels to fall in love with the job all over again. Without the restraints and pressures of a professional restaurant setting. But I feel that Chef is a passion project for Favreau because of something else. His love for cooking and gastronomy. And since Chef, he’s been pretty vocal about it. He even did some cool guest appearances on some famous YouTube channels because of that. Binging With Babish first comes to mind here. But if you dig deep you’ll find Jon Favreau with plenty of other YouTubers.
Fun fact: Oliver Platt’s brother is a prominent food critic in the New York City metropolitan area and has invited Oliver on some of his restaurant visits.
Ratatouille
Another great movie with a great message. Everyone can cook! That’s the motto of Chef Gusteau and that’s true about almost everyone. Everyone can cook, as long as you’d like to cook. But aside from being one of the best animated movies ever, Ratatouille has been praised for its accuracy. What accuracy you might ask? Well, about everything. How do things work in a restaurant, how competitive are chefs and how does everyone in a professional kitchen strive for perfection? But accuracy and realism go beyond that. Did you notice the burn marks on Colette’s forearm? Well, 100% of the chefs have those burn marks. And it’s fascinating that the animators really paid attention to those small details. It’s a fantastic movie and deserves to be on this list.
Fun fact: It’s chef and television personality Anthony Bourdain’s favorite food-centric movie. Chef and television personality Anthony Bourdain’s favorite food-centric movie, he said after the premiere.
Waitress
Waitress is a movie about baking, not cooking. But I feel it deserves to be on this list nonetheless. It’s centered around one lonely and unhappy waitress/baker (Keri Russel) and her creative pies that she’s baking in the tiny restaurant. Every single one of those pies channels an inner emotion and they’re delicious. Sweet and savory it doesn’t matter. She’s even famous because of them. But the reality is that the writer/director behind the movie Adrienne Shelly was a real-life amateur baker/ baking aficionado. She channeled her passion for baking and turned it into a fantastic movie. It’s a shame that she didn’t get to enjoy the fruits of her labor. She was tragically killed at the age of 40. Just a couple of months before the premiere of Waitress.
Fun fact: The idea for Dawn’s 5-minute date was inspired by Adrienne Shelly’s experience with them years earlier.
Burnt
Remember the pressures and stress of the job I mentioned earlier? Well Burnt deals with that, but with a dash of humor. And it’s the second time in Bradley Cooper’s career that he’s playing a professional chef. The first time was in Kitchen Confidential, in which he played the fictionalized version of Anthony Bourdain. But over here in Burnt, he’s Adam Jones. A burnout chef, looking for a fresh start in the restaurant business. He’s put his demons behind him and he’s also looking for a second chance. I love how the movie deals with the emotional toll of the job. How every single one of the chefs in the business is looking to achieve perfection. To become the toast of the town. It’s a highly competitive business and not that many will rise to the top. Burnt remind us of that.
Fun fact: To prepare for his role, Bradley Cooper trained alongside Clare Smyth, Executive Chef of London’s Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, which has three Michelin stars.
Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain
Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain is for every fan of the man himself. The rock-star of gastronomy and one of the most tormented men in the world. We just didn’t know about it. The documentary about Anthony Bourdain shines a light on his character, his passions and his drive to make it in the business. To tell a compelling story about his persona. Of course, it also shines a light on his insecurities, flaws and vices. He was a complicated man, but he had a passion for everything he did. At least that’s what his friends, family, colleges and acquaintances are saying in the documentary. He left a huge void with his untimely passing, but he will be remembered forever. He was truly one of a kind and he will be missed.
Fun fact: On the Dave Chang Show, director Morgan Neville revealed it was a deliberate choice for the film to have the exact same runtime as Citizen Kane, one of Bourdain’s favorite films.
Are You A Fan Of Epic Chef?
Let us know what you love the most about the game. We’d love to know all about it.
