THE CHICKEN, THE FISH AND THE KING CRAB

• Jesús Almagro
• Pedro Larumbe
• Sven Erik Renaa
• Serge Vieira
• Alberto Chicote
• Juan Mari Arzak

The Bocuse d’Or, considered as the unofficial cooking world championship, takes place in the city of Lyon on odd-numbered years. In 2007, Spain was represented by chef Jesús Almagro, who was to present three dishes based on the three ingredients of the film’s title; Norwegian halibut, French Bresse capon and Arctic king crab. This documentary by José Luis López-Linares follows the chef’s complex elaboration process, the advice offered by some great figures of Spanish gastronomy (including the famous Arzak), visits the places of origin of each product and, lastly, shows the development of the event, presented as a great bonfire of vanities. Since the film follows an unfolding process, with no possibility of predicting what will transpire, what started out as a gastronomy documentary ends up becoming a thriller, along the lines of classic film noir, including a tormented hero who is overcome by circumstances, having to fight against everything and everyone, even himself, in a struggle not to succeed but to survive.

Jesus Almagro was a happy man when awarded Spain’s National Award as Best Cook 2007. His next challenge was to compete for the World Championship, the Bocuse d’Or… He thought he was up to the challenge, that preparing it was just a matter of time and skills.

He was definitively not ready for what lied ahead.

‘The Chicken, the fish and the king crab‘ is the story of a big challenge to fulfil a dream, a tale of hopes and expectations, and of crude and harsh realities, a rather funny, thrilling and compassionate journey towards greatness and self respect, the first ever gastronomic thriller.