# Delicious (2021 film)
**Delicious** (French: *Délicieux*) is a 2021 French-Belgian historical comedy-drama directed by Éric Besnard, set in 1789 on the eve of the [French Revolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-revolution) and telling the story of a dismissed aristocratic chef who, with the help of a mysterious woman, opens the first restaurant in France.[1](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D26781.html) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/delicious_2021) It stars Grégory Gadebois, Isabelle Carré, and Benjamin Lavernhe, and was released in French theaters on 8 September 2021.[3](https://www.academie-cinema.org/films/delicieux/-43679/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title / year | *Délicieux*, 2021, France and Belgium[4](https://www.cinergie.be/film/delicieux) |
| Director and writers | Éric Besnard; original screenplay by Besnard and Nicolas Boukhrief[3](https://www.academie-cinema.org/films/delicieux/-43679/) |
| Runtime and release | 112 minutes; French theatrical release 8 September 2021[3](https://www.academie-cinema.org/films/delicieux/-43679/) |
| Main cast | Grégory Gadebois (Pierre Manceron), Isabelle Carré (Louise), Benjamin Lavernhe (the Duke of Chamfort), Guillaume de Tonquédec[3](https://www.academie-cinema.org/films/delicieux/-43679/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/delicious_2021) |
| Production | Nord-Ouest Films, produced by Christophe Rossignon and Philip Boëffard; distributed in France by SND[5](https://nord-ouest.com/films/d%C3%A9licieux) |
| Festival and awards | Closing film of the 2021 San Sebastián Festival (Culinary Zinema); César 2022 nominations for Best Sets and Best Costumes[6](https://www.sansebastianfestival.com/2021/sections_and_films/culinary_zinema_film_and_gastronomy/7/692035/in) • [7](https://www.artemisproductions.com/fr/films/Delicieux) |
| Critical reception | 100% Tomatometer from 19 critics and 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes; IMDb rating 7.0/10[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/delicious_2021) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10738536) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The film is set in France in 1789, shortly before the Revolution, when gastronomy is the exclusive domain of the aristocracy and the prestige of a noble house depends on the quality of its table.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/delicious_2021) • [9](https://www.filmfrance.net/films/delicieux/) Pierre Manceron, the talented but proud master cook of the Duke of Chamfort, serves one small creation of his own, baked truffles with sliced potatoes, at a dinner, and is fired for refusing to apologize for the unauthorized dish.[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10738536/plotsummary/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/delicious_2021)
Manceron retreats with his son to a regional inn in the countryside, where vegetable soup is the common meal, and swears off cooking.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/delicious_2021) A mysterious woman named Louise arrives and offers to pay to become his apprentice; her mentorship restores his passion and confidence, and the two, who share a desire for revenge against the Duke, decide to create the first restaurant in France, a place of pleasure and sharing open to all.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/delicious_2021) • [9](https://www.filmfrance.net/films/delicieux/) • [1](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D26781.html) The idea wins them clients and enemies alike.[1](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D26781.html)
## Production
Éric Besnard wrote and directed the film, his first historical comedy after genre films such as *Le Sourire du clown*, *Ca$h*, and *600 kilos d'or pur* and personal films including *Le Goût des merveilles*; he said he wanted to examine what makes up the identity of France.[1](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D26781.html) The screenplay is credited to Besnard and Nicolas Boukhrief.[3](https://www.academie-cinema.org/films/delicieux/-43679/)
**Culinary supervision.** The cooking was supervised by two chefs: Thierry Charrier, who runs the kitchens of the Quai d'Orsay, and culinary consultant Jean-Charles Karmann.[11](https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/cinema/cinema-delicieux-cote-cuisine-comment-le-premier-restaurant-est-ne-08-09-2021-BJELRVVJE5H2FDONNIOBDAPF6E.php) Isabelle Carré learned to handle a kitchen knife for her role as Louise.[11](https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/cinema/cinema-delicieux-cote-cuisine-comment-le-premier-restaurant-est-ne-08-09-2021-BJELRVVJE5H2FDONNIOBDAPF6E.php) The signature dish of the film, the eponymous "Délicieux", is a potato-based creation that Manceron serves in his restaurant with his apprentice.[11](https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/cinema/cinema-delicieux-cote-cuisine-comment-le-premier-restaurant-est-ne-08-09-2021-BJELRVVJE5H2FDONNIOBDAPF6E.php)
The crew includes cinematographer Jean-Marie Dreujou, editor Lydia Decobert, composer Christophe Julien, production designer Bertrand Seitz, and costume designer Madeleine Fontaine.[3](https://www.academie-cinema.org/films/delicieux/-43679/) • [4](https://www.cinergie.be/film/delicieux) Filming took place in the Cantal department of the [Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes](https://www.edgepedia.org/auvergne-rhone-alpes) region.[9](https://www.filmfrance.net/films/delicieux/) The film was produced by Nord-Ouest Films with co-producers including SND, France 3 Cinéma, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, RTBF, and Belgium's Artémis Productions.[5](https://nord-ouest.com/films/d%C3%A9licieux) • [4](https://www.cinergie.be/film/delicieux)
## Release and reception
The film premiered on the festival circuit in early 2021, screening at the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in January 2021 and at the Alliance Française French Film Festival in Australia in March 2021.[12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10738536/releaseinfo/) It was released in French theaters on 8 September 2021[3](https://www.academie-cinema.org/films/delicieux/-43679/) and served as the closing film of the Culinary Zinema section at the 69th San Sebastián Festival.[6](https://www.sansebastianfestival.com/2021/sections_and_films/culinary_zinema_film_and_gastronomy/7/692035/in) Samuel Goldwyn Films released it in the United States, theatrically and on VOD, on 14 January 2022.[13](https://www.samuelgoldwynfilms.com/delicious/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/delicious_2021)
**Critical response.** On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 100% Tomatometer from 19 reviews and a 91% audience score; critics singled out Dreujou's cinematography and the pairing of Gadebois and Carré.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/delicious_2021) On AlloCiné it received a press score of 3.3 out of 5 from 23 reviews and 3.7 from more than 4,600 viewer ratings.[1](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D26781.html) The César Academy nominated the film for Best Sets (Bertrand Seitz) and Best Costumes (Madeleine Fontaine) at the 2022 ceremony, and it was a laureate of the Festival International du Film Francophone de Tübingen-[Stuttgart](https://www.edgepedia.org/stuttgart) in 2021.[7](https://www.artemisproductions.com/fr/films/Delicieux)
## Place among food films
Rotten Tomatoes' food-movie guide lists *Delicious* alongside *Big Night*, *Chocolat*, and *[Babette's Feast](https://www.edgepedia.org/babettes-feast)* for its depiction of the preparation and love of fine cuisine.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/delicious_2021) The title is not unique in English-language distribution: a separate 2025 German-language thriller directed by Nele Mueller-Stöfen, also released in English as *Delicious*, is a distinct film about a wealthy German family entangled with a hotel worker during a vacation in the French countryside.[14](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/delicious)
## References
1. [Délicieux – AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D26781.html)
2. [Delicious (2021) – Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/delicious_2021)
3. [Délicieux – Académie des César](https://www.academie-cinema.org/films/delicieux/-43679/)
4. [Délicieux – Cinergie](https://www.cinergie.be/film/delicieux)
5. [Délicieux – Nord-Ouest Films](https://nord-ouest.com/films/d%C3%A9licieux)
6. [Délicieux / Delicious – San Sebastián Film Festival](https://www.sansebastianfestival.com/2021/sections_and_films/culinary_zinema_film_and_gastronomy/7/692035/in)
7. [Délicieux – Artémis Productions](https://www.artemisproductions.com/fr/films/Delicieux)
8. [Delicious – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10738536)
9. [Délicieux – Film France CNC](https://www.filmfrance.net/films/delicieux/)
10. [Delicious (2021) – Plot, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10738536/plotsummary/)
11. [Cinéma : «Délicieux» côté cuisine – Le Parisien](https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/cinema/cinema-delicieux-cote-cuisine-comment-le-premier-restaurant-est-ne-08-09-2021-BJELRVVJE5H2FDONNIOBDAPF6E.php)
12. [Delicious (2021) – Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10738536/releaseinfo/)
13. [Delicious – Samuel Goldwyn Films](https://www.samuelgoldwynfilms.com/delicious/)
14. [Delicious (2025) – Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/delicious)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2021 to 2022*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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