It’s more than just comfort food

THE STORY OF A SOUP KITCHEN AND THE SOULS IT FEEDS

Theater of Life

It had the potential to be an irony sandwich. When Expo 2015 opened in Milan, Italy, its theme was “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.” But like a lot of large events, there was a lot of leftover food that might have been thrown out at the end of each day.

The key word is “might.” Enter Massimo Bottura, whose Osteria Francescana, located about two hours south of Milan, was this year named the world’s best restaurant. He decided to create a “modern refettorio” — basically, a communal dining hall — that would serve Milan’s poor and homeless, using good food from the Expo pavilions that would otherwise have gone to waste.

Bottura invited a brigade of chefs to help out in the Refettorio Ambrosiano, including Jeremy Charles of St. John’s, and John Winter Russell from Montreal. Also in the kitchen: René Redzepi from Copenhagen, whom foodies may remember from the documentary Noma: My Perfect Storm.

Director Peter Svatek splits his time in this 94-minute film. About half of it focuses on the various chefs and their mission to feed the hungry. “Stale bread from the day before can become gold for so many people,” says Viviana Varese of Milan’s Alice Ristorante.

But the film also takes times to chronicle the refugees, addicts and other unfortunate folk who are the beneficiaries of this highclass soup kitchen. And rather than just watch them enjoying their victuals, we see them dealing with other issues faced by the urban poor — where to find shelter, jobs, etc. The attention given to their individual stories adds a welcome layer to what might otherwise be a onenote doc.

One could almost wish for more conflict — after all, what’s that adage about too many cooks? But aside from some minor sniping and squabbling — there’s a French chef who takes one of the Canadians to task for using too much sugar — everyone seems to get along.

Best of all comes the news that Refettorio Ambrosiano continues to serve the community even after the Expo ends, while Bottura moves on to the Rio Olympics and elsewhere to replicate the concept. There’s no shortage of hungry people who can benefit from such schemes. ★★★

NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA Theater of Life chronicles the high-class roster of chefs recruited to open a communal dining hall in Milan, Italy.