Off
the Menu: A Great Foodie Film
Vision
Films and Jay Silverman Productions are presenting their film
"Off the Menu" at Santa Barbara International Film
Festival this week. The charming romantic comedy about finding
love where you least expect was directed by Jay Silverman and
shot on location in New Mexico. This enticing film with its
delectable cuisine is a real celebration of the relationship
between culture and food and their power to bring people together.
After
an enjoyable evening watching this film I saw an instant connection
between "Off the Menu" and the award winning "Chocolat"
the unforgettable 2001 film which focused on tempting French
chocolate made by Juliet Binoche that becomes irresistible to
Johnny Depp. "Off the Menu" could easily be considered
the New Mexico Pepper sequel to the Binoche & Depp delicious
film.
Dania Ramirez & Santino Fontana Sharing the joy of the Chili
Actors
Dania Ramirez and Santino Fontana create their own delightful
New Mexico recipe for love, leaving the audience smiling. If
it's a happily ever ending you are seeking look no further.
The cast includes Dania Ramirez (Once Upon A Time, Devious Maids),
Santino Fontana (Frozen, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Makenzie Moss
(Steve Jobs, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation), Maria Conchita
Alonso (The Running Man, Predator 2), Kristen Dalton (The Departed,
Jack Reacher), Andrew Carter (2 Broke Girls, New Girl), and
Jen Lilley (A Dash of Love, Days of Our Lives)."We are
very proud that the CAST was over 50% female and Hispanic, which
made for a more inclusive experience and authentic story that
audiences will be sure to fall in love with," said producer
Bethany Cerrona.
The story starts when the unlikely heir to a Mexican fast food
franchise, Joel (Santino Fontana) reluctantly accepts a mission
to find new ideas for their menu in New Mexico, and he find
himself in a small, dusty town where foodies travel from all
over to salivate over the culinary treats of a local, authentic,
and feisty female chef, Javiera (Dania Ramirez). Opposites attract
in this sweet and romantic story about food, family, and love.
Off The Menu made its World Premiere at the Santa Barbara International
Film Festival on Thursday, February 1, with an encore screening
on Saturday, February 3. It will also be featured at the 2018
Santa Fe Film Festival on February 8, 2018. Off The Menu film
will be available February 6 on Digital for an SRP $4.99 - $9.99
Rent or Buy across all platforms and to Buy on DVD.
Dania Ramirez share her chili garden with Santino Fontana
"When
my team and I began developing Off The Menu, I was inspired
by Michael Pollan's novel The Omnivore's Dilemma to show how
huge a role food plays in all our lives," says director
and executive producer Jay Silverman. "Joel's family owns
one of America's largest fast-food chains, while Chef Javiera
has a farm-to-table approach to her melt-in-your-mouth-good
cooking. This cultural detail was central to our story, and
enabled our characters romantic journey to begin".
I
found it so interesting that the incredable food preparation
and film set-ups were done by Silverman's eldest daughter Chef
Clara, a talented chef who is a graduate of Johnson Wales Culinary
School, and the viewing of these dishes in theirfilm could easily
be cause for a quick trip to Doc's Restaurant in Taos for an
authentic New Mexican chili dinner. Give yourself a wonderful
foodie escape and see this film as soon as possible.
Ole'
https://www.offthemenuthemovie.com/
Pre-order
Off The Menu Amazon - http://bit.ly/OtM-AmazonDVD
By Bonnie Carroll
About Bonnie Carroll
Bonnie Carroll has been a food/travel/lifestyle writer since
1983. She is the founder & publisher of Bonnie Carroll's
Life Bites News - www.lifebitesnews.com,
does travel and food reporting on KZSB1290 radio, and contributes
to a variety of national and international travel/lifestyle
publications. Her first children's book C.C. Charles was published
in 2002 and she is currently working on a second book. Contact
her at Contact her at writebc@aol.com.