The president of the French republic calls on a cook to help him rediscover French regional cooking.

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Hortense Laborie (Catherine Frot), an exceptional cook, is summoned from the deepest countryside to the prestigious Elysée Palace in Paris. Recommended by a top chef, she is assigned to prepare the meals of France's executive office; the president of the republic (Jean D'Ormesson) wants to rediscover simple tastes in the dishes of France. Hortense's challenge is to surprise him at every meal, which will be served in white gloves on bone china with silver settings. This experience will stay with her for a long time: a few years later, isolated on an archipelago, Hortense feeds a team of technicians on a one-year mission with the same zeal as when she officiated within the labyrinth of 55 Faubourg St Honoré...

Although they are full of flavor, the scenes between Frot and D'Ormesson are too rare during this somewhat formal visit to the Elysée Palace. From protocol to routine, everything is orchestrated like an endless grand ballet, and although the introduction to this small hive of activity within the shadows of the brilliant palace is interesting, what the movie boils down to is unfortunately just a succession of mouthwatering dishes, punctuated by a story that is unfortunately far from unforgettable. Recommendation: reserve at table for when you leave the theatre - you'll be sure to be starving.