Insatiable: The Homaro Cantu Story

Filmmaker Brett A. Schwartz's documentary focuses on the career of Homaro Cantu, the self-described “molecular gastronomer” whose aggressive mix of offbeat culinary concoctions and self-promotion made him a celebrity chef. Cantu's Chicago-based restaurants Moto and iNG showcased innovative concepts that blended his love of science with a subversive sense of humor (most notably his edible menus). Cantu also became a TV celebrity, thanks to attention-getting antics such as using a laser and liquid nitrogen in his food preparation. But Cantu was more than a brainy jokester: his efforts to promote the so-called “magic berry” as an alternative to refined sugar began in research to help a chemotherapy patient regain a lost sense of taste. Cantu's rise to prominence was tragically short-lived—following a series of business difficulties, the 38-year-old committed suicide by hanging in a building he was renovating. The film features flashbacks to Cantu's tumultuous childhood, where he was shuffled between a drug-addicted mother and an alcoholic father before finding his life's purpose via a part-time job cooking at a fast-food eatery. In his interviews and media appearances, Cantu comes across as intensive and almost humorless, but there is no doubt that he was an innovative creator who dared to challenge the status quo, and his work is deserving of this fine tribute. Recommended. Aud: P. (P. Hall)