Benoit Magimel

'The Taste of Things,' which hopes to win an Oscar nod in January, is a sumptuous 19th century romance about a cook.

Controversy has simmered around France's entry for the Oscars, "The Taste of Things," a love letter to the country's culinary traditions but filmmaker Tran Anh Hung and star chef Pierre Gagnaire say the art of cooking is worth celebrating.