To some extent these developments may reflect a search for refuge. "Food is that thing that people retreat to for comfort and safety," said Lisa Shotland, an agent in the Creative Artists Agency's lifestyle group, "and in these uncertain times that just becomes more and more the norm."
Or it may be that the chef has become "the new rock star," as Denise Di Novi, the producer of The Food of Love, maintains.
"The qualities that make a man sexy have expanded beyond traditional male roles," she said. "Great chefs embody the things that make all great artists appealing, in that they're creative, committed and passionate."
Whatever the source of the impulse, American studios are clearly out to challenge the notion that great food films have to be imported, though it usually worked that way in the past.
If the sudden confluence of food-oriented movies begins to sound like a glut, that shouldn't be too surprising, given the subject matter.
"The gorging of food is very American," Perry, the producer of All You Can Eat, said in reference to his own film. "What we've done is tap into that weird relationship we all have with food and yet make it both funny and heartfelt."
And when it comes to food as entertainment, the saturation point is likely still in the future, said Shotland of Creative Artists: "Every time I think it can't get hotter, it gets hotter."
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