Karen Dudley, Goddess of the kitchen – Plett Food Film Fest!
Karen will be entertaining Plett with her witty sense of humour and her ever-popular Love Sandwiches for a cocktail of fun on 9 July during the festival’s opening night and the film premier of Big Night.
Delighted fans will also have an opportunity to meet Karen on the 10th and 11th as she mingles with guests during the other films premiered at the Plett Food Film Festival.
After travelling and cooking in the United States and Europe, Karen returned to South Africa and started her own catering business in Woodstock.
Besides being the home base for Karen’s catering operation, her acclaimed restaurant The Kitchen has become a celebrated eatery serving the gorgeous and talented patrons of Woodstock.
It is at the heart (and stomach) of a boom of creative new businesses, boutique shops and industries in the area.
And Karen is right there bringing sustenance to locals and visitors in this funky little neighbourhood, with legendary salads and her signature Love Sandwiches.
Her new venture, The Dining Room, is sure to bring patrons with forks in hand as they celebrate the joy of dining in a nostalgically retro and inviting space.
Charismatic Karen Dudley shares insight into her inspiration for the passion in her life, ‘food and cooking’, with an engaging presentation and introduction to the film, Big Night. Directed by Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci, the film’s line-up of stars is first class.
Actors include Marc Anthony, Minnie Driver, Ian Holm, Allison Janney, Isabella Rossellini, Campell Scott, Tony Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci.
Wonderfully conceived and enacted, Big Night is a period piece set in 1950s America focussing on two Italian immigrant brothers, who operate a small, failing restaurant.
Primo is the chef. He’s a perfectionist, driven mad by the unsophisticated coarseness of his American clientele.
Secondo, on the other hand, is caught up in the American dream, driven to succeed, determined to Americanize the restaurant to make it a success.
When faced with impending doom, Secondo arranges through Pascal, the owner of a big, flashy, popular restaurant down the street, to have one ‘big night’, a special dinner for Louis Prima, the jazz great, which could result in the notoriety their establishment needs to survive.
Primo begins to prepare the most incredible feast of his career, but can he bring it off?
Plett MAD – the Music, Arts and Drama Festival, is best described by many as an unforgettable experience of all things music, arts and drama – all things MAD! Visit www.pletttourism.com for the Plett MAD experience.