FOOD FOR THOUGHT

FOOD FOR THOUGHT is a streaming series concept that blends the iconic masterpieces of a classic literary author with the talents of a major chef. 

Will the millions who enjoy the classics in books and films and those who love contemporary cooking shows find interest in a streaming series that intermingles and is devoted to both subjects?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT is an original streaming series ocncept (six programs per year) bringing together famous contemporary chefs and the classic or popular world literature that connects them with the authors, and becomes an inspiration for their own art.

In each episode a well-known chef creates an inspired dinner based on the chef’s influences and impressions from the life and works of a classic (or current) author.

The experts (historians and biographers) and guests (film personalities, popular writers) interviewed for the program attend a special meal made by the selected chef to discuss the author, their personal interest and involvement, and of course, the chef’s dinner and his or her reasoning for creating the special meal.

Here's a basic sizzle related to the English market.

JANE AUSTEN...FOOD FOR THOUGHT_HESTON BLUMENTHAL COOKING FOR JANE AUSTEN from sarasotafringefilms on Vimeo.

The series features well-known works of the author and the popular foods of that era, along with a brief biography of the chef and his or her philosophies and current activities.

These elements all come together as the chef creates a special meal based on his or her impressions of the author. The feast is shared at an event with key personalities invited to participate.

Here is a Sizzle for the North American version...again, a bit different.

MARK TWAIN..."FOOD FOR THOUGHT" CHEF DAN BARBER COOKING FOR MARK TWAIN from sarasotafringefilms on Vimeo.

Here's a French Sizzle...ENGLISH TITLED VERSION

FOOD FOR THOUGHT_MARCEL PROUST_ENGLISH VERSION of French Series from sarasotafringefilms on Vimeo.

NEW FRENCH MARCEL PROUST....FOOD FOR THOUGHT_VF_1080 from sarasotafringefilms on Vimeo.

All three sizzles reflect the multiple approaches and attitudes this Series might have, depending on Network. The multi-focus is Food, Literature, History and Cinema.

This series concept has been created by Patrick Nagle and Catherine O'Sullivan Shorr. Ester Davis has brought ot us the idea of Jane Austen! 

Patrick Nagle

Patrick has his MBA from NYU and spent the first 25 years of his professional career building and managing a boutique advertising agency, Patrick Nagle Inc.. Based in New York's SOHO district, the group worked for most of America’s blue-chip corporations, and, along the way, produced hundreds of commercials, events and special projects.   

In the early 90’s Patrick sold the agency and formed Planet Group Entertainment to focus on series and documentary films for international television. Planet Group's first major project, produced in association with Reuters Television in London, was called "Planet Fashion". Over four-hundred episodes were produced and the show reached well over 75 International TV markets. 

Today, 2023, the company makes a few documentaries each year and distributes its library of over 500 hours of films. The company also publishes books and creates ideas for streaming programs like “Food For Thought” to market to appropriate networks and production companies.

 

Ester Davies

For the past twenty-five years Ester Davies has worked as a food and nutrition consultant in a variety of media including publishing, radio, television, and latterly her website - Jane Austen Detectives. www.janeaustendetectives.co.uk

She has written a weekly food column for the Australian newspaper, 'The Age - East ', and acted as a nutritional consultant and editor to publishing houses, Hatchette Books and BWR. In the midst of this, Ester successfully had two books published, ' A Basic Encyclopaedia of Food' and 'The Student Cookbook - Healthy Eating the Essential Guide', aimed mainly for schools and universities.

No stranger to radio and television, Ester has been a regular presenter on BBC and commercial radio and a feature presenter on ITV's re-vamped 'Houseparty' and Channel 5's 'Espresso' programmes. Ester's interest in television production inspired her to create and develop the children's television programme, 'Cook It! ' in collaboration with Morley Williams and Minotaur International.

The breadth of Ester's educational role has extended to colleges, prisons, charitable organisations and has included training Michelin-star chefs in the world renowned Chewton Glen Hotel. For the past six years, her work has evolved around Chawton House Library and Southampton University building upon the work of Jane Austen and her link to The Knight Family Cookbook (1794).

Discovering Austen's connection to food, inspired Ester to develop a television programme concept that would explore of one of Britain's greatest female authors and to incorporate and gain further insight into other authors worldwide.

Catherine O'Sullivan Shorr

Catherine (also credited as Catherine Shorr) is an award-winning writer, film/sound editor and documentary filmmaker involved in the film and television industry for over thirty years, working with producers, directors and editors such as John Huston and Rudi Fehr on Prizzi’s Honor, Norman Jewison on A Soldier’s Story, John McTiernan on Predator, Wes Craven on Shocker, Jacques Dorfman on Shadow of the Wolf, Joel Silver on Die Hard (received an Oscar nomination with Richard Shorr) and Gérard Corbiau on Farinelli (received a César with Shorr).  She also received an Emmy for editorial work on The Day After for ABC.

O’Sullivan attended St. Lawrence University, and is an alumna of Universidad de las Americas, Mexico City.  She later attended the London Film School while working at Shepperton Studios in the United Kingdom. 

She has published articles and stories in the Los Angeles Times, The L.A. Reader, Buzz Magazine, Libido, Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, The New York Press, Paris Magazine, and L’Originel, Metaphysique et Avant-Garde, Paris, France as well as being a writer and interviewer on ‘Planet Fashion’ and ‘Planet Rock’ for Reuters Television, in London.  She has also won best fiction awards at, among other venues, the Santa Barbara Writers Conference.  A collection of her interrelated short stories, entitled, ‘Waiting for the Big One’ has been optioned for development by Planet Group Entertainment.

As a script doctor, O’Sullivan worked on numerous screenplays, including: La piste de l'aigle (Galatée films, prod. Jacques Perrin, Yvette Mallet, Paris), ‘The Magic Chess Player’ (an historic drama, for Made in Europe Productions, Paris), Hemingway’s ‘The Fifth Column’ (Planet Group Entertainment/Esparza-Katz Productions, Los Angeles), ‘Game One’ (Tony Roman Productions, Montreal, Quebec) and co-wrote (with Norman Spinrad) the film treatment of Druid–The Legend of Vercingétorix (Jacques Dorfmann, Eiffel Productions, Paris).

O’Sullivan, with partner Patrick Nagle of Planet Group Entertainment, has produced numerous documentaries on writers such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, William Burroughs, and Edgar Rice Burroughs, and artists such as Frida Kahlo, Botero, and Andy Warhol, among other projects.  Her three hour series, Andy Warhol’s Factory People was produced for France Television 4 and broadcast in the U.S. on Ovation Television.  The series has been shown in over 50 territories and sold to over 400 universities worldwide.  She recently completed a subsequent manuscript, also entitled Andy Warhol’s Factory People, which brings more to light about Warhol and the Factory and the New York City scene in the Sixties.  

She is presently developing, with Planet Group Entertainment, a pilot for a dramatic series based on 50 hours of interviews with former members of Warhol’s ‘Factory Family’.    

Planet Group Entertainment is interested in developing and producing the FOOD FOR THOUGHT series in association with an international production company and/or networks related country by country.

For more information please contact nagle.patrick@gmail.com