Recipe for Love
6.4/10 · 2,560 ratings20141h 26mWeirdness 4/10
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The premise
An earnest, culinary school hopeful, clashes with a big shot celebrity chef when she is assigned to ghostwrite his cookbook. As they struggle to get through each recipe together, their mismatched cooking styles and misunderstood pasts threaten to send the cookbook up in flames. But after they both dig deeper into the heart of their shared passion, a romance becomes more likely to spark.
How unusual is it?
Middle of the road, with a twist — an enemies-to-lovers arc keeps it from being totally by-the-book.
Who’s in it
Alongside them
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Behind the camera
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Directed by
Written by
Wait, what?
The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.
- The 'Kitchen Knockout' challenge requires cooking chicken with licorice vines and Dulce de leche ice cream
- The reveal that the Italian chef Gio is actually from Cincinnati and fakes his accent
- Dexter's 'unvarnished' persona involves being barefoot in a garden to 'feel' the vegetables
- Lauren's ability to guess the exact weight of ingredients just by looking at them
Every trope, all in one place
Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 29 to find more movies that do the same thing.
Setting2
Time & season2
Premise1
Conflict7
Romance6
Tone & quirks3
Why we’d put this one on
Danielle Panabaker plays an earnest food tester dreaming of culinary school in Paris, assigned to ghostwrite a cookbook for an arrogant celebrity chef, Shawn Roberts. They clash over every recipe at his secluded farm before the inevitable warming-up. The kitchen details are the fun part: a challenge that demands chicken paired with licorice vines and dulce de leche ice cream, a rival chef who fakes an Italian accent but is actually from Cincinnati, and Roberts going barefoot to "feel" the vegetables. At a 6.4 it is a comfortable enemies-to-lovers cooking romance with a likable lead. Whether the cookbook, and the chemistry, survive is the whole story.
How it all plays out
Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.
Full story (spoilers)
The film opens with Lauren Hennessey, a perfectionist food tester for 'Food & Entertainment' magazine, who is disciplined for her critical 'School Lunch Confidential' column but offered a life-changing opportunity: ghostwriting a cookbook for celebrity chef Dexter Durant. Dexter is a 'bad boy' TV personality whose career is stalling due to his difficult temperament and lack of a published book. Their initial meeting is hostile; Dexter views Lauren as a 'trained monkey' of the test kitchens, while Lauren finds his TV persona obnoxious. However, Lauren earns his respect by correctly identifying the complex flavor profile of his secret chili.
As they begin working together, Dexter invites Lauren to his private farm to escape the pressures of his brand. There, Lauren sees the 'unvarnished' Dexter—a man who grows his own vegetables and cooks from the heart. He challenges her to stop relying on measurements and to cook with intuition, leading to a romantic bonding moment while making bread by hand. The conflict escalates when Lauren's sister, Nan, a network executive, reveals that the network plans to cancel Dexter's show and replace him with Gio Scapellini, a rival chef who fakes an Italian accent. Dexter eventually discovers the cancellation plans and mistakenly believes Lauren was using him to secure a $25,000 bonus for her tuition at Cordon Bleu.
Lauren attempts to mend the rift by visiting Dexter's estranged family home, where she discovers a scrapbook kept by his late father, Wyatt. The scrapbook proves his father was secretly proud of Dexter's success, healing Dexter's long-standing feelings of inadequacy. The story culminates in a 'Kitchen Knockout' competition where Dexter and Lauren must face off against Gio. They are forced to use 'twist' ingredients—licorice, ice cream, and chicken—to create a gourmet dish. By combining Lauren's technical skill with Dexter's soulful approach, they win the competition and expose Gio's lack of talent. In the end, the cookbook is a success, and though Lauren leaves for Paris to follow her dream, Dexter surprises her at a Parisian cafe, having taken a sabbatical to be with her.
Beat by beat
Opening
Lauren is assigned to ghostwrite a cookbook for the difficult celebrity chef Dexter Durant to earn a $25,000 bonus for culinary school.
Midpoint
Lauren and Dexter bond at his private farm, where he teaches her to cook with her heart rather than just following recipes.
Midpoint
Lauren discovers the network plans to cancel Dexter's show and replace him with the rival chef Gio Scapellini.
Climax
Dexter and Lauren reconcile and team up for the 'Kitchen Knockout' competition, winning with a bizarre chicken dish made of licorice and ice cream.
Resolution
The cookbook is published with Lauren's name on the cover, and Dexter follows her to Paris to continue their relationship.
29 tropes in one movie
We counted 29 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.
The backstory
- Music by Peter Allen.
How it stacks up
Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.
Higher-rated than 46% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.
Where this one fits
The corners of the catalog Recipe for Love belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.
Lines worth quoting
The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.
“Throw caution to the wind.”
— Dexter DurantReferring to his signature cocktail and his philosophy on life. “Culinary school can teach you everything but a real chef cooks from the heart.”
— Dexter DurantTeaching Lauren to cook without using a scale. “Gio Scapellini is just a confection... He's from Cincinnati, not Sicily.”
— Lauren HennesseyExposing the rival chef's fake persona.
Meet the characters
Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.
Lauren Hennessey
LeadFood Tester and Ghostwriter
PerfectionistAmbitiousAnalyticalTalentedDexter Durant
Love interestCelebrity Chef
Writing partner and romantic interest
ArrogantSensitiveAuthenticPassionateGio Scapellini
AntagonistChef
Professional rival
FraudulentAmbitiousArrogantNan
SupportingNetwork VP of Marketing
Sister
CorporateProtectivePragmatic
Questions people ask about Recipe for Love
Where can I watch Recipe for Love?
Recipe for Love is available via fuboTV, YouTube TV, and Philo. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.
How long is Recipe for Love?
Recipe for Love runs about 1 hour and 26 minutes, and was released in 2014.
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Curated by the Talking Hallmark team.Last updated .