Deliver the Dish
YaelEinsteinPenpusher
When a non-verbal young chef learns that her signature dish has been ripped off by a rival, she must win over a new elite clientele with her intuitive understanding of flavour and micro-dosing.
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When a non-verbal young chef learns that her signature dish has been ripped off by a rival, she must win over a new elite clientele with her intuitive understanding of flavour and micro-dosing.
Intention: win over a new elite clientele.
Obstacle: ?
When a struggling chef finds out her ex-boyfriend has stolen her signature dish and opened a successful restaurant next door, she sets out to beat him at his own game.
(by presumably winning over the new elite clientele with her intuitive understanding of flavour and micro-dosing. Meanwhile – the ex boyfriend can be revealed to be a hack chef/incredible salesman which is the opposite to her non-verbal/perhaps not good with people, etc.
I don’t know if the logline I came up with conveys any of that but these are just ideas.
I made them both restauranteurs to add stakes. Her livelihood is on the line. Perhaps the livelihood of friends/co-workers/family members as well?
Again – these are just ideas to get that ball rolling.
Good luck!
I like the ex-boyfriend addition. It makes the conflict more personal.
How about:
When a young chef loses a catering job because her ex-fiancé stole her signature dish, she must create a new Michelin star-worthy dish before both their restaurants are reviewed at the end of the month, even if her methods aren’t entirely legal.
Hmm.. I like the “reviewed at the end of the month” as it adds a ticking clock (great for loglines). It also gives her a very specific goal. It’s good to make sure everything is on the line and the stakes are high. Make sure her restaurant closes down/she loses her job or something if she doesn’t come up with the star-worthy dish.
You probably don’t need “even if her methods aren’t entirely legal” – not for the logline.
So that’s…
Intention: must create Michelin star-worthy dish.
Obstacles: ? ex-fiance (who we innately think must be creep and will stop at nothing because he steals signature dishes.)
When her successful restauranteur ex-fiance steals her signature dish, a struggling chef must create a new Michelin star-worthy dish before both restaurants are reviewed at the end of the month.
“Loses her catering job” and “young” are fine for the plot/outline but not sure about for the logline. “Struggling” should suffice.
Why is the fact that she’s non-verbal relevant to the story? What are you trying to say by having her be non-verbal?
I don’t think knowing that she has an intuitive understanding of flavours etc is important in the logline. She’s a chef, that’s what she does. It’s like telling us that a successful actor is good at acting. I’m making an assumption that she’s good at what she does since she has a signature dish and she is a chef. That suggests talent. I could be wrong however.
Agree with the other comments re: stakes. You said “her unique methods are also illegal” – I’d be a little careful. If your protagonist, in order to achieve her goal, takes a morally ambiguous path, there’s a chance the audience will become unsympathetic. It would be better if her rival uses these methods and always wins and in the end, our protagonist is victorious without having to resort to sinking to murky depths.
Hope this helps in some way.
I would dumb down “micro-dosing”. Also, the way you phrased it, the new clientele are not being competed for, since the rival might be happy with the old clientele? I’d probably suggest she’s “competing for” them if she is. And yeah, what dpg said…there are no stakes. It could be something as straightforward as “or be forced to find a new career”.
Again: what are the stakes? She must win over a new elite — or else.
And what is the obstacle that stands in her way? If she’s already established her reputation with one smash hit, what’s so hard about winning her clientele back , or a building a new one, with another dish?
Yes, definitely lacking stakes.
The stakes could come from a bet that she’s made with her rival to make more money or gain more restaurant stars or something similar. And her unique methods may help her win the bet but are also illegal so they could get her into even more trouble.