By Adam Rabiner
Soul of a Banquet is a warm tribute to Cecilia Chiang, whose San Francisco restaurant, The Mandarin, is widely considered to have introduced authentic Chinese cuisine to Americans. Until then, most Chinese restaurants were in various Chinatowns and served egg foo young and chop suey, Americanized versions of Chinese food, prepared by ordinary folk from the peasant tradition who were nostalgic for home-cooked food but were not chefs. The Mandarin, which opened in 1961, served real Chinese food and was located outside San Francisco’s Chinatown. Chiang wanted not just to feed people but also to educate them about why certain courses are served in a particular order. She wanted customers to understand their textures, colors, seasonality, portion size, history and health benefits. She is to Chinese cuisine what Julia Child is to French cooking.
If Child was something of an aristocrat, so too was Chiang. Ruth Reichl describes her as “one of the last of an old school.” Born in 1920, she grew up in Chinese splendor in a big house with a large family. In contrast to traditional family roles, her mother was strict, and her father was open and modern. While her mother’s feet were bound, her father would not allow this for his daughters. Though her mother had a “fist of iron,” Chiang and her siblings were college-educated, and she had a happy childhood. Forbidden from entering the kitchen, she learned about food at her father’s table, where typically alone, he ate six to eight dishes prepared by his wife. But he would allow Chiang and her siblings a sip of vermouth, French wine, Chinese wine, Champagne and nibbles of the food. She was taught about flavors, tastes and pairings and developed locked-in memories. Her goal with The Mandarin was to introduce this great food from the great house, prepared by classically trained chefs.
She came to think of The Mandarin as her fate and had to make it a success.
Chiang’s career was practically an accident. She had arrived in America on a three-month visa and lent some money to restaurant people. When they backed out of the deal, she was left holding the bag, and her whole life changed. She came to think of The Mandarin as her fate and had to make it a success.
The first half of Soul of a Banquet is about soul. Here, Chiang—in conversation with her close friend Alice Waters—discusses her upbringing, memories of pre-communist China, career, hard work, optimism and desire to seize opportunities and not be pushed around by fate. Perhaps this was to some degree a reaction to the sad destiny of her parents and siblings, whom she left behind in China in 1946. She would not see them again until she returned 28 years later, in 1974. By then, the Cultural Revolution was in full force, and her whole family was “broomed out the door.” Forced out of their house, both her parents had been street beggars for two years. Now her father slept on a mat on the mud floor of his damp hut. During her visit, he caught up with her, said goodbye, added that “he had nothing left to say” and then breathed his last breath. Her third sister was accused of decadence by her own daughter for enjoying opera. She was tortured and humiliated and then committed suicide. Her older brother, a university-educated intellectual, was sent to a labor camp, beaten up, made to wear an anti-revolutionary hat and forced to carry manure every day to fertilize farms. He died in the camp.
Mao’s crimes extended beyond the Chinese aristocracy and intellectuals to Chinese food itself. He took a great legacy and destroyed it. Master chefs left the country or were reeducated. There was a large gap when no Chinese chefs were being trained, and what was eaten everywhere was a subsistence stew consisting of “one big pot.” A thousand-year-old tradition came to a screaming halt.
The second half of the film is a banquet. The table has been set with context, and now there is less talk and more cooking and eating for the small group of lucky guests. Here, you will see Chiang present what she calls a very simple meal. I beg to disagree. Tune in to vicariously enjoy this one-of-a-kind feast of the eyes, if not the taste buds.
Soul of a Banquet Tuesday, June 9, 2026. A screening link will be sent to subscribers.
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Adam Rabiner lives in Ditmas Park with his wife, Dina.