About Food:

Top chef Frank Byrne has one ambition in life – to win the coveted third Michelin star for his restaurant.  When he finally gets it, he becomes a world celebrity, adored and scrutinized by the media.  But reaching the top comes at a price...

Set in the turbulent world of celebrity chefs, Food is a journey inside a man’s mind.  It explores the compulsive nature of perfectionism and the sacrifices we make to realise our dreams. 
When you aim high, you've only got further to fall.

Press:

'Heimann's production - for a cast of five that often seems twice as numerous - is so brilliantly ingenious, so devoid of time-wasting naturalistic clutter, and so physically eloquent, that it sometimes takes the breath away. And in Sean Campion's hugely gifted but desperately vulnerable Frank, this production boasts the kind of brilliant, fully fledged leading performance of which most Fringe companies can but dream.'
Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman **** (Fringe First winner)

'...I yearned for more piquant fare. I finally found it in Food... the show is as fast and furious as a knife at chopping-board, and fizzes with physical invention... The ideal purgative for those who've suffered too much theatrical pretension.'
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph

'[The show's] real pleasure lies in the way that it melds the textual and the physical, particularly in the first 30 minutes. It has intelligence as well as beauty. It broadens its scope way beyond an everyday story of celebrity chefs into a thoughtful consideration of the pitfalls and pratfalls of perfectionism. There are fine, agile performances from all the cast, who between them take on many roles, and a fabulous one from Sean Campion as the driven but self-doubting Frank.'
Lyn Gardner, The Guardian **** (also Pick of the Day)

'...This is a question Heimann's restlessly well-drilled firecracker of a production asks with a relentless brio that is instantly recognizable to anyone whose life / work balance is seriously out of whack. With Sean Campion giving a hauntingly beautiful star turn as a man on the edge, Horwood and Heimann have kicked up a worrying whirlwind on the state of, not just celebrity, but of ambition and the emotional need that fuels it.'
Neil Cooper, The Herald **** (also Pick of the Day)

'There's no lack of heat in the kitchen of this sharp, funny and wonderfully exuberant new play, Food, devised and presented by theimaginarybody theatre company... With its fast-paced, visually driven narrative, energetically acted by a fine ensemble company, Food slips down easily.'
Lynne Walker, The Independent ****

'Sean Campion [gives] a riveting central performance... The sharp script and eloquent physical vignettes by the cast of five skilfully evoke the rigid regimes and hierarchies of professional kitchens.'
Veronica Lee, Evening Standard

'The well-drilled ensemble cast employ a slick, highly enjoyable visual language that blends heightened physical movement with sparkly dialogue... Joel Horwood and Christopher Heimann's tangy script fizzes with wit... Plenty of tantalising flavours.'
Claire Alfree, Metro

The Sunday Times ****

Skinnyfest ****

The List ****



The first production of Food was supported by The Peggy Ramsay Foundation, New Greenham Arts, Sparknow Ltd and Living Pictures.

The development of Food was supported by Battersea Arts Centre, Traverse Theatre, Young Vic Theatre Company, The Actors Centre, and Arts Council England.