‘Bitter Feast’ and sleepless nights for Mario Batali

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Here’s a sneak peek at what’s coming in this week’s Food section:

Gina McIntyre interviews Mario Batali, the chef who turns up in a cameo role in the new low-budget satirical horror film ‘Bitter Feast,’ which was designed by writer-director and self-professed foodie Joe Maggio to send up the contemporary culinary culture. The movie, which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June and heads to DVD this week, tells the story of Peter Gray (James LeGros), the chef at a new American eatery called Feast, who abducts a food blogger after he publishes a rumor that Gray’s television show is about to be canceled.

Despite the untold hours that Batali had spent in front of the camera, he said he was quite nervous about acting — he’s much more comfortable being himself on screen. ‘Generally, when I’m doing my shows, it’s completely improvised so there’s no way I can mess it up,’ he said. ‘The idea of having to nail three lines and eye contact and blocking and everything petrified me. For two days, I didn’t sleep.’

Read more: ‘Mario Batali: chef, movie star.’

-- Gina McIntyre