The Secret Ingredient

Posted February 15, 2020 by karenbaron in #HolidayMovie, Book to Movie, Hallmark T.V. Movie, Movie Review / 0 Comments

Format: T.V. Movie

The Secret Ingredient

Network: Hallmark

Director: Tibor Takacs

Written by: S.W. Sessions

Story by: Brigit Stacey and Cara J. Russell

Production Credit: Inferno Pictures

Plot Summary:

Bakery owner Kelly hasn’t thought about love since Andrew ended their engagement for culinary school in Paris. Now he’s back, and so is their chemistry. Unfortunately, Kelly’s still hurt and won’t see Andrew before he leaves. But little does she know that when she’s selected as a contestant on the Valentine’s Day Bake-Off, Andrew is as well. In fact, none of the contestants will meet until the final show when only two are left. Win or lose, it’ll be sad when Andrew leaves for Paris since he and Kelly have finally discovered the secret ingredient of why he should stay – love.

Cast:

Erin Cahill (Kelly McKintyre)
Brendan Penny (Andrew York)
Maneet Chauhan (Martin)
Cherissa Richards (Brenda)
Shannon Coast (Lori)
Amy Groening (Sara)
Gwynyth Walsh (Mrs. McKintyre)
Tom Anniko (Mr. McKintyre)
Chelsea Rankin (Dawn York)
Nan Fewchuck (Mrs. York)
Shannon Guile (Jennifer)
Miriam Bernstein (Chef Georgie)
Adam Hurtig (Chef Abraham)
Aidan Moreno (Chef Collins)
Garth Merkeley (Limo Driver)
Dave Brown (Chef Francios)
Cheryl Soluk (Mrs. Francis)
Paul Magel (Diner Owner)
Susan Loewen (Diane Crawford)
Ernie Pitts (Frank Wells)
Elena Howard-Scott (Miranda)
Daina Leitold (Charlotte)
Aaron Merke (Hot Dog Cart Vendor)
Erik Athavale (Floor Director)
Roo (George the Dog)

Based on the book by Nancy Naigle

Available in Kindle, Paperback and Audio

My Rating:

My Thoughts:

The Secret Ingredient is a magnificent movie that I loved. Brendan Penny, Erin Cahill, and Maneet Chauhan all did fantastic jobs.

Actors

Brendan Penny played Andrew York, and I think that he did a spectacular job of playing a pastry chef. Andrew left his hometown behind to get his education in France. I liked the way that Andrew handled Chef Francios. Brendan is fabulous in this role, and I believed that he did everything that his character was doing.

Erin Cahill played Kelly McKintyre did another marvelous job of playing a small-town bakery owner that sometimes helps out with her parent’s restaurant. Kelly has done so much in her life since Andrew left her to go to culinary school, and Kelly thought that she was done with Andrew. Well, that might not be true after hanging out with him a bit again.

Brendan and Erin’s chemistry was on point, and it was incredible to see their characters’ love unfold on the screen. These two did an excellent job of bringing their character’s romance to life for the viewers to see.

Maneet Chauhan played Martin, who is a chef and hostess of a baking show. Once I saw Maneet from Chopped on my screen for the trailer, I was hooked and had to watch it. Chef Chauhan did an incredible job in this movie, and I have to say that I can’t wait to see more from her. Let it be in another film or on Chopped once again.

Sets

The sets were fantastic, and it made my parents, and I wonder if these cooking contest shows spend that type of money to put up a few constants for these types of shows. Apparently we never really thought about that when watching a competition before. I loved the sets from the television studio where they filmed the Four Square contest show, to the little town where Kelly lived, to Kelly’s bakery, and her parent’s restaurant. Everything was perfect, and now I might have to read this book to see if it’s different from the movie. Well, one of these days perhaps.

If you haven’t seen it yet, you should. The Secret Ingredient is magnificent.