"Like most chefs or cooks, my philosophy and approach to food and cooking closely emulates my personal life which is of chaos, anxiety, and innovation. Behind The Pass is a culmination of these stories that are reflective of my own personal journey with cooking. Everything I've experienced, bottled up, and buried for years surfaces for the first time for a viewable cinematic experience. Chaotically neutral standpoints in the documentary's introduction turn into deep personal narratives towards its conclusion and no plate is left un-cloched. 

 

For those who know me, this film might give you a deeper introspective and raw understanding of my life and the way I see cooking. However, I also wanted this to be a story about my growth. This documentary is beyond just a collection of anecdotes; it’s also my coming-of-age story. Although not explicitly stated, you can think of each “course” as a period of my life; just told through the perspective of another chef currently living in the same moment I once did. Even though the four of us all live separate lives, our stories of food are connected and being able to tell my story through the lives and personal events of other chefs and their stories is something I think only food can do.

 

As you make your way through this documentary, I encourage you to write things down you may have never thought about food, maybe a question you've always wanted to ask a chef but never could, or a sequence that reminded you of your favorite meal or moment you've had with food and the warmth it brings. This documentary serves as my final dish I serve in a professional culinary sphere and is my goodbye gift to all the memories, moments, and flavors I blossomed and innovated under. 

 

With all that being said. Thank you and please enjoy Behind The Pass" - Austin Lee