Alla Salute

Charismatic and handy with a persimmon, food presenter Nick Difino had a career that was taking off. His cooking series 'Breakfast Club', featuring vegan, vegetarian and traditional Italian dishes, had barely gone online when a most unexpected diagnosis hit: cancer. Food had already inspired his motto, "Happiness can be found everywhere...It's better if you find it at the table." But his recipe now had to guide the shell-shocked Difino on a deeper search for meaning.Part interview, part cooking lesson, part road trip, Alla Salute seeks out interviewing five famous Italian chefs, poet and philosopher (friends of Nick) to share their thoughts about life's greater purpose— while they cook the dishes their dear friend craves, but he can't eat because of the therapies. Combining their culinary demonstrations with Difino's video diary of cancer treatment, the film asks whether a person can be truly happy despite being gravely ill. Somewhere between plates of eggplant parmesan and golden panzerotti with wild broccoli, filmmaker Brunella Filì turns up unexpected answers.