Now in its fourth year, the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival’s (SLOIFF) popular Indies + Eats series is back with new food-related independent films screened at the Palm Theatre paired with three-course prix fixe menus curated by Executive Chef Ryan Fancher at Hotel SLO’s Ox + Anchor.
Feast for the eyes, ears, and palate!
Indies + Eats pairs independent films screened at the Palm Theatre with a three-course prix fixe dinner served at Hotel SLO’s Ox + Anchor, on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays through Feb. 1. Visit hotel-slo.com/events/indies+eats to see the pairings. Call (805) 234-9968 for dinner reservations and be sure to mention Indies + Eats. Buy movie tickets at thepalmtheatre.com/tickets.
“It originally started before we were even running the [Palm Theatre],” SLOIFF Executive Director Skye McLennan explained. “We were looking for ways to have some year-round programming at the theater and do something outside of the film festival. We came up with the idea to have movies and food pairings, and we had a really good relationship with Hotel SLO. They were like, ‘We’d love to do something like that,’ and it manifested from there.”
McLennan works with the Palm Theatre’s Repertory Programmer Ryan Burr to select the films, then Fancher watches each film and constructs a menu and wine pairings inspired by what he observes.
The menu for last week’s offering, the 2023 French film The Taste of Things, included dishes the characters created in the film.
“This was an easy one because there was a ton of delicious food,” Fancher explained. “After doing some research and watching the movie, the food was so on point, so classically, technically correct. I found out that Pierre Gagnaire, one of the most famous French chefs of our time, actually consulted on the movie, and he did all the food. People want to see the food from the movie on the plate, that’s for sure. That’s one of the most important ingredients, so to speak.”
This week’s indie feature is co-writer and co-director Stanley Tucci’s 1996 film Big Night (R, 109 min.), set in 1950s New Jersey about two brothers (Tucci and Tony Shalhoub) running a struggling Italian restaurant that needs to create an evening of incredible food to compete with a rival restaurant. They hope to put their restaurant on the map by luring Italian American singer Louie Prima to dine there, attracting him with a showstopping timpano—a complicated baked pasta dish.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” Fancher said. “We passed up this movie for three years. This has been the No. 1 requested movie, and I finally have the courage this year to do that dish. That’s going to be the big challenge. I think we’re going to go small individual format on that, but we’re going to go for it. I’ve ordered some pasta from a local purveyor. We’re going to make some fresh pasta to wrap around it. We worked it all out with [Hotel SLO co-owner] Paulo [Petrone] today. I think we have a game plan, so, cross your fingers and pray for me on that one.”
Next week’s film is Holy Cow! (2024, 90 min.) from France, about an 18-year-old orphan (Clément Faveau) who, to provide for his sister, enters a Comté cheese making contest to win a 30,000 Euro prize. The evening will open with the short film The Best Chef in the World (2022, 21 min.), about famed Napa Valley restaurant The French Laundry, run by legendary chef Thomas Keller. The restaurant was founded by Sally Schmitt, and the film includes an emotional interview she gave shortly before her death in March 2022.
“She was the founder and the original chef at The French Laundry,” Fancher noted, “so for that pairing we’ll be able to do some creative stuff because I got a chance to spend some time in that kitchen. I worked at The Laundry from 2001 to 2004. Holy Cow! is more about a young kid who has lost his way, a ruffian, but it’s about a specific region in France that makes only one kind of cheese, Comté.”
He’s still working on that menu and the menu for the series’ final film, Fantastic Fungi (2019, 81 min.), a nature documentary about the fascinating world of mushrooms.
“I try not to get too far ahead of my skis on these movies because, you know, we’re all evolving and changing every day,” Fancher explained, “so the inspiration hasn’t quite come to me. There’s a famous mushroom purveyor, Connie Green, up in the Napa Valley, who I’ve known for a long time, who we might try to partner with. She does huckleberries and truffle butter and all kinds of cool stuff.”
McLennan noted that filmgoers are not required to attend the $78 prix fixe dinner nor are diners required to attend the Indies + Eats screenings.
“We try to offer a lot of flexibility for you to watch,” McLennan said. “We screen each movie three days and the menu is available three days. Some people choose to just do the dinner and don’t go see the movie.”
“I think that it’s a great opportunity as far as value to go to a really nice restaurant and get a three-course meal that’s absolutely fantastic,” McLennan continued. “But I also think it’s a really fun pairing—food and film—and doing them both. Having that experience is special, it’s unique, and we only do it for a short time each year.”
If you go, restaurant reservations are highly recommended, and you should mention Indies + Eats; $10 of each prix fixe meal benefits the SLOIFF, which is scheduled for April 23 to 28. Movie tickets must be purchased separately.
“Our approach at Hotel SLO is about camaraderie and partnerships,” Fancher concluded. “This stemmed from a beautiful partnership with the film fest, donations to the film fest, and caring for the beautiful Palm Theatre, which is our neighbor. Our guests get to appreciate it. The movie theater appreciates it. It’s special.” ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jan 15-22, 2026.