In the first episode titled “First Tastes,” and when she bumps into Lino right after telling her friend Sloane that she came to Florence to have her “own renaissance” and that it wasn’t “about a man,” and as Amy savours her pastry a couple of scenes afterwards, one is tempted to think that “From Scratch” would tow a similar storyline as “Emily in Paris” but it is far from it!
Amy, an American played by Zoe Saldana, abandons Law School to pursue her love for art in Florence Italy. First, she met Lino, played by Eugenio Mastrandrea, a translator turned chef from a lowly family in Sicily and later met Giancarlo (Giacomo Gianniotti) whom she chose to date for obvious reasons. Giancarlo’s family owned an art gallery!
However, Lino continued to push and the night before Amy was due to return to the US, she realised that it was Lino she needed all along! That was the beginning of their love story. Amy and Lino would face a lot of challenges and just when it seemed all was settled, tragedy struck.
As stated, the story starts out very familiar. Amy and Lino have a debate about who has the better cuisine, the French or the Italians. Amy encourages her friend to pronounce Italian words correctly, she also corrects her pronunciation of Michelangelo and there is the issue of family acceptance. Above all these, “From Scratch” turns out a moving story about a perfect love shattered by sickness. The acting is phenomenal, Saldana and Mastrandrea made a stunning couple. The locations are breathtaking. And the choice of music from Lauryn Hills’ “Too Good to be True” to the opera music that will tug at your heartstrings and give you goosebumps couldn’t be more perfect. Sadly, the limited drama series was inspired by Tembi Locke’s memoir of the same name. Still, the story emphasised the importance of the love and support of family amid calamity.
If you’re a romantic, you do not want to skip this one but have a box of tissue handy. “From Scratch” is streaming on Netflix.
