Born Hungry: Feasting on Famous Chef’s Inspiring Rags-to-Riches Tale

By Liz Braun

Rating: B+

Born Hungry is a documentary about Sash Simpson, a respected North American chef who started life as a street kid in India.

Written and directed by Barry Avrich, Born Hungry is part travelogue, part Master Chef foodie outing, and part rags-to-riches Canadian success story. The parts don’t always meld together, but Simpson’s life is fascinating enough to hold a viewer’s attention throughout. He is a compelling individual.

The film begins with Simpson talking about his beginnings in India — he can’t remember whether he was abandoned or if he ran away, but he has strong memories about riding the trains and living on the street.

He wound up at an orphanage and was eventually adopted, around age eight, by Canadian philanthropists Sandra and Lloyd Simpson; they are the founders of Families for Children orphanages. That is when and where his life truly began, Simpson states in the film: in a big house in Toronto with 19 siblings. The Simpsons had four children and adopted dozens more, eventually raising more than 30 kids.

A couple of Simpson’s siblings appear in the documentary, as does his adoptive mother.

In Born Hungry, Simpson fulfills a years-long desire to return to India to explore his origins. He doesn’t know exactly where he was born or even his original name. Back in Chennai, where he once lived on the street, and later in Coimbatore, where he visits the orphanage, bits and pieces of memory come back to him.

His zest for life comes through in every scene.

In India, Simpson hangs out with other celebrity chefs (including Shipra Khanna) and investigates several food markets, sampling goat sweetbreads and other new dishes and, as he puts it, “finding myself through food.”

He hopes to find his parents, if they are still alive, and his siblings. The scenes in India are full of life and brilliant colour, but somewhat bittersweet, given Simpson’s reason for being there.

Back in Toronto, Simpson narrates stories about growing up in his new household and eventually finding work in restaurants while still a teenager.

He wasn’t a great student at school, but his brilliance in the kitchen was evident early on.

He worked his way up, eventually making a move to North 44 and a mentorship with Mark McEwan. Simpson built a stellar reputation, eventually opening his own spot, Sash, in Toronto’s Summerhill area, a few years ago.

And his wife appears in the film to talk about how they met and to outline the drive and personality that make Sash, Sash.

Born Hungry is an engaging film, despite somewhat disjointed storytelling and a couple of lugubrious music choices. Fortunately, Simpson’s magnetic personality makes up for all that — and he is not alone in this film for larger-than-life characteristics.

Let’s hope someone wants to make a film about his adoptive mother, Sandra Simpson. Many viewers will be left wondering about the woman who had enough patience to establish a couple of orphanages and raise dozens of children. And make it look easy.

Born Hungry. Written and directed by Barry Avrich. With Sash Simpson, Robin Simpson, Melanie Simpson, Mark McEwan, and Shipra Khanna. On CraveTV starting October 21.