she witnesses the violent tantrum and resignation of a celebrity French chef hired for Tom's new restaurant. When Jonathan realizes that Amanda cooked the eclairs Lois had fed him, he demands that Tom hire her for the opening, despite his protests. On opening night, Amanda is initially shunned by the snobbish French staff and that, coupled with her continued heartbreak over Tom, causes her to unknowingly cook her sorrow into one of the first courses, causing the entire restaurant to sob uncontrollably. She eventually overcomes her self-doubt and reaches her full potential as a chef, and the opening is a complete success. Stunned but enchanted by the remarkable effect Amanda's food has had on the guests, Tom goes after Amanda as she's leaving the opening. He convinces her to come back and admits his love for her, and the two reconcile on the dance floor, not noticing Gene is gleefully conducting the orchestra behind them, implying the magic that sparked in Amanda came from him. Cast Sarah Michelle Gellar as Amanda Shelton Sean Patrick Flanery as Tom Bartlett Patricia Clarkson as Lois McNally Dylan Baker as Jonathan Bendel Christopher Durang as Gene O'Reilly Larry Gilliard Jr. as Nolan Traynor Betty Buckley as Aunt Stella Amanda Peet as Chris Gabriel Macht as Charlie Production According to Mark Tarlov, the director, the conception of the film arose from "intersection of eating and drinking and romance [...] part of my interest with the movie was this idea of being able to bend reality. How food and wine actually bends time and space [...] the whole Einsteinian view of bending time and space based on your position relative to the events that are happening." Tarlov's wife, Judith Roberts, wrote the screenplay based on a story co-developed by Roberts and Tarlov. According to Tarlov, "the script was about a middle-aged young woman [...] who had never found romance before because she never found her passion. And when she found her passion—which was cooking—romance followed." The director pitched the film to Holly Hunter, who he intended to play the lead role, but the studio did not want her to play the part. Sarah Jessica Parker was then wanted, but the studio felt she was too old for the part. The character was then rewritten to a 20 year old woman with Sarah Michelle Gellar landing the role. The studio wanted to cash in on her success