When I first saw the trailer for “The Menu,” it instantly went on my must-watch list.

A cross between black comedy and suspense horror about the restaurant industry? Sign me up! Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to see it in theaters, but when it began streaming on HBO Max, I cleared my schedule to sit down and watch it. And boy, am I glad I did.

When I was asked as a child, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I of course bounced between the cliches of astronaut, firefighter and the like. But eventually I settled down on dreaming of becoming a chef. I was a fan of Geoffrey Zakarian, Gordon Ramsay, Rachel Ray and all the others. Alton Brown still has a special place in my heart as the “Bill Nye” of cooking.

However, my excitement for the culinary arts quickly soured and turned to bitterness. I attended a vocational school during high school and got a job as a short-order cook at a local business. Through these experiences, I began to realize the horrors that exist in and around the food service industry — ranging from exploitation to cults of personality and sexual harassment.

I think it was for that reason that “The Menu” resonates with me so well. The movie, which stars Ralph Fiennes as celebrity chef Julian Slowik, is centered around an evening at Slowik’s exclusive island restaurant. As the night goes on, we learn more and more about Slowik, the restaurant andeach of his less than admirable diners.

“The Menu” offers an excellent critique and satire of many of the issues that plague the restaurant industry.

Slowik’s staff is invested in the cult of personality surrounding the chef to a disturbing degree. They live on the island, work grueling 18-hour days and are utterly devoted to him. Every perfectly synchronized “Yes Chef” reinforces their conformity to what they think will earn Slowik’s respect.

While just about every satirization in this movie is caricatured for effect, it all has a basis in truth. The amount of abuse and exploitation that people in this industry are subjected to, not to mention the physical labor and low pay, takes a toll on mental and physical well-being.

Gordon Ramsay’s screaming on “Hell’s Kitchen” makes for good entertainment, but the countless chefs who seek to emulate him have created an industry rampant with abuse, drug addiction and suicidal ideation. “The Menu” understands this alarming reality and succeeds in shedding some much needed light on it.

Our point-of-view character Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) is an outsider compared to her fellow diners, including foodies, critics and entitled consumers. Her own experience in sex work offers an interesting comparison with the exploitative environments often found in commercial kitchens.

A central theme of the movie is artistic alienation. Our modern world is exception- ally capable of extracting the enjoyment out of any form of art, whether it be filmmaking, critique or cooking. It’s not enough to create for creation’s sake, or for enjoyment — everything must be milked for content and engagement.

Critics and foodies don’t want burgers and fries — even if that’s what you as a chef want to create — they want flashy, artsy and avant-garde creations they can post on Instagram and gush about on blogs. And to survive in that market, chefs degrade their own art.

“The Menu” is a cynical but realistic portrayal into the world of food. It recognizes that there’s blame to be placed on the side of the consumer and the producer and capitalism itself.

It’s a movie that reminds me of Anthony Bourdain. I’m still a fan of those chefs I mentioned before, but the late Bourdain has become my favorite. During his time with us, he was very open about his thoughts and the good and bad of the industry.

His book, “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly” sits in a place of honor on my bookshelf. Bourdain wrote, “Good food is very often, even most often, simple food.” I can’t agree more — sometimes you just need a burger.

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