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Set in the cultural melting pot of Hell's Kitchen, New York, THE KITCHEN is a drama depicting the generational struggle between an Egyptian immigrant father and his assimilated son.
Jamal (Jason Raize), a first generation Egyptian American, is struggling to strike a balance between his personal aspirations and his responsibilities to his immigrant father, Farid (Mark Margolis), a strong patriarch. Farid owns and operates a small grocery store in the multiracial Manhattan neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen and strongly believes that "in America, you must have something to sell or something to own" in order to succeed. His wish is that Jamal will one day take over the family bodega.
Unfortunately for Farid, Jamal has different plans. Jamal dreams of a successful musical career as a percussionist with his "boogaloo" band and sees the bodega as a symbol of stagnation. Naturally, Farid does not support, understand or approve of Jamal's nontraditional aspirations, not to mention his motley crew of friends which includes bandmates Zack (David Skinner) and Loud (Elvis O. Nolasco) and his older non-Egyptian girlfriend Allie (Michele Harris).
In order to thwart his son's career, Farid locks up the basement where Jamal rehearses with his band and refuses to lend his son money to buy equipment to record a demo tape. The confrontation between father and son reveals Farid's bitter past, his struggle as an immigrant and the various menial jobs he worked in order to get a foothold in the United States. He has become a cautious person who hides his money under a tile in the back of the store. In desperation, Jamal steals $5,000 from his father's hiding place to buy recording equipment.
The tension between father and son finally comes to a head when Jamal finds a letter of acceptance from a record company that Farid has hidden. When Jamal confronts him, Farid responds by accusing his son of having stolen money from the cash register. Jamal touches a nerve when he mentions his own mother, who returned to Egypt years before when Farid's American girlfriend moved in with his family. In time, Farid loses his wife, his girlfriend and the confidence of his son.
Their irreconcilable differences eventually drive Jamal to leave the bodega and move in with his girlfriend, an artist who nurtures him and encourages him to pursue his music. But when Farid is put in the hospital after a violent robbery attempt by Bunny (Erik Jensen), the neighborhood thug, Jamal must decide whether to keep the store open or leave behind his father's way of life.
Written and directed by Andre Degas, an accomplished percussionist of Egyptian origin who lived most of his adult life in Hell's Kitchen, THE KITCHEN not only explores the universal issues of family, alienation and assimilation, but is a rare depiction of Egyptians as part of the fabric of American life.
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