Netflix is asserting itself as the main teller of stories based on true lived experiences of real people and the upcoming limited series called From Scratch is another example of that. Based on Tembi Locke’s best-selling memoir and starring Zoe Saldana, From Scratch will tell the story of a woman who experiences love, death of a loved one, grief and hope over the span of the series.
Locke’s sister Attica Locke (Empire, When They See Us), will serve as showrunner and executive producer with Zoe Saldana and her sisters Cisely Saldana and Mariel Saldana. Actress and producer Reese Witherspoon is also producing through her Hello Sunshine production company.
Attica and Tembi Locke
Author Tembi Locke said:
“Attica and I are honored to be adapting From Scratch with the visionary Reese Witherspoon, Lauren Neustadter, Richard Abate and the incredibly gifted Zoe Saldana. We have a shared interest in championing stories that bring a rich tapestry of experiences to the screen. I am thrilled that this global love story has found a perfect home at Netflix.”
Saldana added:
“This is a profound true story of love and family, deprivation and nourishment, that needs to be brought to life on the screen as Tembi Locke brought it vividly to life for me on the page. We are grateful to Netflix and thrilled to be working with Reese, Lauren, Attica and 3 Arts on this wonderful project.
Witherspoon also added:
“Tembi’s memoir is a raw and tender exhibition of life in all its pieces. She brings you into her love, her loss and her resilience with such vulnerability and strength. We immediately fell for Attica and Tembi’s vision and feel honored to have the opportunity to help bring it to life onscreen. We could not imagine more perfect partners for this than Zoe and her sisters and 3 Arts Entertainment, along with the incredible team at Netflix.”
Most episodes of From Scratch will be directed by Emmy-nominated writer, producer and director Nzingha Stewart (Little Fires Everywhere, Tall Girl).
Here’s everything else we know about Netflix’s From Scratch:
What’s the plot of From Scratch?
As mentioned above, Netflix’s From Scratch will be based on author Tembi Locke’s real-life experiences and family as told in her autobiography that was published in May 2019.
Here’s a description of the book:
A poignant and transporting cross-cultural love story set against the lush backdrop of the Sicilian countryside, where one woman discovers the healing powers of food, family, and unexpected grace in her darkest hour. It was love at first sight when Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence. There was just one problem: Saro’s traditional Sicilian family did not approve of him marrying a black American woman, an actress no less. However, the couple, heartbroken but undeterred, forges on. They build a happy life in Los Angeles, with fulfilling careers, deep friendships and the love of their lives: a baby girl they adopt at birth. Eventually, they reconcile with Saro’s family just as he faces a formidable cancer that will consume all their dreams. From Scratch chronicles three summers Tembi spends in Sicily with her daughter, Zoela, as she begins to piece together a life without her husband in his tiny hometown hamlet of farmers. Where once Tembi was estranged from Saro’s family and his origins, now she finds solace and nourishment—literally and spiritually—at her mother in law’s table. In the Sicilian countryside, she discovers the healing gifts of simple fresh food, the embrace of a close knit community, and timeless traditions and wisdom that light a path forward.
Here’s a brief synopsis of the series’ plot:
From Scratch is a sweeping, autobiographical romance that follows an American woman as she falls in love with a Sicilian man while studying abroad in Italy then builds a life with him in the United States. When she unexpectedly loses him to illness, she is challenged to pull herself through grief so she can raise their daughter as they would have raised her together: with hope, joy and infinite love.
Who is cast in From Scratch?
This upcoming limited series will be led by Zoe Saldana whose recent credits include Avatar and its four sequels, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers, Star Trek and also the upcoming Netflix movie The Adam Project. Saldana will play Amy Wheeler, the main protagonist of the show.
She will be joined by a massive cast of other actors including Danielle Deadwyler (Watchmen, The Harder They Fall), Keith David (Greenleaf, Welcome to the Blumhouse), Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show, Z Nation), Judith Scott (Dear White People, Snowfall), Lucia Sardo (Nastro d’Argento, Picciridda), Paride Benassai (Felicia Impastato, La Fuitina Sbagliata), Roberta Rigano (I Know This Much Is True), Terrell Carter (Empire), Medalion Rahimi (NCIS: Los Angeles), Jonathan Del Arco (Star Trek: Picard), Peter Mendoza (Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles), Lorenzo Pozzan (Catch-22) and Jonathan D. King (Kidding).
What’s the production status of From Scratch?
Filming for Netflix’s From Scratch didn’t take very long: it began on April 5, 2021 and ended on August 7, 2021.
Filming was done first in Los Angeles, US and then moved to Florence, Italy from July.
As of November 2021, the limited series is still in post-production.
How many episodes will be in From Scratch?
Netflix’s From Scratch is a limited series that will span over eight hour-long episodes.
What’s the Netflix release date for From Scratch?
Netflix hasn’t set an official release date for From Scratch, but we are confident that it will be sometime in the first half of 2022 considering that the filming has wrapped and the episodes are now in post-production.