Client: Kaufland Romania
Host: Sorin Pârcălab
Chef: Kitchen Affair
Paketul de acasă – the taste that never leaves
There is a moment that almost every Romanian student knows: the phone rings, and a voice from home asks, “I sent your package. Make sure you pick it up.”
It is not just a bag full of food. It is a ritual. An invisible connection between “home” and “where you are now.”
Starting from this simple yet deeply emotional truth, we created “Paketul de acasă” for Kaufland — a cooking show with heart, where food becomes storytelling and every recipe carries a piece of the place it comes from and the people who pass it on.
From the bus station to the studio: where every story begins
Each episode starts where the story really begins: with the arrival of the package. At a busy bus station, outside an apartment building, or at the door of a student flat. A simple moment, loaded with emotion.
The unboxing is not just about food. It is about familiar smells, reused jars, and the inevitable question: “Are you sure you have enough?”
It is the moment when homesickness becomes tangible.
From there, the story takes the next step: the challenge. What happens when you have to recreate your own “package from home”?
A cooking show built on emotion, not just recipes
“Paketul de acasă” is not a traditional cooking show. It is a format built around real experiences, where students are challenged to recreate recipes they received from their parents using accessible ingredients, improvisation, and a bit of courage.
In every episode:
- a student is challenged to cook “just like at home”
- they are guided by a chef, but also by their own memories
- they can call home for help
- and in the end, the dish is judged by… mothers
The result is an authentic mix of emotion, humor, and real-life moments — from awkward first attempts to surprisingly successful dishes.
Romania in a package: 5 episodes, 5 regions
The series was structured as five episodes, each representing a different region of Romania and one of its iconic dishes:
- schnitzel from Transylvania
- gomboți (plum dumplings) from Maramureș
- leek stew from Oltenia
- tocinei (potato pancakes) from Bucovina
- fish brine from Dobrogea
Each recipe becomes an ambassador for its region, while the package itself becomes an emotional map of Romania.
Visual energy with a Gen Z vibe
Visually, the project was designed as a dynamic blend of digital content and cinematic storytelling.
Fast camera movements, close-up cooking shots, and carefully timed slow-motion moments transform every episode into a fresh and authentic visual experience.
The main set — a modern kitchen with traditional accents — contrasts with the students’ real living spaces while maintaining a constant balance between “home” and “new beginnings.”
The soundtrack completes the experience by blending reinterpreted folk influences with hip-hop elements, creating a common language between generations.
More than food
“Paketul de acasă” is not about cooking perfection.
It is about the process. About trying. About mistakes that turn into memories.
It is about how a simple dish can tell a story about family, longing, and identity.
And perhaps the most important message is this: even when you leave home, you never truly leave it behind. Because home comes with you — in a package, in a recipe, or in a taste you never forget.
“Paketul de acasă” was also one of the first projects where we integrated AI-generated content into a live-action production. Part of the package’s journey sequence — the hyperlapse segment — was created using AI video generation.
Production Company: Parcfilm
Director: Ionuț Cojocaru aka “Lutz”
1st AD: Carlo Mihail
Producer / Photographer: Tudor Hristescu
DOP: Nicolae Anghel
Camera Operator 1: Tien
Camera Operator 2: Vlad Cantoreanu
Camera Operator 3: Bogdan Ionescu
DIT: Diana Raețchi
Video Assist: Nicolai
Electric & Grip: Robert Fenechiu
Sound: Ștefan Munteanu
Production Manager: Ali Amir
Production Assistant: Bogdan Ionescu
Key Set PA: Said Amir
Art Director: Anca Munteanu
Food Stylist: Vlad Anitei
Costume Designer: Alexandra Ungureanu
Costume Assistant: Ema Șerban
Make-up: Simina Brădeanu
Hair: Simona
Post-Production Coordinator: Ilinca Nanoveanu
Editor: Ana Diaconu
Color Grading: Alexandru Căpățoiu
Equipment: PaRent