Spinning Plates

This film takes a fascinating look into three very different types of restaurants in the United States, and the people that make them possible. Like most well done documentaries, you are sucked in to the lives of the people who run these restaurants. The film strikes an emotional cord in the way that you are elated when things go well for these people and their restaurants, and you are torn to pieces when things go wrong.

The documentary flows nicely from the story of the modernist, top tier restaurant Alinea run by Grant Achatz in Chicago, to the comfortable, family run, historic Breitbach's in Balltown, Iowa, lastly to the struggling, authentic Mexican restaurant La Cocina de Gabby run by a sweet family in Arizona. Each story presents different aspects of the restaurant business at different levels of success. Each story shows the hardships, struggles, joys and pleasures of running a restaurant. And each story captivates your emotions and keeps you hopeful for their futures.

Although the restaurants are different, all three strive to be the place people want to come. This film brings to light the fact that it isn't the food that makes a restaurant, it's the people behind it who put their blood, sweat, and tears into the work. As a lover of food and film, I would recommend Spinning Plates to anyone who shares either passion. Overall, it is a heartfelt, interesting and entertaining documentary.

I was pleasantly surprised, was very touching, more about the people and their respective obstacles, not so much about the food itself. It seemed to dig deeper as the film progressed, they left a lot of the juicy bits till later, and didn't dwell too much on less important issues. Felt like I really connected with all of the restaurant owners, which is the main purpose of a documentary.

At the end of the film, I felt like I wanted to move to small town America and live amongst these people and their community. With technology these days, people are becoming more fragmented and friendships are being based on edited remarks and low resolution pictures. What an amazing close community some of them have built for themselves, if we don't have each other, what do we really have?

The first restaurant was home style American cuisine, low priced comfort food in a buffet type setting. They had been established for 150 years and run by the same family. It was situated in a very close community of Balltown, the residents treated the place as a 2nd home, and the relationship went beyond just friendship, and we get the feeling the town and the restaurant itself were symbiotic, in that one would not survive without the other

Another restaurant was focused on modern cuisine in Chicago, where they spend hours creating one of a kind dishes. Their creations delve into the areas of science and even human psychology. But here we see they are no less devoid of intense personal issues that are placed between them and their ultimate goal.

The third restaurant is about a couple, struggling in a small town, creating simple Mexican food. We are led into their home and restaurant, we see how they struggle to manage their daughter while trying to make enough money to survive, working 90+ hours a week.

Highly recommend this movie, it will leave a lasting impression about what it takes to survive in your own small business, their personal struggles will stay with you, and success is never guaranteed, but if you surround yourself with true friends, you will inevitably survive.

A good friend of mine was in her mid 50's. She was now married and retired from working for the city. Karen had wanted to open a restaurant all her life and never had the opportunity. She found a small place and decided to finally fulfill her dream. She was at the restaurant hours before it opened every day so she could get the food ready for that day. The restaurant was only open for breakfast and lunch. But, being obsessively clean, the restaurant had to be spotless at the end of the day so she was there for hours after it closed. I don't even think she was open a year before she gave it up. She loved cooking, but admitted that she had no idea how hard it would be to have a restaurant. The cleaning, the food ordering, the paperwork, the cooking, dealing with people, etc. She said it was just too hard and too stressful. I don't think people have any idea what restaurant owners/chefs go through. Its long hours and hard work, sometimes, for very little money. I heard on one show that many Michelin star restaurants don't even make a lot of money. The cost to maintain these restaurants is very high. They do it for the love of cooking. I wish a lot of people could watch shows like this so the next time they feel the need to complain about something trivial, they will think twice about it. I can understand people who eat at Grants restaurant once, just to see what it is like. But, my idea of dining is not eating little bits of things frozen or blasted with heat and thrown on a table. I would rather have anything to eat at Breitbach or the Martinez's restaurant any day. I do appreciate Grant's passion and his skills at what he does. The documentary was very well done and done with a lot of heart.

This is everything that you would want in a food-based documentary for both foodies and non- foodies alike. It feels authentic and real without being harsh or brazen. As the film unfolds, you get a good sense of who these restaurant owners/chefs are not just as business owners but also as fellow people struggling to keep their dreams alive.

It is refreshing also to see that these restaurant owners belong to completely different demographics, having experienced completely different obstacles so that most viewers could relate to at least one of them.

The focus on the food and the kitchen gives a look into each of these chefs approaches to applying a mixture of their hard work and heart into their culinary creations. Though they are all different, all the delectable food definitely entices and intrigues and will make your mouth water.

Watch this and it won't disappoint, even for those who are not typically interested in documentaries.

Went to the theater with almost no expectations and left with a huge smile on my face.

Spinning Plates is an intimate look into the lives of three stories that revolve around food, family, sacrifice, and resilience. Within the stories is a wide variety of food types, chefs, backgrounds, economic means, and ambitions. Yet with all the differences, the similarities are uncanny—and it's what brings the film together.

Anyone with an appreciation for food or family will find relatable emotional elements in this film —and it will give you a little more insight on the types of struggles that some of our favorite places to dine go through on a day to day basis.

Watch with snacks, plan for a meal afterward. Enjoy!