Spinning Plates

This beautifully shot and masterfully crafted documentary chronicles three different restaurants and the labor and love it takes to keep them going. There’s Alinea in Chicago, an award-winning modern cuisine eatery run by chef Grant Achatz; Breitbach’s Country Dining, a comfort food joint run by the Breitbach family in Balltown, Iowa; and the star of the show, Tucson’s own La Cocina de Gabby. The doc seamlessly takes in-depth looks at each restaurant, along with the personalities that run the place, the family members who lend support, and the satisfied patrons who keep coming back. Unfortunately, La Cocina de Gabby didn’t have enough of a fan base, a problem that Francisco laments throughout the doc. Though each restaurant caters to a different socioeconomic crowd, they all have one thing in common—the drive to make incredible original food and offer customers a comfortable space to enjoy it in.