HomeSign upLog in RecipesRecipes Recipes HomepageRecipe CollectionsMenusRECIPE OF THE DAY e-newsletter INGREDIENT ChickenBeefPorkShrimpFishPasta CUISINE ItalianMexicanFrenchAmericanAsianMiddle Eastern COURSE Main CourseAppetizersSaladBreakfast/BrunchDessertSide Dish OCCASION Cocktail PartyBirthdayBackyard BBQThanksgivingChristmasEaster TechniquesTechniques Techniques HomepageSAVEUR e-newsletters Selecting IngredientsStoring & PreparingKnife SkillsBakingStocks & SaucesRoastingGrillingFryingCheesemakingPreserving TravelsTravels Travels HomepageHotelsTravel Advisory BoardCulinary Travel Awards UNITED STATES ChicagoFloridaLas VegasLos AngelesLouisianaMiamiNew YorkSan Francisco CENTRAL AMERICA MexicoHondurasCosta Rica SOUTH AMERICA ArgentinaBrazilChilePeruVenezuela EUROPE EnglandScotlandWalesBelgiumFranceItalyLondonLuxembourgNetherlandsParisRomeSicilySpainSweden ASIA Hong KongIndiaThailandTokyo AFRICA AfricaSouth AfricaNorth AfricaKenya CARIBBEAN CaribbeanCubaDominican RepublicJamaicaPuerto Rico MIDDLE EAST Middle East KitchenKitchen Kitchen HomepageSIMPLE WEEKNIGHT MEALS e-newsletter One Good FindTools & ProductsDesignEntertainingFoodsBooks & Reference Wine & DrinkWine & Drink Wine & Drink HomepageDINNER PARTY e-newsletter WineSpiritsBeerNon-Alcoholic AboutSweepstakes & PromotionsPhotosVideosMarketTaste of SAVEURSites We LoveIn the MagazineGet the Digital EditionNewsletter Sign-UpSubscribe to SAVEUR Recipes \ABS\Auto Blog Samurai\data\Picnic Box Company\pic2\post_icon_24.png){kind=icon}
var pwidget_config = { track: "query", copypaste: false, click: "true", }; post_widget(".customIcon", {click: "true", }); Save Print Email 
Enlarge Joseph Levy is the director of Spinning Plates, a documentary that interweaves the stories of different restaurants—Alinea, Grant Achatz’s Michelin-starred restaurant in Chicago; La Cocina de Gabby, a family-owned Mexican restaurant in Tucson Arizona; and Breitbach’s Country Dining, a 150-year-old restaurant in Sherrill, Iowa—exploring the passions and struggles that connect them. Levy is also, it turns out, a long-term SAVEUR reader. We spoke with him about his film, which opens in theaters today.What was the inspiration for this film?
So much of how we see restaurant kitchens is through reality TV, where it’s all quick fire competitions and mystery basket docusoaps. You don’t see the struggle of people trying to save their homes or barely making a living. I wanted to show the real stories that can unfold when you walk into a restaurant, where sometimes a taco is just a taco. And actually, SAVEUR was also a shaping factor. I've read every issue since #8—I instantly loved the culture of personalities, the emotional connection to food, and the snapshots of history. In 2008, I was sitting around deciding what restaurant stories I wanted to produce next when the breakfast issue came out. It opens on two farmers sitting at their breakfast table saying grace, just a quiet mediation on food, followed by a waiter with a breakfast tray, then a men’s group in Germany; an amalgam of snapshots around the world but unified by the idea of breakfast, and it suddenly made the whole world collapse into one space that felt familiar and related. I got the idea of taking my Spinning Plates subjects and ultimately crashing them into each other in the same way the photo essay does in that issue.
Where did the title come from?
While shooting at Commander’s Palace for Into the Fire [a television documentary series that Levy created which showed famous restaurants on their busiest nights] owner Ti Martin told me that because they serve so many meals, it’s like spinning plates. And isn’t that metaphoric, too? Especially when it involves children, family, health: the balancing act of all those things we deal with in the film.
I was really moved by the Mexican couple behind La Cocina de Gabby, who keep cooking their hearts out, even under incredible duress. Is Francisco Martinez, the husband, always so cheerful?
He has the most resilient, unbreakable spirit. It’s gotten him through a lot. He came from rural Mexico to San Diego, where he worked in a Greek restaurant called Aesop’s Table. His boss sponsored him for citizenship and he brought through the rest of his family and finally settled in Tucson. But when the political climate changed, especially regarding undocumented immigrants, apartments emptied and businesses sank. Francisco and his wife Gabby walked into this Mexican restaurant about to be foreclosed in a bad luck location. They consider it a blessing that the restaurant keeps the family together even if their kid has to play among the pots and pans.
What are your own favorite food films?
Is it okay to admit that Ratatouille is my favorite? And I loved the anticipation leading up to that amazing meal in Big Night.
Credit: Film Arcade 
Credit: Film Arcade var pwidget_config = { track: "query", copypaste: false, click: "true", }; post_widget(".customIcon", {click: "true", }); Save Print Email More from Saveur.com 
Mixstrology: Libra 
The Patriot 
Postcard: Savoring Mithai in India 
Asparagus Mint Slaw 
Garlic and Flame Related Links Your Comments Please log in to leave a comment. Not a member yet? Sign up here. User Name * Password * Forgot your user name or password? 
Enlarge Credit: Ben Shadis Welcome to Mixstrology, SAVEUR's monthly series where astrologist/bartender Patricia Clark Hippolyte provides a cocktail prescription for each sign of the zodiac. This month: Scorpio.
Enlarge Credit: Laura Sant See the recipe for the Second Circle »
AriesAfter a long summer, stalled projects move forward. Here's to autumn and taking the edge off with bourbon, maple syrup, lemon juice, a splash of brandy, and a ½ oz. of fresh cider.
TaurusMake the same cocktail but nix the cherries and replace them with a strip of candied bacon. Smoky, earthy, and meaty, just like you.
GeminiThis is a good day to reflect on your progress and examine what you’ve achieved over the last six months. Keep the bourbon and bitters and add sweet vermouth.
CancerA reprieve is offered from lucky and expansive Jupiter, but try not to overindulge on this potent drink: bourbon, dark rum, sugar, ½ oz. of fresh lime juice, and lime zest.
LeoThis is a good time to express who you are in a style all your own. Embrace the unpredictable. Make your cocktail smooth and slightly spicy: anejo rum, maple syrup, chile bitters, and fresh lemon juice.
VirgoJupiter gives energy and inner confidence while Saturn gives structure. Take advantage of these energies at work and with projects at home. Try something light and sophisticated: tawny port, maple syrup, and a dash of Angostura bitters.
LibraYou have two speeds: workaholic or lazy. That said, this month you'll either enjoy this cocktail if someone makes it for you, or you'll pour yourself a quick and easy glass of port.
SagittariusThis is a good time to focus on what you want to accomplish in the next year, and you may initiate new projects or new attitudes that will help you. Lighten the heaviness with bubbles: port, triple sec, and club soda.
CapricornThis twist is little out of the box for the traditionally-inclined, and perfect for cool fall nights: Mull the port with cinnamon, clove, and some allspice.
AquariusNeptune can motivate you with excellent ideas to improve your earnings. Get zippy with light rum, fresh lime, a dash of maple syrup, and a dash of lemon bitters.
PiscesPerhaps you are feeling a bit dreamier than usual, but try to stay focused and pay attention to details. I too am a Pisces, as well as a New Englander, so I'm prescribing a crystal-clear, bare-bones Vermont Gold Maple Vodka on the rocks.
Curried Cauliflower with Tomatoes 
Spicebox WhiskyServed Chilled & Neat 
Krusciki (Polish Bow-Tie Fritters) 
Blue Ribbon Winner: Cordon Bleu in Zurich 
Malfatti (Ricotta and Swiss Chard Dumplings) Related Links Recipes 
Second Circle 
Celery Martini 
The Kentucky Devil Articles Mixstrology: Libra Mixstrology: Virgo Mixstrology: Leo Mixstrology: Gemini Your Comments Please log in to leave a comment. Not a member yet? Sign up here. User Name * Password * Forgot your user name or password? 
Enlarge Credit: Roberta's Pizza, via Animated Pizza Gifs 
Cream Cheese Glaze 
Salmon Fishing in Sitka, Alaska 
Meet the 2013 BFBA Winners: Ideas in Food 
I Love My Kitchen Because: Michael Chiarello 
Travel Guide: Chengdu, China Related Links Articles Weekend Reading: Bizarre Vintage Exercise Photos, the Merits of the Microwave, and More Weekend Reading: Hot Buttered Rum and Cider, Top 100 Wines, and More Weekend Reading: A Coffee Infographic, The Greenmarket Palette, and More Your Comments Please log in to leave a comment. Not a member yet? Sign up here. User Name * Password * Forgot your user name or password?