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.

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.

I watch documentaries all of the time, but Spinning Plates really made me feel connected to each and everyone of its characters. When one goes into a restaurant you aren't simply eating the food it is art, love, and nourishment. Spinning Plates was heartfelt and eye opening to say the least. Working in restaurants almost all of my life I can truly identify with the passion and sacrifice that goes into the process. Within this film you get to see three very different stories each with different talents and restaurants, but there is one thing in common between each of them. Each of them wants and strives to share their love with their patrons. Spinning Plates made me laugh and even tear up to see the struggles and triumph each one of these restaurants faces. By far one of my favorite docs this year!