The Missing Ingredient (Michael Sparaga, 2015): Canada

Reviewed by Elizabeth Gain.  Viewed at Fiesta 5 theater in Santa Barbara, CA.

The Missing Ingredient is a charming documentary in the “screen cuisine” category of the SBIFF.   It tells a tale not just about food, but about the culture of food and people’s attachments to restaurants in New York City.  This was the West Coast premier for the film, and the director and the star of the film were present, both nervously waiting to see if Californians could appreciate it.  We sure did!  The audience was responsive throughout the movie’s twists and turns, and it got a rousing applause.

The movie tells the story of Pescatore, a New York City restaurant that attempts to pick-up business by putting up the same wallpaper as Gino’s, another restaurant nearby, described as an “institution.”  Californians can be thankful that an entire chapter of the movie is devoted to explaining what type of restaurants constitute a NYC institution.  Interviews with restauranteurs, food critics, families, patrons, and businessmen build a solid ideology of how New York City residents revere their restaurants as social hubs with unique personalities.  In following chapters, we learn how to understand the significance of Gino’s wallpaper, and the story unfolds about Pescatore’s owner’s bold decision.

While many documentaries get bogged down by too much rambling, the structure of this documentary was delightful.  The editing and zippy music maintain a moderate tempo, with no transitions between chapters.  The best part of the film is that it has surprising reveals, and it saves many interesting new personalities for later in the film (for example, the interior decorator).  We become connected to Charles Devigne, Pescatore’s owner, so we are proud of him when he attempts his controversial renovation, and we’re glad to keep following.

As a documentary, one of the joys of this film was how it revealed many layers to its story.  It celebrated broad strokes of human culture while it told about the striving of one man who was following in the footsteps of giants before him.  It was surprising that a private restaurant renovation could be so culturally complex, and it was convincing that social interconnectedness made this one action so significant.

I’m not a fan of foodie tv shows, and I don’t care about gourmet cooking, but I was enthralled by this underdog movie.  I clapped and whistled when we got to meet Charles Devigne for real at the end of the screening. (I clapped for Michael Sparaga, the director and producer, too!)  I hope this film gets picked up for distribution because it deserves being seen.