THE MISSING INGREDIENT: WHAT IS THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS?
Explore the culinary stories of two restaurants and how they both captured the attention of foodie obsessed New Yorkers in this sincere and humorous documentary available on Digital HD and DVD October 11th.
New York, NY (September 14th, 2016) – New York is home to thousands of restaurants, but only a select few are considered institutions. But how does a restaurant become an institution? What does it have to do to stand out over time and win the enduring love and loyalty of critics and fans alike? Michael Sparaga’s documentary, THE MISSING INGREDIENT: WHAT IS THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS?, explores these complex questions by going behind the scenes of two New York establishments—the once beloved Gino’s and the rising Pescatore.
Many are familiar with the beloved Gino’s. Open for 65 years across from Bloomingdales, Gino’s attracted generations of not only New Yorkers, but also the world’s political, business, athletic and cultural leaders. Dustin Hoffman, John Lennon, Truman Capote, Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra were all regulars at the iconic establishment during its heyday. Gino’s possessed the qualities that many restaurants long for— a loyal fan base, delectable food, and a décor so unique that it remained associated with Gino’s even after its closing— that is until restaurateur Charles Devigne attempted to do the unthinkable.
Shortly after Gino’s closed its doors, another Manhattan restaurant was on the brink of following in its footsteps. Located just a few blocks from Gino’s, Pescatore Restaurant, owned by Charles Devigne, was competing with a crop of glitzy new neighborhood eateries and Charles knew he needed to make a substantial change in order to stand out. Determined to save his business, he embarked on a major renovation, hiring a designer to help him achieve his vision. Charles believed his restaurant deserved to be on the same level as other successful New York establishments and he wanted to put Pescatore on the map. In doing so, he made a controversial decision—to put up the prancing zebra wallpaper made world-famous by the recently shuttered Gino’s. Charles’ designer immediately quit over this decision, arguing that it was tasteless to steal another restaurant’s iconic design feature. And the headache didn’t stop there as Gino’s previous owners, staff and loyal regulars, still hurting over Gino’s closing, caught wind of his decision.
THE MISSING INGREDIENT: WHAT IS THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS? goes beyond examining this controversy to discuss how diners feel about their beloved restaurants, their memories of not only the food but also of their emotional attachments to the restaurants’ ambiance, owners and décor.
THE MISSING INGREDIENT: WHAT IS THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS? celebrated its world premiere at a sold-out screening at DOC NYC. It went on to screen in other film festivals across the US, including the Santa Barbara and RiverRun International Film Festivals. It recently completed a theatrical run in Toronto, Canada, at the prestigious Hot Docs Cinema.
THE MISSING INGREDIENT: WHAT IS THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS? will be available to own via digital download and streaming on all digital retailers as well as on DVD October 11th, 2016.
Press Contact:
Nicole Torchio
nicole@virgilfilmsent.com
646.723.7057
# # #
THE MISSING INGREDIENT: WHAT IS THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS?
Street date: October 11th, 2016
Run time: 87 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
