Michael Sparaga on The Missing Ingredient: What is the Recipe for Success?

What makes a restaurant an institution?

That's the central question of Michael Sparaga's film The Missing Ingredient: What is the Recipe for Success?

It's a funny and heartfelt documentary about a New York City restaurant owner who makes a controversial decision: to help re-invent his struggling Manhattan restaurant, Pescatore, Charles Devigne decides to renovate — and uses the iconic Zebra-themed wallpaper made famous by Gino’s, a historic Italian hotspot that was frequented by New York City’s social elite for 65 years.
​
Gino's regulars included Gay Talese, I.M. Pei and Frank Sinatra, alongside regular folks from the neighbourhood. Although Gino’s closed its doors in 2010, it has remained a special place for many of the people who went there — and they weren’t happy at the idea of another restaurant using the wallpaper.

Michael tells the story of Gino’s colourful past through interviews with the former owners and with members of New York city’s high society. But he also explores the question of what it means to be an institution and what it takes to become one.

He talked to us about New York City's restaurant scene, his relationship with Pescatore's owner Charles Devigne, and how he convinced so many prominent New Yorkers to reminisce about Gino's.

Links: 
Watch the trailer
Facebook page

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS feed