Hungry? Make sure you eat before or get an extra large popcorn before settling down to the enjoyable Seattle International Film Festival documentary SUSAN FENIGER: FORKED, playing Thursday at the SIFF Cinema Uptown. There are a few restaurants, Dick’s Hamburgers across the street and likely food at the SIFF lounge up the street. Just saying.
Festival Notes: Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken built themselves into a dynamic chef duo despite many barriers against them as women. They rise through the cooking ranks and eventually open very successful restaurants and are featured on the Food Network. But after working together for so long, Feniger wants to push further, while Milliken is hesitant. That leads to Feniger going off on her own with the intent of opening her very own restaurant. Liz Lachman, Feniger’s partner, documents this new venture to open Street, a place that pushes culinary boundaries using cooking methods from across the globe. But what begins as a behind the scenes into this stressful and seemingly impossible undertaking, Susan Feniger. Forked turns into a journey of learning. Lachman weaves in trips abroad to sample foreign cuisine and beautiful recipes being cooked with scenes of Street’s metamorphosis. From an idea in Feniger’s head to actual construction work, the restaurant begins to form as Feniger and the hardworking crew hammer out other aspects needed for success. Carefully selected quotes help tell this story of creativity, backbreaking work, and presumed success that crumbles to failure. But in this failure’s aftermath, a refreshed Feniger and Milliken are ready to reunite and dive right back in. (Credit: Joshua Ray Amiling)
Reaction: “What you are about to see is Mayhem. Buckle Up.” So reads the documentary opening titles, and it’s a lot of fun right from the get-go, especially for those foodies into documentaries. FORKED is a lively documentary that is also truly about people who are passionate about their craft, and a pretty easy recommendation for any foodies out there. While it features a lot of old clips to the point of exhaustion at times (though I really liked the Saturday Night Live Delicious Dish clips, as I watched these growing up) Susan’s interviews alone are worth watching alone and those who she interacts with. FORKED would make a really good doc on streaming services or on the Food Network, but not sure if it would make good for a theatrical release.
