Latest news with #LaCocina
Winnipeg Free Press
14-07-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ste. Anne-based La Cocina Foods sets table for fire-delayed 40th anniversary celebrations
STE. ANNE — Pat and Jodi Warkentin had a vision for their company's 40th anniversary — until a fire threatened to derail it. Pat was in Vancouver for a trade show one Saturday in April 2024, when he received a phone call letting him know there was fire coming out of one of the chimneys at La Cocina Foods, the tortilla chip business the Warkentins own and operate about 50 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg. Everything appeared to be fine the night before, when employees shut things down for the weekend, but a piece of machinery overheated after everyone left. A neighbour was walking his dog at 5:30 a.m., when he spotted the flames and called Pat. More than a year later, Pat recalls the terrible feeling that hit him after his neighbour gave him the news. 'You never want it to happen, but to be that far away …' the 47-year-old says, trailing off. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, but not before it caused more than $1 million in damage to the factory's interior, leaving one of La Cocina's two production lines out of commission for four months. Pat and Jodi, 44, were heartened to discover that when the chips were down, staff members rallied. The Warkentins gathered everyone in a room and explained while the production line was being repaired, the company would have to run its second line 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep production going. Everyone would keep their jobs, provided they were willing to work irregular shifts. Pat recalls the room falling silent as staff members processed the news. One woman broke the silence and said the employees were happy to have their jobs and would do what they had to do to keep going. 'It boosted the morale in a really low time,' Pat recalls. La Cocina has grown around 40 per cent annually for the last dozen years, but 'you don't really know what your company is made of until you face adversity.' For Pat, witnessing staff members' resilience gave the 40th anniversary new meaning. 'It became a very different celebration than we had anticipated,' he says. 'It felt satisfying … I don't know how else to put it. It was satisfying.' Pat was a child when his father, Peter, and his aunts, Edith and Eleanor, started the business. Missionary work brought the sisters to Mexico and they stayed there for more than a decade. They returned to Manitoba with their favourite Mexican recipes and dreams of starting a tortilleria. They recruited Peter, a farmer, to help them and opened La Cocina — Spanish for 'the kitchen' — in a 3,500-square-foot shop on his farm in 1984. The company got its start producing six-inch corn tortillas, which it still makes to this day. Soon, Peter was experimenting with making tortilla chips. Through trial and error he created a recipe he was happy with and La Cocina started producing them. The chips quickly became more popular than the tortillas. About 15 years ago, Pat and Jodi were living in the Alberta-Saskatchewan border city of Lloydminster when Peter and his wife, Florence, visited them. Peter was losing interest in running the company and was considering selling it. Pat had never envisioned taking over La Cocina, but felt strongly about keeping the business in the family. In 2011, he and Jodi bought Edith and Eleanor's half of the company and moved back to Manitoba to take over operations. Peter kept his 50 per cent of La Cocina and returned his focus to farming — something he still does today at 79. Pat and Jodi did just about everything themselves over the next few years, with occasional help from part-time employees. Jodi was already familiar with the process, as she had spent a year working at the company when she was a teenager. 'It was an exciting thing to actually move back here because I was familiar with it,' Jodi says. 'Me and him (Pat) could work together and plan all day long. We could plan and dream and we had to work pretty hard, which was good for us … I look back with fond memories now to that. Simple times.' In 2016, the couple built a 6,500-sq.-ft. factory on a piece of land they bought next to Peter's farm. They expanded the facility in 2018, 2021 and 2024. It's 54,000 sq. ft. now, with another addition is planned for later this year. Around 50 people work at the company. La Cocina uses up to five different varieties of corn, which are grown in Mexico and the southern United States. Staff process up to 16,000 kilograms every 24 hours. The company produces around 10 million bags of chips annually. They come in four styles: Original, Thick Cut, Ranch and Fiesta. While most of La Cocina's products are sold in Western Canada, they're available in stores — including major grocery chains — throughout the country and in parts of the U.S. La Cocina is well-known in the Eastman region, says Tessa Masi, executive director of the Steinbach Chamber of Commerce. When the chamber held its third annual Taste of Steinbach event in May — a dinner for 600 people that showcases local food — La Cocina were among the first producers to donate to the event. The company also donates to local food banks, Masi notes. 'La Cocina has been very generous in the community,' she says. While Masi doesn't personally know the Warkentins, she describes the La Cocina employees she is familiar with as 'phenomenal to work with.' 'You can tell just by interacting with the other team members that there's a great work culture in their business and the employees really care about what they do,' she says. Jodi attributes the company's success to 'faith and coffee.' Hard work, good timing and amazing employees have also helped, Pat adds. 'I don't care if I'm not known at all or (if) people don't know my accomplishments,' Pat says. 'If they know the brand and they know the product, then I'm happy.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Jodi notes food's ability to bring people together and foster relationships, referencing a line on the company's website: 'Our products are more than just food — they're a gateway to feeding the soul.' Now that there are no literal fires to contend with, La Cocina is getting around to some of the special activities the Warkentins planned to coincide with last year's 40th anniversary. That includes releasing a limited edition churro flavour in time for the Christmas holidays. The company plans to introduce another flavour in 2026, and add a third production line to its factory in 2027. With the expansion will come more hires. 'You have to adapt to change pretty quick here,' Pat says. 'That's one of the things we tell everybody when they come on board: nothing will be the same by the end of the year.' Aaron EppReporter Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
San Francisco Chronicle
02-07-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Unique Mexican food arrives, plus more East Bay restaurant openings
Peruvian food lovers, rejoice: There are two new spots for zesty ceviches and lomo saltado in the East Bay. Other new openings include a restaurant specializing in Eastern European favorites, Mexican vegan fare and Vietnamese iced coffees. Click here for a list of new East Bay restaurants that opened in May. Mexican comfort foods go vegan Vegan Mexican popup Alma y Sazon is the newest tenant at Emeryville's Public Market. The operation takes over the kiosk reserved for entrepreneurs enrolled in the La Cocina food business incubator program. The menu from sisters Fernanda and Paola Lagunas includes tacos and tortas stuffed with caramelized hibiscus that resembles carne asada or a jackfruit-and-tofu blend marinated in an al pastor-style adobo for 72 hours. Pozole verde, tostadas and oyster mushroom carnitas feature among the Michoacan-style offerings. 5959 Shellmound St., Emeryville. Vietnamese coffees and more A Bay Area chain known for its Vietnamese coffee continues to expand. KRON4 reports that San Jose-born Tram Cream Coffee has opened its sixth and latest location in Hayward. Like its others, there are phin-dripped coffees flavored with chocolate or coconut, and Hanoi-style egg coffees, creamy and topped with whipped egg, along with milky Vietnamese-style iced coffees, sweetened and made thick with condensed milk. Cold fruit teas include a peach-orange tea and the 'running dragon,' oolong tea spiked with a mix of scarlet dragonfruit and strawberry. Ceviches and more Uptown Oakland welcomed Peruvian and Mexican restaurant Lucuma in June, East Bay Nosh reports, serving classic pork sandwiches and plates of arroz tapado, a layered dish of rice, beef and plantains. The list of ceviches and crudos is long, with over 12 options from lime-cured chunks of fish with rocoto peppers to more inventive options like a rice-shrimp tartare and fish and tropical fruit medleys. 1700 Franklin St., Oakland. Chicken hotspot grows But wait, there's even more Peruvian: El Mono, an El Cerrito hotspot for citrusy pollo a la brasa, opened its second location in Berkeley's Gilman District, offering Peruvian dishes from traditional ceviche to pastas with stir fried beef. Seafood platters include the over-the-top super mariscos: a whole fried fish set atop a mound of paella. East Bay Times reported on the opening, adding that this new outpost will soon prepare juicy rotisserie chickens. Seafood and sushi specialists grow Hokkaido Sashimi Marketplace, a Japanese market known for its seafood hailing from San Francisco's Richmond District, has expanded over the Bay Bridge. Its second outpost in Castro Valley continues to offer fresh seafood and pantry goods. Sushi rolls and nigiri are available both for dine in or to go. The reception in the East Bay was so strong the shop sold out on its opening weekend. Rare dishes and wines arrive Oakland's new Bistro 4293 arrived in Piedmont Avenue with flavors and drinks not often seen in the East Bay, the Mercury News reported. Expect dishes from the Caucasus like aromatic lamb shanks, crepes with beef or turkey, and dushbara, fried dumplings served in a minty broth or with a side of cocktail sauce. There are wines from Georgia and Turkey to sip alongside, as well as picks from Italy and California. San Leandro restaurant fires up oven Greek-style pizzeria Fournos arrived in San Leandro with a menu that includes 12-inch and 14-inch pies like the feta-and-olive-covered Greek God, along with traditional Margherita and pepperoni pizzas. Yelp users spotted the recent opening, with the gyros and spanakopita ranking as popular items.
%3Amax_bytes(150000)%3Astrip_icc()%2FTAL-header-beachfront-suite-terrace-rosewood-mandarina-RSWDMANDARINA0525-1f117fb6a239481a8442ef00eca35798.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Travel + Leisure
22-05-2025
- Travel + Leisure
Mexico's Newest Luxury Resort Has a Plunge Pool in Every Room, a Mile-long Beach, and Mountain Villas on a 400-foot Peak
Each of the Rosewood Mandarina's chic and spacious 134 guest rooms has an outdoor area with a private plunge pool and loungers. La Cocina, the resort's all-day restaurant, serves up phenomenal Mexican food, including hand-pressed tortillas warmed over the comal , in an open-air dining room, decorated with handmade ceramic and Latin American objets d'art. , in an open-air dining room, decorated with handmade ceramic and Latin American objets d'art. In addition to the on-site activities, such as surfing and paddleboarding, guests also enjoy a variety of adventurous pursuits within the larger Mandarina complex like zip lining, golfing, and pickleball. The resort has four pools and a mile-long sandy beach along Riviera Nayarit, which is an emerging tourist destination between the Sierra Madre Mountains and the Pacific Ocean on Mexico's West Coast. I bit into a slice of charred watermelon—the sweet fruit extinguishing the heat from the jalapeños and zesty leche de tigre topping of my sea bass ceviche. I was sitting at my eight-seat teakwood dining table, steps away from the Pacific Ocean, burrowing my feet deeper and deeper into the sand. As I leaned back in my chair, I peeked my face out from under the shade of the table's umbrella, and let the bright sun warm my face. I'd arrived at the new Rosewood Mandarina, in Mexico's Riviera Nayarit, 40 minutes before, but I had already soaked in my beach suite's polished black Ekol plunge pool and finished a phenomenal lunch. Seated at the beachside dining table, I let the afternoon heat melt away the water droplets dotting my shoulders and the tension underneath. Real life—and real responsibility—already felt far away. Even the resort felt far away; A bridge over an estuary (home to my snappy crocodile neighbors) separated my room from the resort's main gathering areas. Rosewood Mandarina had opened only a few days prior, on May 15, and as the first journalist to see it, I had the nearly mile-long beach to myself. I have reported on almost 20 luxury resorts in Mexico—10 in Los Cabos, a handful on the Riviera Maya, and two just south of Mandarina in Punta Mita—and covered four Rosewood hotels, including the openings of Rosewood Vienna and Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort on the Island of Hawaii. I can honestly say the brand-new Rosewood Mandarina is at the top of my list of Mexican resorts to return to. It is a flawlessly executed, effortless resort vacation: an hour from the Puerto Vallarta airport via a new highway to a 565-acre resort complex that puts you within a four-minute golf cart ride of high-adrenaline adventures, such as zip lining and vertical hikes. What really puts it over the top for me is the stunning architecture by designer Caroline Meersseman of Bando x Seidel Meersseman and two exceptional restaurants helmed by a veteran Rosewood executive chef. View of the ocean from the Beachfront Suite Entry. On my first morning, I rode four zip lines across the Mexican jungle, before returning to my suite for a tall iced coffee and poolside chilaquiles with savory red sauce and a hefty sprinkling of cotija cheese. The next morning, I took a long walk on the beach, in the 6:30 a.m. haze, from my suite to the heart of the resort: La Cocina restaurant. I showed up with bare, sandy feet and sat in the open-air restaurant with a double espresso and a just-pressed green juice of spinach, pineapple, and ginger. Then, I dusted off my feet, put on my sneakers, and followed my guide into the jungle for a steep hike to an imposing, 500-year-old tree that Riviera Nayarit's Indigenous nations call the abuela (grandmother) tree. Each time I returned to the resort, I was tempted by the sprawling pool area, which has no fewer than four jade-colored Sukabumi stone pools with the front two sitting directly on the beach. But I always chose to return to my suite—the pull of the beachfront private plunge pool, perfectly heated to a walk-right-in temperature, was too strong. Scenic view of the beachfront suites. Maya Kachroo-Levine/Travel + Leisure Rosewood Mandarina isn't groundbreaking—major luxury developments with top hotels are popping up all over Central America, including in Baja California's Cabo del Sol, where a Four Seasons just opened, and Costa Palmas, which is slated to welcome an Aman this year; Costa Rica's Peninsula Papagayo, which just got a Ritz-Carlton Reserve; and the Riviera Maya's Kanai, with a new St. Regis and The Edition. But the execution of this resort—the service, the food, the striking design, with suites on the beach, flora-surrounded flatland rooms, and still-to-come mountain accommodations on a peak overlooking the crescent-shaped beach—is near perfect. 'There are three eco-systems within the resort: the beach, the flatlands, which feels like a jungle, and the mountain. It's like three boutique hotels instead of one big resort,' Juan Carlos Cardona Aquino, Rosewood Mandarina's managing director, tells me. And certainly, of all the luxury resorts in Mexico, this is one that travelers could come back to and have a different experience every time. This visit, I came by myself and spent my days zip lining, plunge pooling, and trying every local catch La Cocina and Spanish beach club Buena Onda restaurant could butterfly and grill or cube and serve up as ceviche. When I return, I'll bring my son and husband to stay at the mountain suites overlooking the coast. We'll come during polo season—yes, there's a polo club at the Mandarina complex that you may recognize from a certain Kendall Jenner photoshoot—and watch a match before dining at the alfresco Argentinian grill, Chukker, and making our way back to Rosewood's forthcoming mountaintop speakeasy. Here, my full review of the newest resort in Mexico, and the 33rd hotel in the Rosewood portfolio. The Oceanview Mountain Studio Suite's bedroom and terrace. Each of the Rosewood Mandarina's 134 guest rooms has a private plunge pool. Every piece of furniture, every light fixture, and every decor piece is custom made for the resort, with a lot of the wood accents and objets d'art (like the gorgeous tornillo wood dining tables and the beaded jewelry holders, made by the local Indigenous Wixárika, or Huichol, nation) crafted in Latin America. My beachfront premiere suite was right on the shore (a rarity on Mexico's Pacific Coast, where rooms are often set away from any beach with rougher water), with an outdoor lounge area that had a couch on one side and poolside loungers on the other. The bedroom felt enormous, with nearly 1,100 square feet, including 300 square feet of outdoor space. To get to my room, I would either walk along the beach from the main area of the resort or take the bridge over a scenic estuary that feeds into the Pacific Ocean. Currently, the beach and flatland suites—surrounded by lush native plants and blooming flowers and a short walk to the main pool area and two restaurants—are open. The 64 Mountain rooms, on a 400-foot peak gazing over the resort and mile-long beach, will debut in September. Guests will enjoy the tastes of authentic Mexican dining at La Cocina (The Kitchen). Rosewood knows great food, and Mandarina delivers fantastic Mexican food at all-day dining restaurant La Cocina and Spanish lunches and dinners at Buena Onda. La Cocina feels like a Mexican art gallery, with wooden shelving units displaying ceramics and beaded Wixárika-made figurines, light fixtures made of fine strands of rope, black-and-white woven side tables, and whimsical cushioned swings in the open-air dining room. I chose one of the beach tables for a dinner of charred shrimp aguachile and lobster tacos served with tortillas freshly pressed on the comal in the open kitchen. I finished it off with a carajillo cocktail, which I took with me as I walked down to the water, letting the ocean nip at my toes as the sun sank into the Pacific. Sit beachside and enjoy the Spanish coast cuisine of Buena Onda. Maya Kachroo-Levine/Travel + Leisure On my first night, I had the Nawa mocktail with tamarind and pineapple, and a platter of grilled seafood at Buena Onda. The Spanish-inspired restaurant, perched on the rocks on the far northern edge of the resort's elongated crescent–shaped beach, served up the famed Joselito jamon , imported from Jabugo, Spain, as an appetizer. It was the grilled prawns, octopus, and lobster, caught in the cool waters of the Pacific, brushed with olive oil and parsley, and served with a whole head of roasted garlic, that had me going in for seconds. Still to come: Toppu, a Nikkei restaurant, which is a Peruvian-Japanese fusion cuisine, and a speakeasy on the mountain. There are also restaurants within the 565-acre Mandarina complex, for guests of Rosewood, One&Only Mandarina, Mandarina residents, and the public, including Chukker, the Argentinian grill right alongside the polo field, where the kitchen is six grills under a tarp and the bar is built into a string light-heavy tree. It's exceedingly charming, as is the shared Mandarina beach club with Italian restaurant Allora. Panoramic views of the ocean from the beachfront infinity pool. Maya Kachroo-Levine/Travel + Leisure The main pool area is made up of four TK-foot-long pools, surrounded by gorgeous open-air wooden pavilions, and set along the mile-long beach with covered lounge chairs. Guests can surf and paddleboard at Rosewood's beach or take advantage of the myriad activities offered within the Mandarina complex, which includes the four-zip line course over the jungle that I loved. There are also tennis and pickleball courts, guided hikes, and a pristine nine-hole golf course. I toured the polo field and horse stables, visited the 54 horses that call Mandarina home, and was fully overcome meeting three newborn kittens who have set up shop in the stables. Horseback riding lessons, (seasonal) polo lessons, and horseback rides on the beach are all on offer. When polo season, which runs from November through May, ramps up, pros play matches most weekends. Gustavo Mejia, the Mandarina experiences manager who runs the operation, played 53 matches last year and hosted professional players as well as beginners keen to learn. Guests can take polo lessons or ride horses at the Mandarina Polo & Equestrian Club. I stepped into the kids' club and was immediately greeted by a bevy of hanging wooden toys—rings, a rope swing—plus a small stage, a surplus of interactive and colorful toys, and a spacious yard area outside. Even more charming was the narrative throughline of the kids' club, which follows a deer from the Mexican fairytale 'The Journey of Tunuri and the Blue Deer.' It tells the Indigenous Wixárika story of the blue deer in the Riviera Nayarit's Sierra Madre Mountains, who helps a little boy, Tunuri, who is lost in the woods. The magical blue deer is a messenger between the dream world—a recurring theme in Wixárika culture and artwork—and the real world, and introduces Tunuri to Mother Earth and Father Sun, all in service of getting him back home to his family. Painted scenes within the kids' club depict this tale, featuring vibrant beading, rainbow-colored ropes, and a big blue deer in the yard. When I arrived in my Asaya Spa treatment room, my massage therapist asked me to close my eyes and smell three essential oils. She promised my body would intuitively choose the oil I needed, based on which smelled the best to me. I wound up with a eucalyptus and lemongrass blend to promote physical healing (I gave birth 10 months ago, so, seems right), which she kneaded into my back and down my legs for an hour that passed by all too quickly. I chose to forgo the steam room, sauna, and cold plunge circuit in favor of an hour-long soak back in my private plunge pool. The spa, built around a beautiful higuera (fig tree), has Japanese-French skin care brand EviDens for luxe facials that I would definitely come back for. Rosewood Mandarina has three accessible rooms—one in each of the eco-systems. La Cocina restaurant is accessible, but the beach and any sand walkways leading up to other gathering places are not. On the sustainability front, Rosewood cares for the on-site estuary and works with local biologists to tag and care for the crocodiles, as well as other wildlife. The resort team has planted only native flora on the premises and is working on a larger replanting effort, creating a wild garden near Asaya Spa. Much of the art and materials throughout the hotel are sourced from Mexico and Mexican artists; and I encountered very few single-use plastics during my stay. The scenic coast of Riviera Nayarit. As Riviera Nayarit—the 192-mile stretch between the Sierra Madre Mountains and the Pacific Ocean—expands as a resort destination, the area's resort communities, including Mandarina and Punta de Mita, become more accessible. That's largely thanks to a brand-new section of the Puerto Vallarta-Guadalajara highway. The expanded highway—a much-anticipated multimillion-dollar Mexican infrastructure project—got me from Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR) to Rosewood Mandarina in less than an hour, and it was a very smooth ride. Travelers heading to Rosewood Mandarina should fly into PVR; it's a 2.5-hour flight from Los Angeles International Airport and a nonstop hop from a few other West Coast hubs. Those flying from the East Coast of the U.S. will need to connect, typically in Atlanta (for the Delta loyalists) or Dallas (for the Oneworld crowd). The hotel is an American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts member, which means Amex Platinum cardholders get a host of perks, including a $100 resort credit and complimentary daily breakfast for two. The Amex website also notes that cardholders can book 30-percent-off stays through December 15, 2025, and the Rosewood Mandarina website touts the 30-percent-off opening offer for those booking directly through the hotel. Rosewood does not have a loyalty program. Nightly rates at Rosewood Mandarina start at $1,200. Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.
NZ Herald
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
La Cocina best served in-cinema for glimpse into exciting, exhausting NY restaurant life
Director Alonso Ruizpalacios, left, alongside striking Mexican actor Raúl Briones, right, at a 'La Cocina' press conference in Mexico. Photo / Getty Images La Cocina, directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, is in cinemas now. Set during the lunchtime rush of a bustling New York restaurant, La Cocina portrays the hurly-burly of the kitchen, blending personal drama with warm-hearted camaraderie, dashed with swear words hurled in the mother tongues of its immigrant staff. Central to the story is boozing troublemaker Pedro (striking Mexican actor Raúl Briones), one of several undocumented cooks employed in the famous tourist trap. His arrogant antics are wearing thin. 'Three strikes and you're out!' bellows Lee Sellars' head chef as Pedro takes unscheduled smoko breaks and mucks up meal orders. Chief among Pedro's distractions is Julia (Rooney Mara) a self-possessed waitress with her own problems. The film is loosely based on Arnold Wesker's 1957 play The Kitchen, and though this updated cast wears modern-day sneakers and hoodies, Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios maintains the old-fashioned feel of a Times Square institution, where staff smoke as they slave over hot stoves and make calls from payphones, not cellphones. Adding to its throwback charm, La Cocina is shot in beautifully crisp black and white photography, illuminating the natural performances by a superb cast of mostly unknowns representing an authentically diverse immigrant community. Tensions boil over during a scene with cooks and servers humorously cursing each other out in their florid local slang, while Max, the sole white monolingual American chef, angrily despairs. It's not quite Boiling Point or The Bear but things do get stressful – pounding sound design adds to an intense scene shot in one long take in which everything that can go wrong seemingly does. The script's stage origins are evident in a couple of theatrical moments: a soliloquy in the meat freezer, and the occasional earnest monologue between workers. Brought to the screen, however, the melodramatic aspects are mitigated by the stunning monochrome cinematography. Amidst the companionship and cuisine some vaguely surreal moments still somehow feel in keeping with the overall tone. La Cocina is best served as an in-cinema experience, for immersion in an exciting, exhausting, behind-the-scenes world. Rating out of five:★★★★
Sydney Morning Herald
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
This plot might work in an hour of TV – unfortunately, this is a movie
LA COCINA ★★ (MA) 139 minutes If there were a prize for Most Obtrusive Cinematography, Alonso Ruizpalacios' La Cocina would be in the running. The main setting is the basement kitchen of The Grill, an imagined restaurant close to Times Square that operates on the scale of a small factory (filming was mostly in a studio in Mexico City). The camera tracks laterally along the overhead shelves, and the film's whole midsection is occupied by a single chaotic but carefully choreographed long take in which all hell breaks loose during the lunchtime rush. Elsewhere, dialogue scenes are filmed in heavy alternating close-ups, or the actors are pushed to the edges of the frame, with shots edited so their eyes don't appear to meet. Most of this is in black and white, with the old-school Academy screen ratio boosting the feeling of claustrophobia – though a couple of scenes make use of colour, and the screen expands from time to time, as if Ruizpalacios feared we might be getting bored. Very loosely based on Arnold Wesker's 1957 play The Kitchen, the film is an ensemble piece that follows a large number of employees, the majority of them undocumented immigrants from Latin America, over a single day spent toiling in The Grill's depths. The central plotline involves Pedro (Raúl Briones Carmona), a Mexican cook near the end of his tether, and his waitress girlfriend Julia (a typically tense and whispery Rooney Mara). She's pregnant, he wants the baby and she doesn't, and there's an issue about getting money for an abortion – all of which might be just about enough to sustain an hour-long episode of conventional TV, with other subplots woven in.
