Chef Jake Bickelhaupt’s passion for cooking and for doing everything himself is the driving idea behind this high-energy documentary.

42 Grams directed by Jack C. Newell. Screening at the Somerville Theatre on January 25.

Chef Jake Bickelhaupt and guests in “42 Grams.”

By Peg Aloi

“Supper clubs” is a term being bandied about these days; in some contexts the label refers to places where people gather to smoke cannabis and enjoy food together; in others, they are informal gatherings of friends and neighbors where food is shared, either via potluck or a donation given to the hosts. Some underground restaurants, serving high-end gourmet fare, have been charging a market rate for the experience, and one Chicago chef turned his home-based scheme into an award-winning restaurant.

42 Grams provides an intimate and detailed look at the odyssey that brought chef Jake Bickelhaupt and his wife Alexa Welsh from hosting a small number of guests in their small Chicago apartment every weekend (an event called “Sous Rising”) to opening their uptown restaurant 42 Grams on the first floor of their building in a former fast food chicken place. (The name refers to the concept that the soul weighs 21 grams; the eatery was a combination of his and his wife’s essence and efforts.) After being open only ten months, 42 Grams debuted in the famed Michelin Guide with two stars, a feat almost unheard of. At the beginning of the film, we see Alexa collecting an enormous number of wine corks from their Sous Rising days. She starts gluing them, collage style, into an enormous wood frame that will later, with the addition of corks from 42 Grams, become a prominent piece of wall art that diners can look at and feel part of.

Bickelhaupt’s passion for cooking and for doing everything himself is the driving idea behind this high-energy documentary. At barely 30 years of age, and looking a lot like a young John Cusack (albeit with a shaved head), his vitality seems boundless; his enthusiasm is so revved-up that he sometimes can barely finish one sentence before beginning another. Bickelhaupt recalls that he rejected working in the restaurant industry because his high standards caused friction; we see evidence of this later on with his own employees. But it’s a commonly-held notion that the most accomplished chefs are difficult personalities in a high-stress industry. Bickelhaupt’s impatience and irritability seem to dovetail with his need for precision and perfection.

It’s compelling to see how Bickelhaupt and his wife (who held down a full-time job in addition to helping with the restaurants) manage to turn out masterful cuisine in a small space. One key strategy is carefully labeling small amounts of myriad ingredients in containers that are kept in refrigerators, freezers, and cupboards. The cinematography deliciously captures the color and vitality of these ingredients, whether during a phase of “R & D” with a friend who works for free, or when plating dishes for the guests who pay a hefty sum for what some diners call the finest food they’ve ever eaten. Micro-greens and herb blossoms are a mainstay of Bickelhaupt’s elaborate creations; as are foams, shaved nuts, and the molding and cutting of food into unexpected shapes. Expense seems to be no object as he makes use of mushrooms from France and such exotic items as quail’s eggs and sturgeon. One scene shows Bickelhaupt cutting medallions of Wagyu beef, which sells for $93 per pound (wholesale!), opining that he’ll use the trimmings to make sauce.

The story of the debut of 42 Grams unfolds dramatically, from the stressful opening night to the loss of Bickelhaupt’s favorite sous chef when he moves across the country. When the call from Michelin arrives, and his lofty goal of being awarded two stars becomes a reality, Bickelhaupt is overcome with emotion. But, after this triumph, 42 Grams seems to move from a goal-driven narrative to a series of short and somewhat disjointed scenes. This may reflect the feeling of relief after all that tension. Still, it’s nice to see the couple, who have been through some tense moments, reveling in their success, to the point of deciding to take some time off and travel.

Titles announce that 42 Grams gains two more two star Michelin ratings in the years that follow. But then, suddenly, in its third year, the restaurant closes abruptly, and the couple divorces in early 2017. The final shots are mesmerizing side-by-side sequences of dishes being prepared and eaten; the film is sped up and the preparation is shown in reverse order. No details are provided regarding why the restaurant closed, or why the couple split up. But, in the end, it is still all about appreciating food. The film’s stunning final images suggest that there will be no end to this passionately creative endeavor, driven by the hunger to satisfy.

Peg Aloi is a former film critic for The Boston Phoenix. She taught film and TV studies for ten years at Emerson College, and currently teaches at SUNY New Paltz. Her reviews also appear regularly online for The Orlando Weekly, Cinemazine, and Diabolique. Her long-running media blog “The Witching Hour” can be found at themediawitch.com.