Jon Favreau is CHEF

Jon Favreau is very serious about CHEF. It’s his baby, after all. He wrote, directed, and co-starred in this lovely fable about a chef who has to have the rug pulled out from under him to find out what it means to be successful. Hence his willingness to sit down for an interview at 6:45 a.m. on May 13, 2014. The early hour, after a late night of screening the film for professional chefs the night before, did nothing to dampen Favreau’s eloquence at an hour that wo

Jon Favreau is very serious about CHEF. It’s his baby, after all. He wrote, directed, and co-starred in this lovely fable about a chef who has to have the rug pulled out from under him to find out what it means to be successful. Hence his willingness to sit down for an interview at 6:45 a.m. on May 13, 2014. The early hour, after a late night of screening the film for professional chefs the night before, did nothing to dampen Favreau’s eloquence at an hour that would test mere coherence for some. As I may have mentioned before in this blog, and made of point of mentioning to Favreau as we chatted, I am from New Orleans, and so naturally I made a point of bringing up the scenes shot there, particularly of beignets being made at the legendary Cafe du Monde. He used it as a jumping off point to talk about the way food in such an integral part of our memories, and of our lives away from the table. We also talked about the zen of the kitchen, the right way to make a grilled cheese sandwich, and why details matter. It was more than worth getting up that early.

CHEF itself is a film about food, passion, and following a dream. In particular, that of Chef Carl Casper, who didn’t take a bad review from a food critic lying down. Instead he uses the pain, and the subsequent very public meltdown, to reinvent his life, and to rediscover what it means to be true to himself and his art by hitting the road in a food truck as his own boss. Yet, for all the loving shots of food, and the philosophical ponderings about the meaning of art, in this case food, the heart of the film is a buddy story between a father and his son, who do their own resdiscovering about what it means to be a family. Favreau stars at Chef Carl, and he directed from his own script. The film co-stars Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey, Jr, Dustin Hoffman, John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, Bobby Canavale, Amy Sedaris, and Emjay Anthony. Favreau’s previous work includes the iconic SWINGERS, ELF, IRON MAN, and on television DINNER FOR FIVE, his first foray into blending film and food. Eric the clown on Seinfeld.

uld test mere coherence for some. As I may have mentioned before in this blog, and made of point of mentioning to Favreau as we chatted, I am from New Orleans, and so naturally I made a point of bringing up the scenes shot there, particularly of beignets being made at the legendary Cafe du Monde. He used it as a jumping off point to talk about the way food in such an integral part of our memories, and of our lives away from the table. We also talked about the zen of the kitchen, the right way to make a grilled cheese sandwich, and why details matter. It was more than worth getting up that early.

CHEF itself is a film about food, passion, and following a dream. In particular, that of Chef Carl Casper, who didn’’t take a bad review  from a food critic lying down. Instead he uses the pain, and the subsequent very public meltdown, to reinvent his life, and to rediscover what it means to be true to himself and his art by hitting the road in a food truck as his own boss. Yet, for all the loving shots of food, and the philosophical ponderings about the meaning of art, in this case food, the heart of the film is a buddy story between a father and his son, who do their own resdiscovering about what it means to be a family. Favreau stars at Chef Carl, and he directed from his own script. The film co-stars Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey, Jr, Dustin Hoffman, John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, Bobby Canavale, Amy Sedaris, and Emjay Anthony. Favreau’’s previous work includes the iconic SWINGERS, ELF, IRON MAN, and on television DINNER FOR FIVE, his first foray into blending film and food. Eric the clown on Seinfeld.