Hungry for Laughs – Go See Chef!

Last week, on a gorgeous day in Santa Monica, I attended a fun event where I got to sample different varieties of macaroni & cheese from the Stouffer’s Mac ‘N Cheese Food Truck.

We had the opportunity to meet Chef Lucien Vendome, who happily passed out samples of Classic Mac, Pizza Mac, Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cuban Mac.

(image credit: The Moms)

My favorite was the Classic Mac, dressed up with crispy bacon & chives. Who can resist bacon?! I sure can’t…

After the tasting event, I caught an early screening of the movie Chef, which was written & directed by Jon Favreau. Jon also acts in the movie playing Carl Casper, a chef at an upscale restaurant that is owned by Dustin Hoffman’s character.

In the movie we learn that when Carl started out, he was a rising star who created innovative food & had a promising future. However in this point of his career, instead of using his talent to come up with unique menus, he has to toe the line & make what the restaurant owner wants him to cook. A food critic (played by Oliver Platt) pays a visit & rips into Carl on his food blog, by basically saying that his food is safe & pedestrian. Naturally Carl goes ballistic.

Bobby Cannavale (from Boardwalk Empire) & John Leguizamo (most recently seen in Ride Along) cook alongside Jon Favreau’s character in the kitchen & are hilarious in the movie! There’s an interesting side plot that illustrates how in the age of social media, you better be careful about engaging in Twitter wars.

Jon Favreau’s son in the movie is played by Emjay Anthony. In the film, he becomes Carl Casper’s social media manager (by default) as the father & son go road-tripping in Carl’s new food truck venture. Emjay also happened to be at the screening in Santa Monica. Isn’t he adorable?

I found the movie to be funny, totally original & the cast had great chemistry. Speaking of cast, I’m pretty sure that Jon Favreau called in favors with his Iron Man buddies because both Scarlett Johansson & Robert Downey Jr. are in the film. The always funny Robert Downey Jr. is only in a few scenes but makes the most of his screen time, stealing the show during those hilarious scenes.

Roy Choi (chef, author & restaurant owner) is a producer on the film. If you ever wondered what the man behind the Kogi food truck craze looks like, make sure to stay through the end of the credits. As someone who loves food trucks & has been a fan of Kogi since the beginning, I really appreciated that moment.

Take note that the movie is Rated R, so make sure to leave the kids at home! If you’ve ever worked in a kitchen, like two of my uncles who have made a living as a chef & line cook, then you’ll know that tough talking & wise cracking is par for the course. If you’re looking for laughs, then go see Chef!

Chef opens in select theaters on May 9th!
Visit the official website
Like Chef the Film on Facebook
Follow @ChefTheFilm on Twitter #ChefMovie

I was invited to a media event hosted by The Moms which helped facilitate this review. All images are mine unless otherwise noted. Though a post was not required, I wanted to share my experience. All opinions are my own.