Chef (2014 film)

Chef is a 2014 road comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Jon Favreau, who also stars in the film as a celebrity chef who quits his job at a popular Los Angeles restaurant following a public altercation with a food critic and begins to operate a food truck with his friends and his young son. It co-stars Sofía Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Cannavale, Amy Sedaris, Emjay Anthony, and Dustin Hoffman, along with Robert Downey Jr. in a cameo role.

Favreau wrote the script after directing several big-budget films, wanting to go "back to basics" and to create a film about cooking. Food truck owner and chef Roy Choi served as a co-producer and oversaw the menus and food prepared for the film. Principal photography took place in July 2013 in Los Angeles, Miami, Austin and New Orleans.

Chef premiered at South by Southwest on March 7, 2014, and was released theatrically in the United States on May 9, 2014, by Open Road Films. It was well received by critics, who praised the direction, music, writing, story, and performances, and grossed $46 million against a production budget of $11 million.