The Road Called Life

Chef is a 2014 road comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Jon Favreau. Favreau plays a celebrity chef who establishes a food truck business with his friends and young son. It co-stars Sofía Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Cannavale, Amy Sedaris, Emjay Anthony, and Dustin Hoffman. Robert Downey Jr. appears in a cameo. Favreau wrote the script after directing several big-budget films, wanting to go "back to basics" and to create a film about cooking. The chef Roy Choi was 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 $49.8 million on a budget of $11 million.