Forget Dustin Hoffman, Sofia Vergara, or even Scarlett Johansson. The star of ‘Chefs’ is Percy (played by Emjay Anthony), the 10 year old son of the main character in the movie, being Chef Carl Casper, played by Jon Favreau, the writer, director, and producer of the movie. The movie will boost Twitter, as much of it is based on Tweets sent by and about Chef Carl, as well as popularising buying from Food Trucks. Tourism to Miami, Austin in Texas, Los Angeles, and New Orleans should receive a boost too, while the image of food bloggers is unlikely to improve as a result of the movie!
Without giving away too much about the movie, Chef Carl is instructed by the restaurant owner Riva (Dustin Hoffman) to cook the same old way he has done for the past ten years, despite a well-known ‘food blogger’ restaurant critic Ramsey Michel (played by Oliver Platt) coming to eat at the restaurant that evening. The blogger is described as being extremely powerful, having just sold his blog to AOL for $10 million. The reviewer looks a lot like top Cape Town Chef Liam Tomlin! 
Chef Carl’s son Percy had just set up a Twitter account for his dad, and when the reviewer writes a scathing review about his restaurant experience and insults Chef Carl, saying that he has gained weight from all the poor food returned to the kitchen and which is eaten by Chef Carl, he explodes, and retaliates. On Twitter he tells the reviewer what he thinks of him, thinking that the reply would only be seen by the reviewer, but of course it is seen by all his Followers. His Twitter followers increase to 2000+ overnight, and grows to 20000 when restaurant-goers post videos of Chef Carl giving the reviewer a piece of his mind when he comes back to try the restaurant a second time. Chef Carl walks out of the restaurant when the restaurant owner refuses him permission to cook what he wants to cook. The review goes viral on Twitter, he starts trending, and no one wants to employ Chef Carl as a result! Chef Carl verbalises the incredible hurt he feels as a result of the review, and is able to tell the reviewer at a later stage that he was ‘robbed of his pride, career, and dignity‘ by the review.
In Miami he gets a run-down Food Truck, which he and his son clean up, and the business of El Jefe food truck commences when Chef Carl is joined by Martin, one of his chefs from the restaurant. The food truck is painted and branded, fitted with solar panels on its roof, and with loudspeakers blaring Cuban-style music with a strong ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ feel to it. Chefs Carl, Chef Martin, and even new Chef Percy churn out Cubanos, being Cuban sandwiches, but amend their menu as they make stops in New Orleans, Austin Texas, and then in Los Angeles, their home. The music changes as the city they visit changes, being Cuban in Miami, jazz in New Orleans and the blues in Austin. The cities were chosen for their strong food and music culture. Young Chef Percy is adept at Twitter, already has his own iPhone, and posts pics of the Food Truck in its different locations, of the food they serve, and of the queues outside their truck. He makes short videos on Vine, and then creates a conglomerate one from 1 second shots he has captured daily. ‘Selfies‘ are taken and posted!
Readers will have to see the movie to see the unexpected ‘happy end’ in more ways than one. Anyone who enjoys eating out at restaurants, who is a chef, who loves America, who is on Twitter, and those just enjoying a feel-good foot-tapping comedy should see ‘Chef‘. It is advisable to eat before seeing the movie, as it does make one very hungry! The movie’s Twitter feed advises that Favreau is currently shooting #StreetFood for CNN, in all likelihood a documentary.
Chef. www.ChefTheFilm.com See the trailer here. Twitter: @ChefTheFilm Showing at the Labia, as well as Cinema Nouveau movie theatres.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: WhaleCottage
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