Last summer, Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, and Robert Downey, Jr. started popping up in some strange Miami locales: Little Havana's Hoy Como Ayer, for example, and the lobby and valet areas of the Fontainebleau. Video cameras -- and droves of surprised local fans -- followed them everywhere.
It was all in service of Chef, the Favreau-written, -directed, and -starring film about a Miami native who returns home after he "flames out" while trying to succeed in the restaurant business in L.A. Now, the film is ready for audiences, and it's snagged a pretty sweet premiere: opening this year's South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas.
See also: Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara Filming Chef in Miami This Week
The festival, which runs March 7-15 this year, announced its lineup yesterday, with appearances ranging from Girls creator Lena Dunham to cult Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky. Representing the middle of that cultural spectrum is Chef, which the SXSW website describes thusly:
When Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner (Dustin Hoffman), he is left to figure out what's next. Finding himself in Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara), his friend (John Leguizamo) and his son (Emjay Anthony) to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen -- and zest for life and love.
See also: Chef Filming in Miami: Behind the Scenes with Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo
Chef also stars Scarlett Johansson, Bobby Cannavale, Oliver Platt, Robert Downey, Jr., and -- if the scene makes it into the film -- Miami's own El Jefe food truck, which made an appearance during filming at the Fontainebleau last August.
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