In a pleasant little case of art imitating life, filmmaker Jon Favreau leaves the world of big-budget extravaganzas to return to his indie roots with Chef, a film in which he stars, directs, and writes about a celebrated chef who exits his high profile job at a popular Los Angeles eatery to rediscover his creativity and love for cooking.

Breezy, simple, and poignant, Chef feels cathartic, almost like a jabbing response in a way for the director of such heavyweight studio tentpoles as Elf, Iron Man, and Cowboys and Aliens. Favreau saw an opportunity to tell an affectionate little story here – and without studio intervention – about a flawed hero. Chef allows Favreau’s characters to speak in the voices he gives them. Sure, it’s not exactly an insightful observation to pick up on the correlation between Favreau’s career and his latest film, but it is nice to see his enthusiasm, once again, become the star of the show. And his enthusiasm this time is for food. Favreau plays Carl Casper, a once-promising Miami chef who now runs the kitchen at a trendy Brentwood restaurant. We learn that creatively, he’s running on empty and his personal life isn’t much better because he’s now divorced and disconnected from his 11-year-old son.

Many of the film’s opening shots show intimate close-ups of Carl’s culinary handiwork. He deftly chops, dices, and expertly creates mini gastronomic masterpieces before our eyes. If his creations aren’t some of the film’s most interesting characters in and of themselves (namely the Cuban sandwich), they are certainly given as much attention, hypnotizing our taste buds as Chef Carl lovingly curates and savors every ingredient.

After learning that popular food blogger Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt) will be coming to review the restaurant, Carl plans to dazzle the critic with a new menu. But the restaurant’s stodgy owner (Dustin Hoffman) begins to exert control over the menu by demanding Carl “play the hits” with the same safe “meat and potatoes” dishes that have filled seats night after night for years. Disappointed at the meal’s lack of creativity, Ramsey naturally turns in a scathing review which leads to a public spat between the critic and chef that quickly goes viral on YouTube. With a once-illustrious career reduced to an internet punch line, Carl finds himself broke, jobless, and out-of-sorts.

Following the suggestion of his wealthy ex-wife Inez (Sofia Vergara), Carl eventually accepts her offer of a beat-up food truck which he, along with his son Percy (Emjay Anthony) and long-time line cook Martin (John Leguizamo), uses to start up a rolling kitchen that offers their mouthwatering take on the Cuban sandwich. Chef becomes a road trip movie as the trio treks from Miami back to L.A. -- making memorable stops in such culinary hotspots as New Orleans and Austin. This journey helps Carl reconnect with his passion for cooking as well as with his son.

Chef’s overall lack of deep conflict is initially a bit disconcerting as we sit in a cautious state of anticipation, waiting for something bad to happen. But its non-conventional structure soon becomes its most endearing asset. What little conflict there is feels more like a gentle life lesson rather than anything life-altering. And whereas most three-act films tend to mire the hero in crushing defeat right before its triumphant closing act, Chef opens down and out in a mild depression, then carries us on a gentle upward-sloping track where everyone – including the viewers – gradually grows happier.

Chef comes across as a delightful little tale. It gently prioritizes freedom, opportunity, and love of family over money and prestige. Happily, this film reminds us that Favreau can make life’s most simple moments as grand as its most spectacular ones..

(Released by Open Road Films and rated “R” for language, including some suggestive references.)

Review also posted at www.franksreelreviews.com.)