Chef – The Movie 2014

Some people might think that because we live in a remote village in the sun in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, that we do not get the current movies.  This could not be further from the truth.  We not only get the latest releases in the two movie theatres we have now but also there is a brisk business of selling DVDs of all movies at the weekly market and outside our number 1 grocery store in San Antonio Tlayacapan- Superlake.

Our daughter had told me about a movie she had enjoyed over last week-end and when my husband returned a day late from a brief trip to Toronto to celebrate one of  his brother’s 60th birthday she brought the DVD of Chef for us to watch.

It was a lovely movie with a great cast including Director, Writer and Star, Jon Favreau as the chef Carl Casper, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, John Leguizamo, Bob Cannavola, Dustin Hoffman, Sofia Vergara (as Carl’s ex-wife), Russell Peters, Oliver Platt and Emjay Anthony as Percy, Carl’s son.

They had a real chef on the set so the food was real and edible and not sprayed with chemicals to make it look good. Oh and what food it was.loses his restaurant job for refusing to cook the tired old menu and starts a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise.

The name of the truck is El Jefe and the main attraction is orginal Cubano sandwiches.  This is a sandwich of  roasted pork shoulder that has been marinated in mojo (a mixture of fresh orange and lime juice, oregano, cilatro cumin, garlic, salt and pepper), excellent quality ham, special sauce and either provolone or swiss cheese served on a freshly baked bun brushed with butter and finished in a pancha (sandwich press) until golden brown.

The special sauce is either some of the mojo mixed with mayo or a good quality yellow mustard.

The Cubano originated in Tampa and sour pickles are a must on this outstanding treat.  There is, however, a running battle that this sandwich, made popular by Cuban exiles, was originated in Miami.  Also another optional ingredient is Genoa Salami.

We watched this movie getting hungier by the moment when our darling daughter brought us ina plate of Cubanos to enjoy with our movie.  What an excellent evening of entertainment and mouthwatering food.

I hope you enjoy Chef as much as we did and I know you will want to make authentic Cubanos forthwith.

Buen provecho!

Carl Casper