Put this comedy on the shortlist of good films about food. It pushes some easy and unnecessary sentimentality, sure, but it’s charming despite that because of its sincere fascination with the world of chefs. Just as his characters know how to savor a good carne asada or Cuban sandwich, Writer/director/star Jon Favreau savors kitchen lingo and the sights and sounds of sauteing, grilling, chopping and slicing. If you’ve ever earned a living in or around a kitchen, this film feels taken straight from real life. You’d think Favreau had been working the line in a restaurant for the past ten years instead of directing Iron Man movies. The story of an ambitious chef (Favreau) who solves several problems in his life (everything from an employer with little patience for his ideas to bad reviews from a high profile critic for food that he didn’t want to cook in the first place to a strained relationship with his son) when he goes for broke on his own gourmet food truck is the film’s vehicle and the food itself is the engine. Half of the film is actually a road movie with Favreau, right-hand-man John Leguizamo and son Emjay Anthony plying their wares curbside in Miami, New Orleans and Austin, all shot on-location (if you’ve done much eating in Austin, you’ll get a warm feeling when the film dives into the smoking pits at Franklin Barbecue). Along the way, we get brief appearances from Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr., as well as a nice rumble in your stomach when it’s all over. My recommendation: See this movie before dinner, because you’re gonna be hungry afterward.