Advance screening of ‘Chef’ to honor local chef’s memory

EVENT PREVIEW

The "Chef" advance screening event is Tuesday at CinéBistro at Town Brookhaven, 1004 Town Blvd. N.E. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. with beverages, a silent auction and hors d'oeuvres from CinéBistro and local food trucks, followed by a short film from the NY Film Critics Society at 7:30 p.m. and the "Chef" Atlanta premiere at 8 p.m. A live-streamed Q & A session with film critic Peter Travers and "Chef" star, writer and director Jon Favreau follows the movie. Tickets are $50 and available at www.freshtix.com/events/chefmovie. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Terry's Legacy Lives On fund.

There’s a sizzling love scene in “Chef,” the fun foodie flick written, directed, co-produced by and starring Jon Favreau.

It involves a grilled cheese sandwich. We hate to give away plot secrets since the movie isn't out yet, but this particular scene, starring slices of sourdough bread and slivers of Gruyere, medium cheddar and Parmesan cheese, with a generous dollop of butter and swirl of olive oil in key supporting roles, has a very happy ending.

“That grilled cheese sandwich scene took one take,” Favreau told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution during an interview to discuss the movie, with John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergara, Robert Downey Jr. and Dustin Hoffman.

Known for his work in movies including “Iron Man,” “The Wolf of Wall Street” and locally made “Identity Thief,” Favreau just finished work on another Atlanta-shot movie, “Term Life” with Vince Vaughn and Hailee Steinfeld.

“Chef,” like a delectable bar-menu snack, is smaller but special.

“What’s fun about a small movie is you can really arc a character,” said Favreau, who stars as a burned-out chef who starts over in more ways than one by working out of a food truck.

“I can relate very much to the freedom the chef feels when he has nobody to answer to but himself in the food truck,” he said. “Every once in a while, someone who’s creative has to engage in a way that’s true and sincere.”

Although “Chef” doesn’t hit theaters until May 23, an advance screening of the movie is planned for Tuesday, and it benefits a special cause. Taste of Atlanta and CinéBistro at Town Brookhaven are pairing up for a night of food and drinks along with the advance screening.

The event starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, and a portion of proceeds will be donated to Terry’s Legacy Lives On fund. Chef Terry Hall, a beloved member of Atlanta’s food truck community, died in February at age 40 after a battle with lung cancer, and the legacy fund will help pay for his children’s education.

“I miss him every single day,” said Atlanta Street Food Coalition President Greg Smith. “He brought so much passion, energy and drive. We’re certainly still reeling from the loss of him and what he brought.”

A Louisiana native who joined the United States Air Force after school at Southeastern Louisiana University, Hall and his wife, Dawn Hall, founded the Happy Belly Curbside Kitchen.

“My world is pretty much upside down,” Dawn Hall said. “It’s overwhelming to try to wear all the different hats, but I have a great support system.”

The Halls’ children, Mayer Lynne Hall and Henry Terrence Hall, are 5 years and 8 months old. Terry Hall, a nonsmoker, was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer the same week his son was born.

“Terry had this lingering cough for three weeks or so,” Dawn Hall said. “He went to the urgent care, thinking he might have pneumonia. He was thinking he didn’t want to get the baby sick.”

While she is looking forward to the “Chef” event, it’ll be a bittersweet evening, she said.