Writer, Director, and
Star Jon Favreau Chats Live via Skype
Media Contact:
Jeff Levine
Communications Manager
845-451-1372
j_levine@culinary.edu
Hyde Park, NY – The new Hollywood feature film , written and directed by and starring , is shaping up to be a box office success
this summer. Before it premiered nationally, more than 1,500 students at all
three U.S. campuses of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) took advantage of a rare opportunity to see the film during special
previews. And for one of those previews, on Wednesday, May 7, Favreau spoke
with the students live via Skype.
To prepare for his role, Favreau was trained to be an
on-screen chef by CIA graduate Roy Choi '98. "He was hoping to send
me to upstate New York to study for, like, six months. But that's not the way
the movie business works," Favreau told students at the Hyde Park, NY campus. "But it shows you how
highly he thinks of the CIA, and I'm really honored to be showing the movie
here."
Choi, a Food &
Wine magazine Best New Chef and pioneer in the food truck movement, also
acted as a technical adviser for the movie's cooking scenes.
"Following (Chef Choi's) footsteps and doing the preparation
exactly as he teaches me, I get insight into his mind," Favreau said. "I love
the discipline of (being a chef). I love the organization of it. I love the
culture of it. Most Hollywood movies get it wrong...I really took some time to
show what the cooking is."
After learning how to cook from an alumnus, Favreau told
students that his character, Carl Casper, is a CIA graduate in the off-camera "back
story" he created to get into the role.
The movie opened in select cities on May 9. In addition to
Favreau, it stars Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson, SofÃa Vergara, John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, and Robert
Downey Jr.
Photo Captions and Hi-Res Image
Photo 1: Students
at The Culinary Institute of America were excited to screen the feature film Chef before its release date. (Photo credits: CIA/Hogan Popkiss)
Photo 2:The Culinary Institute of America's new Marriott Pavilion filled with students and
guests for a preview screening of Chef on the college's Hyde Park, NY campus. (Photo
credits: CIA/Hogan Popkiss)
Photo 3 (top photo): Hollywood actor and director Jon Favreau talks with CIA students via Skype
prior to a screening of his new film Chef. (Photo credits: CIA/Hogan Popkiss)
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is an independent,
not-for-profit college offering associate and bachelor's degrees with majors in
culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, and culinary science, as well as
certificate programs in culinary arts and wine and beverage studies. As the
world's premier culinary college, the CIA provides thought leadership in the
areas of health & wellness, sustainability, and world cuisines &
cultures through research and conferences. The CIA has a network of 46,000
alumni that includes industry leaders such as Grant Achatz,
Anthony Bourdain, Roy Choi, Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Charlie Palmer, and Roy Yamaguchi. The CIA also offers courses for
professionals and enthusiasts, as well as consulting services in support of
innovation for the foodservice and hospitality industry. The college has
campuses in Hyde Park, NY; St. Helena, CA; San Antonio, TX; and Singapore.
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