Comfort food. (No pun intended.)
I am aware of the whole “man encounters a middle aged crisis” film genre, and I know it’s middling. But this sort-of-maybe-but-maybe-not-autobiography film for Favreau is not only his best movie, but maybe the best that genre has to offer.
In my opinion, Chef sits with Ratatouille among the best metaphorical films about filmmaking/creativity, food, and professional critics.