On the very first day of the conference, Jon Favreau unveiled his latest, Chef. It’s a comedown from films like Iron Man, but judging by the reviews, the indie flick is charming and clever enough (and features enough food porn) to be a great return to basics for Favreau. His character is a creatively frustrated chef who opens a food truck after losing his restaurant job. He hits the road with his sous chef (John Leguizamo, at his grooviest) and his 11-year-old son (charming newcomer Emjay Anthony), making beautifully-filmed pit stops in foodie meccas New Orleans and Austin. The nod to Austin cooking did not go unappreciated by the local audience. Following in the footsteps of foodie redemption stories like Eat, Drink, Man, Woman, Big Night, and Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, is definitely a treat. A live Q&A with Favreau, Leguizamo, Anthony, and Oliver Platt followed. Favreau expressed his hope about the indie flick’s box office chances. It opens in theaters on May 9.

Jon Favreau
Jon Favreau returns to his indie roots with Chef.

The big one, however, had to have been Veronica Mars. A lot has been written about the premiere, during which the cast proved themselves to be one of the most adorable groups of human beings in Hollywood. As for the film itself, not much has been written since its two exclusive premieres for Kickstarter backers. While quotes from the press conference are already floating around online, any actual movie news will probably be kept on the DL until the film’s official release on March 14. 

Check out the Veronica Mars trailer below.