You can tell when an actor knows what they’re doing on screen and when they don’t. Sports movies usually pull in athletes wherever they’re shooting to give the action a realistic feel. Specialized skills are hard to fake. So you have to respect an actor who puts in the time to get it right.

Iron Man 1 and 2 director Jon Favreau, who also reprised his role as Tony Stark’s neurotic driver/head of security in the third film, is deep in preparation for his latest project, Chef. Details are sparse at the moment, but it seems that the movie will be a comedy about a chef in an upscale Los Angeles restaurant. Favreau will both direct and star in the picture. Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergara, and John Leguizamo are all attached as cast as well.

Favreau has been researching for the film by working as an assistant to Roy Choi, a rising star in the food world who got is start running an L.A. food truck. Choi has since launched three restaurants. He recently teamed with Wolfgang Puck and New York cooking luminary David Chang to offer a one-night-only seven course tasting menu which drew some of the biggest names in the L.A. food world and was priced at $190 a head.

Chef Roy Choi in his gourmet food truck, Kogi

As the dinner progressed, news began to spread that among the sous chefs and other assistants in the kitchen was Jon Favreau. Indeed, he was assisting Choi with a seafood dish, very much a cog in the kitchen rather than a casual observer.

Favreau has reportedly spent the last few weeks working at various kitchen stations in all Choi’s restaurants, “to see what it’s really all about – the whole journey,” said Choi.

Specific roles have not yet been announced, but details will likely start coming out when the film rolls into full production next month.