HOLLYWOOD -- Add chef to Hector Elizondo's resume.

In the ensemble comedy Tortilla Soup, Elizondo plays a Mexican-American chef in L.A. who discovers he is losing his three grown daughters and his ability to taste and smell.

It is a remake of Ang Lee's Asian domestic comedy Eat, Drink, Man, Woman.

"Ang was delighted we were Americanizing his movie. He gave us his full blessing," says Elizondo, who is best known for roles in such Gary Marshall films as Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, The Flamingo Kid, The Other Sister and The Princess Diaries.

Though Tortilla Soup boasts a cast that includes Raquel Welch, Paul Rodriguez and Elizabeth Pena, it was made for just $2 million US.

"We all did it for the love of the material and the fact it pays homage to Mexican-Americans without making any of them thugs, felons or drug dealers."


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