Peter Chang Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach

During his last day working for the Chinese ambassador to the United States, a renowned chef flees the in Washington embassy for a new life in America. He hides in plain sight, working in the kitchens of Chinese restaurants in nearby Virginia—but his phenomenal cooking skills and Sichuan recipes draw attention. As he moves from restaurant to restaurant to evade the Chinese government, a growing number of fans speculate in online message boards about the elusive chef's current location.

A Hollywood director could only dream of coming across a story like this, a story that is in fact the very real life of Master Chef Peter Chang. Chef Chang's unique journey from a poor farm boy in China's Hubei province to an American restaurant mogul has been profiled by the likes of the Washington Post and the New Yorker. But even more people know Chang by his food, specialties such as crispy pork belly, sliced chicken in a special sauce, and hot pots full of mushrooms, flounder, or tofu.

Due to an immigration judge who most likely saw the value in the amount of tax revenue his restaurants could generate, Chang now has the green light to work in the open. He has since opened multiple restaurants in Virginia. If you're lucky, you'll find the master chef himself working in the kitchen on any given night (he likes to stop by his various locations), though his expertise in Sichuan cuisine is always present on each restaurant's menu.