If there's one show that's captured audiences across all ages and areas, it's The Bear. For those who might not have seen (or heard about it), the Chicago-based show follows chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (played by Jeremy Allen White) and his team including actors Ayo Edebri and Will Poulter as they strive to earn their first MICHELIN Star. However, this latest season (streaming now on Hulu) also features some familiar faces in The MICHELIN Guide universe. Thomas Keller, René Redzepi, and Dave Beran are just a few of the boldfaced chefs taking in some of the dishes in the fictional Windy City boîte.
With that, we asked a few of the other kitchen regulars—Grant Achatz, Daniel Boulud, and Christina Tosi—about what it was like on-set and how real the show portrays the industry. Below, find out how the chefs dealt with cameras in their face, who they want to see on the show next, and their favorite part of filming.
Daniel Boulud, Two MICHELIN Star Daniel
How did you get involved with The Bear?
Through my good friend Will Guidara, who is a consultant on the show. He gave me a call and connected me with the show’s team.
What was your experience on-set?
The set was Restaurant Daniel, so I felt right at home. The cast and crew were extremely respectful of our space and efficient. It was such a pleasure working with them.
What was your favorite part shooting / filming?
It was fun seeing what Jeremy (aka Carmy) could do. I was impressed by his focus and commitment to learn. He can come back and work in my kitchen anytime.
What’s the realest part of your on-set experience?
The entire experience, minus the cameras, was very real. It was like a regular day in the kitchen. It was the first time I didn’t have to do a second take!
Do you think the show portrays the industry accurately? If not, please explain.
From my experience working with The Bear team, it is apparent that they all care about the industry and how it is portrayed. Sure, some things are intensified, but for the most part they display the passion, obsession, intensity, dedication, drama, and joy of being a Chef.
Grant Achatz, Three MICHELIN Star Alinea
How did you get involved with The Bear?
They reached out to us because they were going to shoot at Alinea. We had a full book of reservations so we had to pass on it. I really wanted to be involved because I had seen some of the director's work. And then Chef Dave Beran (of Pasjoli) who was with me for 10 years flew into Chicago to be on-set with them and was speaking to the director. So Dave texted me and was like, "Come down to set. They want to talk to you about possibly writing you in." Two days later, they said, "Show up at this time and here's what we're going to do." It was fun.
What was your exact role? Did you have lines?
Chris [Storer, The Bear's director] knows I'm not an actor. He tells me, "Will's going to ask you a bunch of questions and I just want you to answer them naturally." I'm thinking, okay, but why would that be awkward and uncomfortable? He never told me the questions that Will was going to ask me, and, in fact, he was smart enough to know I get bombarded with these types of questions a fair bit. Sometimes in the right setting, they are a bit, I don't know, annoying. They also didn't tell me when they started rolling. So he starts asking me all these questions about the [edible] balloon and the Hot Potato, Cold Potato. I didn't even know that we were rolling. As he kept rolling, I was like, this is kind of ridiculous thinking when are we going to start? At the very end, I just tapped [Chris] on the shoulder and I was like, "I got to go". I turned around looking for Matty Matheson thinking they were going to be right behind the camera getting all of this, and nobody was there. Did we film it? And they're like, "Oh, yeah, we got it all. It was perfect. That's exactly the reaction we wanted." And that was it. It was very, very smart on their part because obviously chefs, some of us are used to talking to a crowd, but whenever you're filming, especially for something as kind of permeating like that show has been, I'm sure there would've been some nerves. And when you're trying to recite lines, sometimes you forget. So they really made it naturally annoying, which I thought was brilliant.
Do you think the show portrays the restaurant industry accurately?
I was very, very impressed with the nuances, the language, the scenarios where people are getting frustrated. Some of the outbursts were all very, very familiar to me in a pre-pandemic mode where kitchens were a little bit more volatile and a little bit more aggressive in their management style. I think very few restaurants in the country actually act like that anymore. But to me it was spot on: the terminology, the energy, the things that they would say that you're like, wow, that was a detail that you would only know to say if you were entrenched in the industry.
Were there any 'Hollywood magic' moments on-set for dramatic effect?
I had watched the show previous to filming, and I was impressed with it from the very beginning. I was like, these guys really did their due diligence and their homeworks and made sure that they got this right. I think when they made the decision to have Chef Beran take in the actors out in LA prior to filming, that had a huge impact on their understanding of the mechanics of a real kitchen.
Did you notice a bump in bookings and your social following after your appearance?
Alinea is fortunate enough to be booked out pretty much as soon as we release tickets. I would say five tables, mention it to me, people that I haven't talked to in years since high school, email me or email or text my mom on Facebook so that they can get my number and text me and be like, "Oh my God, I saw you."
Which chef would you like to see make a cameo next season?
Jordan Kahn. His restaurant Vespertine (and Meteora), [is] in my opinion the best restaurant in the country. It is wildly creative, and Jordan himself is such an interesting person. I think it would be fun to have that element introduced into it because his restaurant is incredibly cerebral. It's polished, but feels very zen in there. And I think that should be a nice contrast or a complement, depending on how they frame it with whatever. Alex Stuack [of Empellón] would be an awesome one because once again, you have somebody that was a world renowned pastry chef that transitioned into Mexican food and it's whip smart. So I imagine some of his dialogue would be add a lot of color to the show.
Outside of your own performance, which chef did the best on screen?
I thought Kevin Boehm [of Boka Restaurant Group which includes Boka, Alla Vita, Girl & The Goat, Cabra, Momotaro, Izakaya at Momotaro, Swift & Sons, Cira, Laser Wolf) was really good in my episode. It seemed pretty natural. I even thought Wylie [Dufresne] was really natural. So yeah, probably those two.
Christina Tosi, Founder MilkBar (former pastry chef, Momofuku Noodle Bar)
How did you get involved with The Bear?
Being friends with many on the show including and especially Chris Storer (had been a fan of his previous work for years), I was welcomed even further in when my husband Will Guidara became a producer in this season, as well!
What was your experience on-set?
It was both incredibly humbling and super cool! The culture the Bear team has on and off set is truly one of a kind and a testament to why that show delivers such true, real emotion, beauty and humanity. They get IT.
What was your favorite part of shooting / filming?
Getting to share space and conversation with some of my favorite culinary talents and peers amongst the brilliant cast, merging our real lives with the beloved fictional storyline was a dream. Call hanging with Malcolm, Rosie, Anna, Genie, Kevin, Wylie, and more a day at the proverbial office and crushing a day in Chicago, woof, pinch me!
What’s the realest part of your on-set experience?
There was no script! Chris just gave us some topics and we chatted freely and openly then he yelled “cut- great” only to find not a moment was edited out.
What was ‘Hollywood magic’ / the most unrealistic part of filming?
Dressing and sitting for an evening dinner before lunch- ha!
Do you think the show portrays the industry accurately? If not, please explain.
I think everyone has their own experience in our tricky, sticky, beloved at times, incredibly challenging at others industry. I think The Bear does a wonderful job bringing to life the rollercoaster of what that might look like- tensions, emotions, trials, tribulations, celebrations and funerals. The strength of the human spirit, the Love (capital L) that many have that’s complicated and hard to put to words, can only be shown in scenes, is the closest thing to real and true to my experience I’ve seen before.
Hero image: Courtesy of Daniel Boulud
