The Bear is a big hit for FX, and it is slowly becoming its own kind of phenomenon. It practically swept at the Emmys last year, and it is expected to receive the same awards attention this year. The popularity of the show can be attributed to a lot of things: great writing, career-making performances, and relatability. People who have worked in restaurants of any kind know how stressful the environment can be. Now, a world-renowned chef who actually appeared on The Bear as a guest star is speaking about the realism of the series and if it is reflective of the fine dining industry.
In a recent interview, triple Michelin star Chef René Redzepi spoke about his experience appearing on the show, as well as if he believes The Bear is an accurate portrayal of working in a high-end restaurant. If anyone would know, it’s Chef Redzepi, who works at Noma, which is widely considered to be one of the best restaurants in the world. The Bear even shot scenes at Noma to make the environment as accurate as possible to a real fine dining experience. Additionally, he made a cameo in the first episode of the most recent season, which you can see below:
While Chef Redzepi believed the stress depicted in the FX series was accurate, he also highlighted that a lot of creative liberties were taken in the show. He told MovieWeb:
The Bear is like when I grew up, and I watched The Wire. And The Wire was the best show on Earth. The Bear is The Wire of our time. And while some of it is fiction, or a lot of it is fiction, the restaurant industry can be a very, very tough place to be in. So much stress. And, so, of course, they have that in there. And no doubt that this can be a stressful place.
This seems to be a commonly shared sentiment amongst the restaurant community. A lot of chefs have previously said that watching The Bear is difficult because of the feelings of anxiety it brings up. However, other chefs have been more critical of The Bear’s realism, saying that the show did not mirror their experience at all. Every restaurant is different, but it seems like the Jeremy Allen White-led series has made a strong effort to be as true to life as possible, even encouraging the cast to gain real-life baking and cooking experience.
The choice to feature Chef Redzepi’s restaurant in particular is a strong one. The Copenhagen restaurant is a much more serene environment that pastry chef Marcus is sent to in order to brush up his skills in the show. The Bear restaurant, however, is the opposite environment. The Chicago restaurant’s high end exterior is contrasted by the yelling, and often impatient chef in Carmy.
Showing establishments like Noma and Ever and their quiet kitchens offers even more of an insight into the overall restaurant industry, and how not every kitchen needs to be as outwardly noisy and intense to function.
Whether The Bear is channeling world-renowned restaurants like Noma in Season 3, or townie sandwich joints which was Season 1’s focus, it seems like it is getting a lot right. The dramedy has showcased the “pressure-cooker” kind of environments that exist within a lot of kitchens, and how this can even get more complex as personal relationships become involved.
Of course, The Bear is still a TV show that seeks to entertain an audience, and it’s implied that many elements will be exaggerated or dramatized for storytelling's sake. However, praise from chefs like Redzepi is an incredible feat and definitely a reason for Christopher Storer and the rest of the team to pat themselves on the back.
You can check out The Bear now with a Hulu subscription, and revisit Chef René Redzepi’s cameo in Season 3’s first episode titled “Tomorrow.” He also has his own series available for those with an AppleTV+ subscription titled Omnivore, where the chef explores flavors and dishes from around the world.
