Hungry for More After ‘The Bear’ Season 2? 7 Fictional Chefs We Love
The Bear just dropped its sophomore season, and we’ve never wanted to visit the windy city of Chicago more.
This season is an ode to fine cuisine. We’re taken all the way to rainy Copenhagen to watch Marcus (Lionel Boyce) learn the intricacies of delicately crafting inventive desserts that look almost too beautiful to eat. We then traverse back downtown to Chicago as Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) indulges in Kasama’s Filipino breakfast sandwich that makes your mouth water at the sight of the toasty bun and the buttery, crispy goodness of the fresh hash brown.
We see these characters’ travels to different destinations, but even more importantly, each character goes through a personal journey this season. The show not only highlights the beauty of food but also the art of fine dining as a whole. A restaurant is not just its food. It’s also the people that work there, the people that attend, and the environment and experiences produced.
The creativity and passion featured truly make you appreciate the beauty of food and how it is sometimes an undermined, yet prominent part of our lives. Even Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) who arguably embodies the antithesis of fine dining, finds appreciation and meaning in the art of running an upscale restaurant.
With all of these complex stories and devotion depicted, how can we not miss watching Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) thoughtfully decorate a plate with pasta bolognese for Claire (Molly Gordon) or feel our hearts warm as Sydney crafts an omelet for Sugar (Abby Elliott)?
Can you not help but find yourself saying “Yes, Chef” after finishing The Bear? Below, find our list of fictional chefs that we wish could cook for us.
Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto, The Bear
Even though we could put almost the entire cast on this list, we had to go with the most obvious choice. Admired by his peers and revered by his colleagues, Carmy has unbridled talent when it comes to cooking. Beyond that, he has a deep love for creating and sharing dishes. He displays pureness in his appreciation through his actions towards others. He compliments others on their innovation, like Marcus in his many edible escapades, and gives constructive advice when needed, like to Sydney when they are testing dishes for the new restaurant. Plus, who wouldn’t want a meal from an award-winning, professionally trained chef?
Seasons 1 & 2, Streaming Now, Hulu
Luke Danes, Gilmore Girls
The comments Luke (Scott Patterson) makes may be dry, but the food served at Luke’s looks far from it. The popular hardware store-turned-diner always seems to stay busy at every time of day. Despite Luke’s strong distaste and aggressive opposition towards any form of change, including substitutions to orders or changes to his menu, the classic food never seems to get old for the people of Star’s Hollow. Because of his commitment to tradition and protection towards the items on his menu, you can’t help but want to try a sip of the coffee that keeps Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel) up every morning or the juicy burgers with crispy fries that he serves to them late at night. Underneath Luke’s hard exterior and backward hat, he’s a softie who shows his compassion through food. It’s an expression of his love. That has to make it taste good, right?
Streaming Now, Netflix
Monica Geller, Friends
How could we ever forget about Monica’s (Courteney Cox) occupation after the countless iconic Thanksgiving episodes of Friends? Her talent is undeniable considering she worked at numerous restaurants throughout New York City and even earned the position of Head Chef by making someone a marinara sauce. Outside of industrial kitchens, Monica is constantly cooking something up in her own. For her, it’s more than an occupation; she has an emotional connection to the craft. (She makes mounds of jam to cope with a breakup!) Her passion and perfectionism elevate her dishes so much that it also impacts others’ emotions. We are dying to try the leftover Thanksgiving sandwich that makes Ross (David Schwimmer) blurt out that the sandwich is the only good thing in his life.
Streaming Now, Max
Soup Nazi, Seinfeld
Yev Kassem (Larry Thomas), nicknamed the “Soup Nazi” because of his strict rules for ordering and constant yelling, only appears majorly in one episode of Seinfeld. However, we can never get over the character, based on a real-life chef in Manhattan, who has Jerry Seinfeld running through the streets of New York just to get a cup of it. The fact that Yev can demand such strict compliance to his orders and still have a dedicated and large customer base proves the quality of the soup.
Streaming Now, Netflix
Sookie St. James, Gilmore Girls
Luke isn’t the only one in the kitchen on Gilmore Girls. With the creations Sookie (Melissa McCarthy) has made, she could be considered a culinary master. From Baked Alaska to salmon puffs, Sookie cooks up extravagant meals for the patrons of the inn and her loved ones. Her kitchen always looks picturesque; fresh herbs dangle from shelves and the countertops always seem decorated with extravagant dishes. Even though Sookie may be yelling or catching a shirt sleeve on fire, whenever she presents one of her meals with a flavor profile perfectly matching the occasion, like her Raspberry Kumquat Sugar Cookie Cake, our mouths can’t help but water.
Streaming Now, Netflix
Bob Belcher, Bob's Burgers
Bob’s (H. John Benjamin) burger joint may always be on the cusp of failure, but his thoughtfulness towards cooking is what keeps him afloat. His real weakness lies in his inability to properly promote the restaurant and the sheer wackiness of his own family. However, we know Bob would never change that for the world, because the only thing he loves more than his burgers is his family. Patrons always are pleased to sink their teeth into one of his high-quality burgers, produced from nicely-sourced ingredients. His burgers also act as an extension of his quickness, which is what makes him and his restaurant so loveable. Who wouldn’t want to try the Eggers Can’t Be Cheesers Burger or the Gourdon-Hamsey Burger?
Seasons 1-13, Streaming Now, Hulu
Artie Bucco, The Sopranos
Even though Artie’s (John Ventimiglia) original restaurant, Silvio Dante, is burned down in the first episode of The Sopranos, he continues to keep the Sopranos fed by running his next one, Nuovo Vesuvio. Despite his poor judgment when it comes to making decisions, he has amazing taste in food. Whenever Tony (James Gandolfini) and his gang dine at Vesuvio, artful Italian dishes are always placed on the crisp white tablecloths. You can see his true appreciation towards food whenever he serves his friends. Although they may not appreciate his inventiveness and his knowledge of obscure dishes and innovative flavor pairings, we can confidently say we would love to try his next special of the day.
Streaming Now, Max
