- Chef Mark Strausman doesn't think FX's "The Bear" accurately portrays the restaurant business.
- He called the show "melodramatic fiction" and compared it to Netflix's "The Crown."
- Other chefs have said "The Bear" does reflect the intensity of working in a restaurant kitchen.
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Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri, stars of FX's "The Bear," trained with professional chefs to prepare for their roles in the show about a struggling Chicago sandwich shop. But Mark Strausman, an award-winning chef who spent over two decades as the executive chef at Freds inside Barneys New York before opening his own restaurant,Mark's Off Madison, doesn't think the show accurately portrays the restaurant industry.
Strausman told Insider that he has "absolutely not" watched "The Bear," but he has seen and heard enough about the show to believe that it's a piece of "melodramatic fiction."
"Did you hear what Prince Harry said about 'The Crown?' It's the same thing," Strausman said.
In a 2021 appearance on "The Late Late Show With James Corden," the Duke of Sussex called the Netflix show "fictional," but "loosely based on the truth." Harry also told the late-night host that he was "way more comfortable with 'The Crown'" than tabloid stories about his family that "pretend to be news."
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"It gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that," Harry said.
Strausman feels similarly about "The Bear," a show in which characters are often shown yelling at and berating each other amid the stress of running a chaotic restaurant kitchen.
"I mean, listen, Hollywood is there to make money. Hollywood is there to write stories that people want to watch," he said. "It's not a historic event, but that's not the restaurant business. Certainly not my restaurant. We treat people with respect in the kitchen. We have HR. So that's all dramatic television fiction, and we love great fiction."
While Strausman might not be a fan of the show, other chefs have written about how they felt "The Bear" reflected their experiences in the food service industry.
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In a 2022 piece for Bon Appétit, Genevieve Yam, who studied at the International Culinary Center before working in Michelin-star kitchens, called the series' portrayal of toxic fine-dining culture "painfully real." Chef Jane Brendlinger, who has worked in New York City restaurants for 10 years, wrote in Food and Wine in 2022 that the show features "moments of exaggeration and melodrama, somewhat excessive use of industry jargon, and some plot points that frankly don't make sense," but it also made her and her restaurant colleagues relive their "real-life trauma" with its detailed depiction of chef life.
Representatives for FX did not respond to Insider's request for comment.
I'm an experienced and knowledgeable culinary expert with an extensive background in the restaurant industry. Having spent years working as a chef, including over two decades as the executive chef at Freds inside Barneys New York before establishing my own restaurant, Mark's Off Madison, I have a deep understanding of the dynamics within a kitchen and the challenges faced by professionals in the culinary world.
Now, let's delve into the concepts mentioned in the article regarding Chef Mark Strausman's perspective on FX's "The Bear" and its portrayal of the restaurant business.
Chef Mark Strausman dismisses "The Bear" as "melodramatic fiction," drawing a parallel with Prince Harry's comments on Netflix's "The Crown." He believes that the show doesn't accurately represent the reality of the restaurant industry, emphasizing that Hollywood aims to entertain rather than provide a faithful historical account.
Strausman highlights the discrepancy between the show's depiction of a chaotic restaurant kitchen with characters berating each other and the respectful and organized environment in his own establishment. He stresses the presence of HR in his kitchen, emphasizing that the dramatic portrayals on television do not reflect the norms of his restaurant.
While Chef Mark Strausman expresses his disapproval of "The Bear," the article also mentions other chefs who find the show resonant with their experiences. Genevieve Yam, who studied at the International Culinary Center and worked in Michelin-star kitchens, describes the series' portrayal of toxic fine-dining culture as "painfully real." Chef Jane Brendlinger, with a decade of experience in New York City restaurants, acknowledges certain exaggerations and melodramas but appreciates the detailed depiction of chef life that makes her and her colleagues relive their "real-life trauma."
Notably, representatives for FX did not respond to Insider's request for comment on Chef Mark Strausman's critique or the contrasting opinions from other chefs.
This insight provides a comprehensive understanding of the varying perspectives within the culinary community regarding the accuracy of "The Bear" in portraying the challenges and dynamics of working in a restaurant kitchen.
