Movies News Talk
Surprises abound in The Bear's third season, and the comeback of Christopher J. Zucchero—the real-life inspiration for the fictional sandwich shop on the show—was among the most fulfilling ones. Owning the Chicago restaurant Mr. Beef, Zucchero debuted on the first season of the show providing meat for The Original Beef.
He plays Chi-chi again in season three, but this time his appearance transcends a basic walk-on. As Zucchero provides the restaurant with pricey microgreens and microradishes, his character takes front stage in the plot. The sandwich window run by Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) is keeping the business afloat even as the elegant restaurant suffers. Orders overwhelm Ebraheim, leaving patrons waiting and producing a disorganized mess. Here Chi-Chi intervenes to provide Ebraheim the direction and encouragement the hectic chefs in the elegant restaurant are neglecting.
Fun fact: the roles were inverted off-screen. Actually, Ebraheim's actor Edwin Lee Gibson was guiding Zucchero in his acting adjustment. On Instagram, Zucchero thanked Gibson for his support and said how it let him excel in his performance.
How then did Zucchero wind up on The Bear? The solution is in a friendship rooted in early years. From their early years, Christopher Storer, the Bear writer, and Zucchero have been friends. Zucchero's Mr. Beef became a venue for Storer to see his friend every time he traveled to Chicago after moving to Los Angeles.
Years later, Storer summoned Zucchero with an insane concept. Inspired by Mr. Beef, he informed his friend he was penning a show on a sandwich shop. Originally dubious, Zucchero's misgivings were soon allayed when he watched a large charter bus arrive at his business loaded with "Hollywood suits." Right there at Mr. Beef, Storer and his crew were ready to capture the pilot episode. As they say, the rest is history; Zucchero agreed to let them film.
Filming the pilot episode at Mr. Beef gives the program a more realistic quality. It is a real place, a real company, and a real narrative, not only a fantasy environment. Not surprisingly, The Bear is now among the most highly praised television shows available. Its genuineness, together with its gripping narratives and characters, define it.