THE EAGERLY ANTICIPATED third season of FX’s The Bear hit Hulu late last week to an expected amount of internet discourse. Topics of discussion included the question of whether or not the show should be released all at once, the usual Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) endgame discussions, and the inevitable “did the season jump the shark?”
That last discussion comes in the wake of yet another series of starry guest cameos, including new characters played by a resurgent heartthrob and another incredibly famous actor. The show is no stranger to great cameos—case in point Will Poulter’s Luca, who we’re nowshipping with Sydney, and Olivia Colman’s Andrea Terry, owner of Ever, who seems incredible to party with, judging by the end of the season.
While the cameos from big actors might get a lot of attention, this season showcased the creme de la creme of culinary cameos, including some of the most famous chefs in the world. People from the food world have long been involved in the show, including Matty Matheson, who both plays Neil Fak and owns two restaurants in Toronto.
Here’s an exhaustive guide to all the restaurant world cameos in season 3 of The Bear.
Daniel Boulud
In episode 1, we see Carmy go through the doors of Daniel, Daniel Boulud’s New York City restaurant which opened in 1993 and has two Michelin stars. Boulud takes Carmy through a dish which is said to be his infamous sea bass paupiettes. Boulud owns 15 restaurants through his management group, The Dinex Group. He’s won practically every award under the sun, including the inaugural James Beard for Best New Chef in 1988. The Bear isn’t his first time playing himself—he also did so on Showtime’s Billions.
Dave Beran
Dave Beran shows up in episode 1, plating at the fictional Ever alongside Andrea Terry, who has brought up some of the best chefs in the world. Beran also cut his teeth in Chicago as the Executive Chef at Next. He won the 2014 James Beard Foundation award for Best Chef: Great Lakes and was included in the Food & Wine class of best new chefs that same year. He ran the now-closed Dialogue and is currently running Pasjoli, both of which have a Michelin star.
Adam Shapiro
Adam Shapiro’s character this season, also named Adam Shapiro, is a staff member at Ever. He plans on starting his own restaurant after its closing, and he tries to poach Sydney to be his chef de cuisine. The actor, director, writer owns his own pretzel business, Snappy Pretzel Co., which he started during the COVID-19 pandemic.
René Redzepi
The owner of the iconic Noma in Copenhagen, which boasts three Michelin stars, Redzepi made an appearance in The Bear during Marcus’s time staging in season 2. This season, Carmy goes to get a pan and sees Rezepi looking at a board of food pictures when they exchange nods. He studied under Thomas Keller, another guest star, and opened Noma in 2004, which has been voted best restaurant in the world 5 times.
In July, he’ll be seen in the Apple TV+ documentary series Omnivore.
Dario Monni
Dario Monni shows up briefly during a montage in episode 2 that honors the culture of Chicago, including its restaurant business. Born and raised in Italy, Monni owns Tortello, an Italian restaurant in Chicago.
Joyce Chiu
Joyce Chiu, the second-generation owner of Chiu Quon, a Chinese bakery, also shows up in the episode 2 Chicago montage. Chiu’s parents opened the bakery in 1986, which now has two locations.
Jonathan Zaragoza
Jonathan Zaragoza’s Birreria Zaragoza is also featured in the Chicago montage. Opened by his father in 2002, Zaragoza worked at the family restaurant before going and working at Michelin starred restaurants. Birrieria Zaragoza is a favorite of The Bear cast, and Zaragoza also has El Oso, also in Chicago.
Christopher Zucchero
Christopher Zucchero’s real life Mr. Beef, opened by his father in 1979, is the Italian beef sandwich shop that inspired The Bear, where he still works. This season, Zucchero came back as Chi-Chi delivering produce to The Bear and then helping with the sandwich window.
Paulie James
Paulie James, owner of Uncle Paulie’s Deli, a sandwich shop that has three locations in Los Angeles and one in Las Vegas, made his The Bear debut this season. He plays Chuckie, a longtime Beef employee and right-hand to Chi-Chi.
Thomas Keller
Iconic chef Thomas Keller, of The French Laundry, opens up season 3’s final episode by showing Carmy how to take the wishbone out of a roast chicken, and prepare it for the staff’s family meal—and gives him life advice in the meantime. Keller and The French Laundry have won many James Beard Awards over the years. His restaurants, which also include, Per Se and The Surf Club, have seven Michelin stars between them; he’s the only American chef who has three stars for two different restaurants simultaneously. He also worked on the films Spanglish and Ratatouille as a consultant.
Grant Achatz
Luca corners Chef Grant Achaz at the Ever funeral dinner in The Bear’s season 3 finale episode, grilling him on his edible balloons at his Chicago restaurant Alinea. Later, when Achatz finds a way to get out of the conversation, Luca asks himself, “why did I say needles so much?” Achatz is known for his work with molecular gastronomy. He studied under Thomas Keller at The French Laundry. He opened Alinea in 2005, and owns three other Chicago restaurants, along with one in New York.
Wylie Dufresne
Top Chef fans know Wylie Dufresne for his many stints as a guest judge on the Bravo cooking competition. Dufresne shows up in The Bear finale giving Carmy advice on quitting cigarettes. Also known for his work with molecular gastronomy, Dufresne worked under Jean-Georges Vongerichten and opened his first restaurant wd~50 in 2003 which closed in 2014. He’s won the James Beard Foundation’s Best NYC Chef and currently owns Stretch Pizza in New York.
Kevin Boehm
Kevin Boehm is the co-founder and co-owner of Boka Restaurant Group which operates 22 restaurants in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he founded the Independent Restaurant Coalition which lobbied the federal government for relief for restaurants and their employees. He talks to Carmy in episode 10 about how working in restaurants can take a toll on a person.
Lucas Trahan
Lucas Trahan is the real-life Ever’s chef de cuisine since 2023, who makes a small cameo working in the kitchen alongside Shapiro and Terry. Ever originally opened, from Chef Curtis Duffy, in 2020 and Trahan has been there since opening, first as a pastry chef.
Anna Posey
Carmy, Sydney, and Luca are surrounded by world-acclaimed chefs when they finally eat the final dinner at Ever. Having so many people with similar experiences, the chefs all share their experiences and seem to have a great time; Posey talks about her first pastry dish that had too many elements on the plate. She’s a co-owner and pastry chef of Elkse in Chicago.
Christina Tosi
Christina Tosi, chef and owner of Milkbar, is also at this star studded table talking about ideating her cornbread ice cream while working for Wylie Dufresne. In 2005, Tosi was hired by David Chang to make a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point for Momofuku, and later ended up making a dessert program for the restaurant. Tosi is now well known for her Cereal Milk, and Milk Bar Pie, and opened Milk Bar in 2008—which now has locations across the United States. She’s the first pastry chef to receive the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year for Milk Bar in 2012.
Malcolm Livingston II
In 2014, Malcolm Livingston II was the head pastry chef at Noma and has worked with the likes of Wylie Dufrense. He’s currently working on August Novelties, a line of non-dairy frozen treats. His story about getting a haircut in the middle of service while working for Dufrense might be one of the funniest scenes in season 3 of The Bear.
Rosio Sanchez
Rosio Sanchez, like Livingston and Tosi, worked under Dufrense and also was the head pastry chef at Noma. She opened a taco stand inspired by her mother, Hija de Sanchez, that has four locations in Denmark, and a fine dining concept, Sanchez, in Copenhagen.
Genie Kwon
In the finale at the Ever dinner, Genie Kwon talks about how she might not love to cook as much as some of her peers in the cooking world, but the joy she feels bringing others joy with her food trumps everything. Kwon is a co-owner of Kasama, a Filipino restaurant and bakery in Chicago.
Will Guidara
Will Guidara co-owned the Make It Nice hospitality group starting in 2011 that owns and operates Eleven Madison Park as well as other restaurants; he was bought out in 2019. He’s currently a producer on The Bear, beginning in season 3.
