The Bear: The Real-Life Chef Who Helped Inspire The Show
The hit FX series "The Bear" is prepping for its second season, with the first new episode coming June 22. The dark comedy stars Jeremy Allen White as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, a fine dining chef who returns home to Chicago to take over his family's beef sandwich shop after the death of his brother.
"The Bear" took some of its inspiration from a real Chicago Italian beef sandwich restaurant called Mr. Beef, which opened in the Windy City's River North neighborhood in 1979. Chris Storer, who created and produces "The Bear," grew up in the neighborhood and was friends with the son of Mr. Beef owner Joseph Zucchero.
Zucchero told NPR that the pair would spend time in the restaurant as young boys. "My son and a young man that he grew up with, Chris Storer, would come down here when they were kids," Zucchero said. Storer then used those memories to help recreate the Berzatto family restaurant for the set of "The Bear." Zucchero told NPR that the recreation was so perfectly done that he was stunned when Storer took him to see it.
"They built this inside a building. And they took me to it," Zucchero said. "And my mouth dropped. I was like, 'Oh, my God' — I mean, from the floor to the ceiling to the countertops to the equipment."
Zucchero died in March from complications from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but his family will reportedly be keeping the iconic Mr. Beef open.
Jay Leno and Joe Mantegna are among the many Mr. Beef loyalists
After more than 40 years in business at the same location, Joseph Zucchero built a sizable collection of faithful customers, including some notable Hollywood figures. Jay Leno, the comedian and long-time host of "The Tonight Show," frequented Mr. Beef long before he was famous, and even slept in his car in the restaurant's parking lot on occasion.
Leno once ate a bag full of Mr. Beef sandwiches during a guest appearance on David Letterman's show and told The Chicago Tribune that Zucchero's shop was a favorite stop for him after performing at one of the neighborhood's comedy clubs. "It's a straightforward place, one of these places that's uniquely Chicago," Leno said. "To me, the name makes me laugh. In this day and age of everybody talking about red meat and eating vegetables and oat bran and yogurt, just to call a place Mr. Beef."
Actor Joe Mantegna, who grew up on Chicago's West side, issued a statement on Twitter the day after Zucchero's death that mentioned how he first met the restaurateur many years ago and remained friends with Zucchero until his passing. "35 years ago my wife surprised me on my birthday by having a party in Chicago catered by Mr. Beef," Mantegna wrote. "Thus began a friendship that has endured all these years."