Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Bear season 3.

Season 3 of Hulu’s hit series The Bear features a long list of surprise cameos from real professional chefs, including a returning appearance from the inspiration behind The Bear‘s Original Beef sandwich shop. Some chefs, like Matty Matheson, who plays Neil Fak, have become mainstay actors on the show. Others, like Thomas Keller and René Redzepi, appear as important mentors in flashbacks to Carmy’s professional progression. Additionally, at the end of The Bear season 3, real chefs share war stories from their experiences at top restaurants during the funeral dinner for the restaurant Ever.

The Bear season 3 also features the return of another real chef who first appeared in season 1. Although his role was only minor initially, Christopher J. Zucchero reprises his role as The Bear restaurant’s produce supplier, Chi-Chi. However, his appearance in the show is more significant than just a walk-on role for another well-known restaurateur.

Christopher J. Zucchero Reprises His Role As Chi-Chi In The Bear Season 3

Zucchero’s Character Plays A Pivotal Role In The Season

In season 1 of The Bear, Zucchero’s Chi-Chi is a minor character who appears in the first three episodes – “System,” “Hands,” and “Brigade.” His character supplies the meat for The Original Beef sandwich shop. In season 3, The Bear’s fine-dining restaurant is up and running, and Chi-Chi returns as a produce supplier, this time bringing the team expensive microgreens and micro radishes. It’s a more substantial role for Zucchero, with four episodes and an important part in a key storyline.

Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) is at the helm of the restaurant’s sandwich window. Although the Original Beef lunch offering is the only aspect of the business making money, he’s left to run the operation on his own. The chef has a hard time keeping up with orders, creating a chaotic mess and leaving customers waiting. Seeing Ebraheim in the weeds, Chi-Chi gives Ebraheim the guidance and support that the preoccupied chefs in the upscale restaurant are failing to provide.

However, behind the scenes of The Bear, these roles were reversed. As Zucchero was new to acting, it was Edwin Lee Gibson mentoring Zucchero, stepping in to guide the chef and help him with his performance. Zucchero even thanked the actor in a heartfelt Instagram post.

Christopher J. Zucchero Owns Chicago’s Mr. Beef, The Real Inspiration For The Beef

Zucchero’s Restaurant Is Also The Filming Location For The Show’s Original Sandwich Shop

In an interview with Variety back in 2023, Zucchero shared that his Mr. Beef sandwich shop inspired The Bear creator, Christopher Storer. The two had been friends since they were kids, and when Storer moved to Los Angeles, he was one of Zucchero’s few friends who would return to the shop when visiting Chicago. Zucchero says that Storer vowed to write about his shop someday, but the restaurateur was skeptical his childhood friend would follow through.

Then one day, while I was living in Minnesota, I got a call from the restaurant and it’s Jason, my right-hand man. And he was like, “I got this notice from a location company called ‘The Bear’ and it’s some sort of pilot.”

Two weeks went by and I came back to Chicago and out of nowhere I see this huge charter bus pull up. All these people come walking out looking like Hollywood suits people, and then I see Storer walking off the bus and he’s like, “Remember I told you I was gonna write about this place? Well, we’re going to do it. I got this pilot and it needs to be done here at Mr. Beef. Are you okay with that?” And I was like, “Yeah, absolutely. Knock yourself out.”

Production of The Bear’s pilot took place at Zucchero’s Mr. Beef. His sandwich shop is the filming location for Mikey Berzatto’s (Jon Bernthal) The Original Beef, adding an authentic touch to the culinary backdrop of Hulu’s hit series. Choosing this location ties the show to its origins and makes Zucchero’s appearance in both seasons 1 and 3 all the more meaningful.

Source: Christopher J. Zucchero, Variety