The first two seasons of the Emmy-winning series The Bear featured a long list of celebrity cameos from stars like Jon Bernthal, Jamie Lee Curtis, and, of course, last season’s resident “hot chef,” Will Poulter. But this season brings culinary royalty and award-winning chefs into the series to help Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Syd (Ayo Edebiri) succeed as they open their fine dining restaurant The Bear.
A lot of chefs make appearances this season. We counted 20 ourselves. While past celebrity cameos were a bit more obvious to those of us watching, it‘s easy to miss some of the talented names in the restaurant and fine dining industry featured in this season. Their cameos and characters teach Carmy and others how to work in a fine dining environment, and a lot of the advice they give applies to the industry. Here’s a list from all 10 episodes of season 3 of all the amazing real-life chef cameos for you to look for as you watch for yourself.
Daniel Boulud
Flashbacks are used regularly in The Bear to build on the narrative and characters’ backstories that reveal more about how they got into the industry, and season 3 is no different. During a flashback in the first episode, “Tomorrow,” we see more of Carmy’s culinary background, including chef Daniel Boulud play himself as a former mentor to Carmy at the restaurant Daniel. We see them cooking alongside each other as he teaches Carmy to make Crisp Paupiettes, one of his iconic dishes that features sea bass wrapped in potato strips.
Dave Beran
In another piece of the first episode montage, we return to Ever, the Chicago fine dining restaurant featured in previous seasons. While The Bear used Ever as a part of the narrative of the show, the real Ever opened in 2020. The restaurant is framed as a culinary institution known for shaping young chefs, including both Carmy and our favorite chef Luca (Will Poulter). In the premiere episode, Dave Beran, the chef behind the French restaurant Pasjoli in Los Angeles, works alongside Carmy as the chef de cuisine of Noma for Olivia Coleman’s character, Andrea Terry.
Adam Shapiro
Adam Shapiro, the owner of the bakery The Shappy Pretzel Company in Los Angeles, plays a character of the same name who, in the show, is a devoted member of fictional chef Andrea Terry’s team at Ever interested in poaching Sydney away from The Bear in episode 4.
Rene Redzepi
Season 3 confirms that the Copenhagen restaurant referenced in Carmy’s backstory and previous seasons was indeed Noma, where Carmy trained and staged under David Fields (Joel McHale). In the season’s first episode, real-life Noma chef and owner Rene Redzepi offers Carmy a nod of acknowledgement as he locks eyes with him in the room.
Dario Monni
In another montage during the opening credits of episode 2, we see more shots around the city of Chicago, including at another well-known eatery, Tortello, an Italian restaurant in West Town known for its handmade pasta. Here, co-owner Dario Monni is in a quick shot waving at the camera from the restaurant’s kitchen.
Joyce Chiu
In the same montage opening sequence of episode 2, Joyce Chiu, the real life owner of the Chinese bakery Chiu Quon, holds a tray of steaming fresh egg buns. This Chicago restaurant has been serving Hong Kong-style pastries and dim sum since 1986.
Jonathan Zaragoza
In episode 3, Jonathan Zaragoza, owner and chef of Birreria Zaragoza in Chicago, makes a brief cameo as he presses fresh tortillas and cooks meat for his birria tacos. Winner of the 2023 Michelin Bib Gourmand, Zaragoza is another chef who relates to Carmy’s story, as he also started his culinary journey working in his family’s restaurant.
Christopher Zucchero
Christopher Zucchero is the real-life owner of Mr. Beef, the Italian beef shop that The Beef from the show is inspired by. He returns in season 3 as Chi-Chi, Carmy’s meat and produce vendor who convinces Carmy to reopen The Original Beef window at The Bear. He also steps in during episode 7 to help Ebraheim, portrayed by Edwin Lee Gibson, expedite the to-go sandwich window.
Paulie James
Paulie James appears in episode 6, as Chi-Chi’s right-hand man Chuckie. He is the owner of Uncle Paulie’s Deli in Chicago, an Italian sandwich shop with modern flair, and can be seen in the episode making sandwiches just as he does in real life.
Thomas Keller
Joel McHale’s antagonistic character, David Fields, who tortured Carmy in flashbacks throughout the show as Carmy’s culinary teacher, was actually based on Thomas Keller’s highly intense kitchen environments. The James Beard Award winner appears as himself in season 3’s final cliffhanger episode, “Forever.” We get a glimpse of him and Carmy working together at The French Laundry in a flashback to prepare a roast chicken for family meal as he shares some wisdom from his years of experience.
Grant Achatz
Grant Achatz, owner of Chicago’s Alinea Group, is another culinary world cameo that attended the funeral dinner for Ever in the finale. In the episode, he tries to answer chef Luca’s (Will Poulter) many questions regarding some of his famous dishes, like the “Truffle Explosion.”
Wylie Dufresne
Well-known gastronomy chef Wylie Dufresne, owner of the now-closed WD-50 and current co-owner of New York’s Stretch Pizza, is another funeral dinner attendee in the season finale. His combination of classic cookery and innovative style makes him a great cameo for this show as a chef who tries to push culinary boundaries.
Kevin Boehm
In the season finale, Carmy rubs elbows at the funeral dinner with the real-life Chicago restaurateur Kevin Boehm, co-chief executive and co-founder of the Boka Restaurant Group. Carmy and Boehm discuss the aspects of working in the high-pressure industry while at dinner.
Lucas Trahan
Lucas Trahan, the actual pastry chef at the real restaurant Ever, is another face we see in the finale, plating alongside fictional chefs Andrea Terry and Adam Shapiro.
Anna Posey
As those attending the funeral dinner in episode 10 finally sit down for dinner to experience their last (or first, in Sydney’s case) meal at Ever, the chefs swap stories of their time in the industry. Anna Posey, pastry chef and co-owner of the Chicago restaurant, Elske, which was also featured in season 2, makes an appearance here.
Christina Tosi
Founder of Milk Bar and the former pastry chef at Momofuku, Christina Tosi is another real-life chef at the restaurant funeral table, sharing the story of developing the recipe for cornbread ice cream while working under Wylie Dufresne.
Will Guidara
The spouse of Christina Tosi and former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, Will Guidara also appears in the finale episode dinner. Guidara, who is also a co-producer of The Bear, shares his restaurant wisdom with Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) and Marcus (Lionel Boyce) in the show.
Malcolm Livingston II
The former Noma pastry chef, Malcolm Livingston II, is also in attendance at the packed dinner in the season 3 finale. He is the founder of the frozen treat brand, August Novelties, which offers dipped non-dairy ice creams.
Rosio Sanchez
Owner of Copenhagen’s taco stand-inspired Hija de Sanchez, Rosio Sanchez is another face at the table of the finale. In real life, she has worked as the head pastry chef at Noma, preparing desserts with others on this list such as Rene Redzepi. In the episode, she chats with the other chefs about how much she loves cooking.
Genie Kwon
The last on our list of this season’s culinary star cameos is chef Genie Kwon, co-owner of Filipino restaurant and bakery Kasama in Chicago. This restaurant was also featured in season 2 when Sydney visits during her montage of exploring the city.
Matty Matheson
If you’ve watched any episodes ofThe Bear, then you’ll recognize Matty Matheson. He plays Neil Fak, the handyman who eventually becomes a server. In real life, Matheson is a chef and owner of multiple restaurants, runs a sucessful YouTube channel, and recently launches a food brand.