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Gastronomy is presented in fiction as a way of expression with which to transmit or represent from the depth of the emotions of the characters to the beauty that resides in the superficial or aesthetic of the cuisine.
In ‘The Bear’, Courtney Storer, the chef with more than 15 years of experience in restaurants who also acts as the culinary producer of the series, being responsible for the food that is presented in each of its scenes, as well as for the culinary skills of the cast, is precisely in charge of embodying all that imaginary, elaborate and direct all the catering.
Courtney Storer, sister of series creator Christopher Storer, has worked in some of the world’s most prestigious kitchens, including Verjus in Paris. In Los Angeles, she also worked at ‘Animal’ and later became the culinary director of ‘Jon & Vinny’s’.
All that experience in the world of haute cuisine would lay the groundwork for her to masterfully enter this series inspired by the legendary sandwich restaurant ‘Chicago Mr. Beef’ that her brother was cooking, and from which she would end up shaping her culinary identity.
THE REALITY OF COOKING IN FICTION
Storer has been in charge of running the catering business, devising all the dishes seen on the screen, training the actors of the audiovisual piece with essential cooking techniques, as well as helping the scriptwriters to make the scripts as faithful as possible to the life of the restaurant. We wanted them to become a mirror of reality, and of all the ins and outs and events that take place behind the kitchen doors.
I’ve done it all: training the actors, working with the writers, telling stories from my own experiences. Sometimes it’s interesting, because it’s like worlds colliding,’ the chef reveals in an interview with Eater.
The culinary producer of ‘The Bear‘ has thus transcended into the series by putting the focus on storytelling through food, showing who the characters are and their evolution throughout the series. ‘The food is showing who they are, their growth. Using little parts of all of them to create the menu has been one of the most fun and thoughtful things I’ve done in my culinary career.’
