The Bear Season 2 Exposes The Perfectly Polished Culture Of Fine Dining
Contains spoilers for "The Bear," Season 2, Episode 7
In "The Bear" Season 2, Episode 7, Richard "Richie" Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) grudgingly wakes up at 5:38 a.m. and goes to stage at the three-star Michelin restaurant where he's been sent to learn the ropes. When Garrett (Andrew Lopez) tells him he'll be polishing forks, Richie is convinced that Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) is punishing him by sending him there. Tired of Richie's cussing and negative attitude, Garrett pulls him aside and explains, "It takes 200 people to keep this place in orbit ... every day is the freaking Super Bowl." For the rest of the episode, Richie and the audience learn exactly what it takes to make it in the perfectly polished fine dining world.
Anyone who has ever worked in a high-end restaurant knows that even the tiniest details, like streak-free silverware and dishes, are just as important as the food served. Every single role at the restaurant is essential to make each diner's experience memorable. Curtis Duffy, who is the chef at Ever, the real-life restaurant used in this season of "The Bear," understands this culture better than anyone. "There's not a job in this restaurant that's more important than the next," he told Better. "Whether it's picking up that piece of paper, washing a pot, or serving a guest, they're all the same — you have to do each one with the same amount of passion and detail."
Richie finally finds his purpose
In Episode 7 of "The Bear," Richie trails Garrett as he slowly walks out to a table with a creation called a hibiscus cloud, which we learn is just cotton candy when Garrett drops it in the diners' tea, and it dissolves. The guests are delighted at the creative twist on the popular candy floss. Later, Richie is sent to pick up a Pequod's deep-dish pizza — considered by many to be the best pizza place in Illinois — and the chef de cuisine quickly turns it into a deconstructed work of art.
Taking recognizable flavors and foods and making them more elaborate is a popular formula in fine dining. "In every one of my dishes, something has to be very comforting and familiar, but then there has to be an aspect of excitement and difference," Duffy told Better. "We take normal ingredients, but we're taking them at the height of their season and then we're showcasing them in a unique fashion."
Richie struggles to find his place at 'The Beef" in Season 1, but with his foray into fine dining in Season 2, he's finally found his purpose. When Garrett tells him that it's not a coincidence that both hospitals and restaurants use the word hospitality, Richie gets it. He thrives when it comes to pleasing people, and now that he understands the dynamics of the fine dining culture and that his part is as important as everyone else's, he could be a force at the new restaurant.