Bobby Flay Shares What He Really Thinks of 'The Bear'

The Food Network star chef shares his take on the popular FX restaurant drama.

When chatting with celebrity chef Bobby Flay, who can resist asking what he thinks about the Golden Globe-winning hit series The Bear (streaming on FX on Hulu)?

Like restaurant pros everywhere, Flay, 57, has thoughts about the drama, which follows a rising young fine-dining chef as he returns to his hometown of Chicago to take over his family’s Italian beef sandwich shop after his brother’s death. The show has been praised for its on-target depiction of working in a professional kitchen—everything from how the cooks interact with (and sometimes sabotage) each other to the aprons they wear and the main character sipping water from quart-size plastic deli cup.

Make Bobby Flay’s Summer-Ready Burger

Flay says he’s only caught a few episodes so far, but “I think they’re doing a great job.”

He’s especially impressed by Jeremy Allen White’s performance as the main character Carmy. “I think he has great moves in the kitchen,” Flay observes. “He looks like he’s been a cook for a really long time, just based on his movements around the stove, etc.

“I think that’s very hard to achieve for an actor, somebody who doesn’t do it.”

Discover Bobby Flay’s Favorite Comfort Food

Flay also appreciates the show’s balanced portrayal of the highs and lows of working in a restaurant kitchen. “There’s some tough love in there,” he says. “But there’s lots of inspiration in the show, and that’s the part I’m really loving because I’m kind of tired of bad-restaurant shows.

“I’ve worked in the restaurant business for thirtysomething years, and I owe my life to it. I’ve had some of the best moments of my life in the restaurant business, and I like to see it get a positive spin that it deserves.”

Flay’s latest project is Bobby and Sophie on the Coast, premiering Monday, Aug. 22, on Food Network and discovery+. The show features Flay and his grown daughter Sophie, who lives in Los Angeles, exploring the L.A. area’s best eats. The pair also teamed up on a cookbook, Sundays with Sophie, coming out in October.

Giada De Laurentiis dishes on what it was like exploring Italy with Bobby Flay.