10 Sizzling Snaps of Jeremy Allen White as Chef Carmy in The Bear The Bear is back for season 2, so feast your eyes on chef Carmy to see why his tousled hair and tattooed biceps have the internet saying “yes, chef!”
By Skyler Caruso Skyler Caruso Instagram Skyler Caruso is the Editorial Assistant of PEOPLE Digital.
People Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 21, 2023 11:38AM EDT Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Matt Dinerstein/FX The FX series The Bear brought the heat in season 1, and we’re not just talking about the tension-inducing scenes in the kitchen of the struggling Italian beef sandwich shop run by fallen fine-dining chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto.The actor who plays Carmy, Jeremy Allen White, developed quite a fan following for his tousled hair and beefy (pun intended) biceps.Check out 10 sizzling snaps of Carmy in action ahead of the series’ return June 22.
01 of 10 Introducing Chef ‘Carmy’ Matt Dinerstein/FX The kitchen continues to get hotter! Jeremy Allen White in the role of Chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto has had fans’ mouths watering ever since FX’s The Bear premiered on June 23, 2022.
Not only has he established a name for himself in the fictional foodscape, but he’s been deemed the ” Internet’s new boyfriend ” as well.(And, well, we’ll just let this New Yorker cartoon speak for itself.)
02 of 10 Back for Seconds Courtesy of FX
One look at the cook will leave you hungry for more — and fortunately for fans, the culinary drama continues to provide because The Bear is back on June 22 for season 2.
The second installment follows Chef Carmy as he teams up with Richard “Richie” Jerimovich (played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach) to transform their grimy sandwich joint into a next-level spot, while also taking transformational journeys of their own.
03 of 10 Cool as a Cucumber Matt Dinerstein/FX A tormented culinary genius, Chef Carmy knows how to keep his cool in the kitchen, even when the heat is being turned way up.
As a chef who’s made a name for himself having worked in some of the best restaurants in the world, you’d think Carmy would have bigger fish to fry than trying to keep a greasy spoon afloat — but after his older brother dies and leaves his sandwich shop to him, he returns to Chicago to take on a new challenge.
Season 2 sees the culinary team juggle challenges of opening a new restaurant, as they deal with contractors, insane bureaucracy of permits and the creative agony of menu planning.Therefore, the staff must unite to be of service — not only to their customers, but to each other as well.
04 of 10 Hair Apparent Matt Dinerstein/FX Chef Carmy puts the grease in “greasy spoon!” The tousle-haired hustler is known for a few things: his lightning-fast vegetable chopping, his manhandling of meat slabs and his untamed mane.
(For those wondering: No hairnet was worn in the making of this series.You can’t hide that light under a bushel!)
05 of 10 Tat’s the Ticket Matt Dinerstein/FX In addition to Carmy’s uncontrollable hair, fans have been fawning over the chef’s ink adorning his biceps, forearms, arms and hands — and thanks to his signature fitted white t-shirt, they are on full display.
But are his tats real? The short answer: no.White explained in an interview with Vulture that he worked with an artist to create custom ink for the show.
“I created all of them with a friend who is a tattoo artist.His name is Ben Shields ,” he said.
“He has an incredible knowledge of the history and art of tattoos, and even the geography of it.”
06 of 10 Looking Like a Snack Matt Dinerstein/FX If there’s one thing sharper than knives in the kitchen, it’s Chef Carmy’s aquiline facial profile.
“I understand people having a crush on Carmy.I think I have a bit of a crush on Carmy,” White told GQ .
While the actor’s aware of his character’s sex appeal, he believes they’re attracted for different reasons, like Carmy’s undeniable drive.
“What I find attractive in people is a determination,” he said.”If you’re truly good at something, that’s incredibly attractive.”
07 of 10 Serious Acting Chops Matt Dinerstein/FX Chef Carmy makes his job in the kitchen seem as easy as polishing off one of his signature sandwiches, but White’s preparation for the role was grueling.In fact, he went full method in the culinary world and trained in Michelin star-rated restaurants prior to production.
“I was completely clueless in the kitchen before this show, and then I progressively got to kind of mediocre,” White told Entertainment Weekly .”I went to two weeks of cooking school.I worked in several really wonderful restaurants in Los Angeles, Chicago, and in New York.”
08 of 10 Cream of the Crop FX White learned from the best of the best chefs to master the culinary craft.
One in particular was celebrity chef Matty Matheson, who also serves as co-producer and appears on the show.
“I was really struck by the commitment and the time,” White told EW .”I have such a tremendous amount of respect for people in restaurants now.”
He added, “It’s these 12-, 14-, 16-hour days that these people are putting in to really perfect their craft, and that was just really bolstering.”
09 of 10 Down to Business Matt Dinerstein/FX “Yes, Chef” is a phrase you’ll surely be familiar with (and potentially triggered by) after watching The Bear , as it showcases the toxic restaurant culture in a “painfully real” way, according to Bon Appétit .
“I could barely get through The Bear.Not because I thought it was bad television—but because it was the most accurate portrayal of life in a restaurant kitchen I’ve seen in a while,” wrote former Michelin-starred restaurant worker Genevieve Yam .
(No word on whether all chefs are as smoldering as Carmy, however.)
10 of 10 Food for Thought FX Now that he’s been through culinary boot camp, does White feel equipped to make a go of it full time?
Seth Meyers asked the actor that same question, and received an immediate “no.”
“I got really good at the knife work,” said White.”It’s all repetition, really.It’s just time …But no, it wasn’t natural for me.”
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