Sundae (The Bear)
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Founder | Christopher Storer |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Television episodes |
Sundae represents the third installment of the second season of the American comedy-drama series The Bear. It is the 11th episode in total, penned by Karen Joseph Adcock and Catherine Schetina, with direction by executive producer Joanna Calo. The episode was released on Hulu on June 22, 2023, together with the entire season.
The narrative follows Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, a celebrated chef from New York City who returns to Chicago to take over his late brother Michael’s struggling Italian beef sandwich shop. In this chapter, Sydney visits several restaurants seeking creative inspiration, while Carmy starts to spend more time with Claire.
Critics widely praised this episode, particularly highlighting Ayo Edebiri’s standout performance.
Plot
During an Al-Anon gathering, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) opens up about his restaurant ambitions, underscoring the intense pressure and lack of personal time he faces. Shortly afterward, Claire (Molly Gordon) reaches out for assistance in moving her mother’s possessions, and Carmy agrees to help.
To innovate their menu, Carmy and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) arrange visits to various dining establishments throughout the city. However, Carmy’s dedication to supporting Claire means he cannot accompany Sydney, who ventures out alone and connects with other food industry professionals—one suggesting she might benefit from having a partner. Despite feeling drained, Sydney crafts a pasta dish inspired by her culinary explorations.
When Sydney returns to The Bear, she discovers that Carmy and the team have demolished a wall to enlarge the workspace—a decision that frustrates her due to her exclusion from the process. Later, with help from a colleague, Sydney tries to recreate her pasta creation at a restaurant kitchen but finds the flavor unsatisfactory.
Context
Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) and Ebra (Edwin Lee Gibson) are students at Kendall College’s culinary program. According to a restaurateur featured in GQ magazine, The Bear financially supports their education while paying them hourly wages; tuition costs approximately $8,400, suggesting an overall investment exceeding $20,000 when factoring in their time.[1]
To mark Tiff’s promotion, Frank secured “the good cake” from Weber’s Bakery located in Garfield Ridge, a longstanding Chicago establishment since 1930 renowned for its cakes, tortes, and donuts.[2]
Carmy proposes a “palate reset” by visiting Kasama, a Michelin-starred venue in Chicago specializing in Filipino cuisine. Founded by married chefs Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, Kasama functions as a bakery during the day and transforms into fine dining at night. They crafted The Bear’s “seven fishes” dish featuring prawn, mussels, and saffron fumé for the Friends & Family event.[3][4][5] Syd dines there solo, ordering mushroom adobo, a breakfast sandwich with longanisa, hash browns, mango tart, and matcha latte.[6] Genie Kwon made an appearance as herself in the season three finale titled "Forever."[3]
Sydney’s culinary tour also includes stops at Chicago eateries such as Avec, Pizza Lobo, Lao Peng You in Ukrainian Village, and Giant in Logan Square (the latter representing the fictional Verdana), where her friend Naiya previously worked as a chef.[1] Rob Levitt, chef de cuisine at Publican Quality Meats in Fulton Market, provided Sydney with butchery advice based on his expertise.[3][7] She concludes her tasting journey with a banana split at Margie's Candies in Bucktown—an ice cream parlor family-owned since 1933 and celebrated for its generous sundaes.[3][2]
Sydney attempts to prepare her pasta dish within the Michelin-starred kitchen of Elske, where she is welcomed by David Posey. His spouse, pastry chef Anna Posey, appeared as herself in the season four episode "Ever" centered on a funeral.[1][3]
Development
In May 2023, Hulu announced the third episode of the season, titled "Sundae," which was penned by Karen Joseph Adcock and Catherine Schetina and directed by executive producer Joanna Calo. This episode represented the second writing contribution for both Adcock and Schetina, while marking Calo’s fourth time directing.
Casting
CG, originally from New Orleans and known for her role as Shar in the 2022 Peacock adaptation of Queer as Folk, took on the role of Chef Naiya, a friend of Syd. Naiya’s restaurant, Verdana, closes its doors by the conclusion of the season, just prior to the opening of The Bear.
Costuming
At the Al-Anon gathering, Carmy is seen wearing Nike Cortez sneakers, which are Jeremy Allen White’s favored shoe brand. During scenes set in his apartment kitchen alongside Sydney, he dons a cashmere cable-knit sweater from J. Crew.
Sydney sports a 1991 NBA Finals Chicago Bulls championship t-shirt beneath her puffer jacket. While exploring Chicago alone, she wears a green Paloma Wool Hokusai jacket combined with a pillow-style headscarf. Costume designer Courtney Storer revealed that the black puffer headscarf was a creative suggestion from actress Ayo Edebiri; after it was misplaced, a tailor recreated it until a replacement arrived from an Etsy vendor in Uzbekistan.
During Sydney’s visit to the restaurant under construction, Carmy is dressed in a Merz b. Schwanen T-shirt crafted using traditional "loopwheel cotton construction," paired with Carhartt trousers.
Filming
Director Calo sought to depict Sydney’s immersive sensory experience as she endeavors to craft the flavors and narrative of The Bear through food. She likened this method to childhood educational programs and emphasized the importance of skilled editors in bringing this vision to fruition. Salon.com noted how Sydney’s imaginative process is inspired by Chicago’s architecture, vibrant produce, and nostalgic memories, illustrating her growing confidence and leadership qualities reminiscent of Coach K.
Music
The soundtrack for this episode included tracks such as "Goodbye Girl" by Squeeze, "Secret Teardrops" by Martin Rev, "Twenty-Five Miles" by Edwin Starr, "Future Perfect" by The Durutti Column, "Make You Happy" by Tommy McGee, and "I Like the Things About Me" by Mavis Staples.
Critical reviews
"Sundae" received widespread critical praise. Marah Eakin of Vulture awarded it a flawless 5-star rating, commending its vivid depiction of Chicago’s multifaceted culinary landscape. A.J. Daulerio from Decider highlighted Sydney’s intense culinary conflict, while Arnav Srivastava of The Review Geek gave it 4 stars for offering a fresh narrative perspective. Karl R De Mesa at Show Snob emphasized the episode’s strong character development for Sydney, particularly focusing on her composure under pressure.
Rafa Boladeras of MovieWeb ranked "Sundae" as the fifth-best episode in the season, underscoring its exploration of creativity and hinting at future tensions between Sydney and Carmy. Jasmine Blu from TV Fanatic also listed it among the season’s top episodes, appreciating its deeper examination of Sydney’s influence within Chicago’s culinary scene.
Salon.com commented that Sydney’s culinary journey across Chicago challenged conventional diet culture ideals. Columnist Grace Pau observed that the soundtrack reinforced this portrayal as an expression of joy rather than stress eating, with lively music accompanying Sydney’s exploration and gastronomic creativity.
Accolades
TVLine honored Ayo Edebiri as "Performer of the Week" on June 24, 2023, recognizing her portrayal of sous chef Sydney in the third episode of Season 2. The publication commended both her acting and the episode’s emphasis on Sydney’s culinary development in Chicago.
Retrospective reviews
In 2024, The Hollywood Reporter placed "Sundae" ninth out of 28 episodes, identifying it as the inaugural entry in the "Yes Chef Series" that successfully merges culinary skill with rich character exploration. ScreenRant ranked it 23rd, noting the episode’s divisive reception due to shifts in pacing and subplot focus while praising Edebiri’s central role.
By 2025, Vulture positioned "System" seventh among 38 episodes, describing it as a particularly notable installment.
See also
- List of The Bear episodes
- The Bear season two
- Previous episode: "Pasta"
- Next episode: "Honeydew"
External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:1 - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:2 - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSelvam-2025 - ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).