“Italian food is something that can break my heart,” says Courtney Storer, culinary producer of The Bear—a thought that seems to come to life in season two's cameo-filled flashback episode, “Fishes .” “I grew up loving it with my household, then it became a disappointment. So I could be sad about Italian food until I recaptured that love and started cooking it again and proudly owning it. These past cookbooks now that I have collected from these little nonnas, they really are like family to me. The food is homemade.”
Figuratively and literally. Storer, who has worked in kitchens around the world—from Jon & Vinny's in Los Angeles to Verjus in Paris—is the brother of collection creator and director Christopher Storer. He's seen a lot in his actual life, both family {and professional}, reflected in the FX hit. Season two's standout episode “Fishes,” featuring Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, and John Mulaney, focuses on a chaotic Berzatto household Christmas dinner; It also serves as an origin story for Carmy's (Jeremy Allen White) drive to succeed while grappling with the trauma of his past.
“Chris and I pulled from expertise for that episode. One thing is that if you suffer from a childhood illness, there's a lot of shame and guilt,” she told Vainness Truthful. “And so we hid a lot of our truths from a lot of people as a result of what we care about. That kind of makes this dysfunction feel like, oh, that's normal in my house. However, you don't really understand how painful until the last part of life if you're dealing with the effects, right? The rest, the rest of the pain, is in your coronary heart.”
Storer, who counts pasta as his comfort food, (“Cacio e pepe or Bolognese is my main go-to to teach like people,” he says), has since found solace in the heat of the kitchen. “Cooking is healing for me. It is additionally like my love language, so I like to give it to individuals who make me feel really wanted. It's like thank-you in return,” she says.
As viewers devour the sophomore season in the present, Storer talks to Vainness Truthful about the relationship between food and household, teaching actors like cooks, and the way she helps Ayo Edebiri make the “most delicious, crispy, delicious, high” omelet with potato chips.
by Chuck Hodes/FX.
Vainness Truthful: What exactly is a culinary producer? I used to dig through IMDB, and there are actually only a few credited to that title.
Courtney Storer: It's kind of developed as a result of the duties are broader than simply styling food or managing foods. Much of the work is being a producer, with the ability to get the most out of the chef group and bring people on board to help and create the right vibe. This is a group that created The Bear. I'm like a facilitator. There are a lot of paths that I used to be in a position to show … so it's become this extra of a producer function.
In the current episode of Second Life, a podcast highlighting girls who have made major career adjustments, you talked about knowing psychology and having roots in HR. Do you feel that each of you is ready for the place you are currently?
