An unnamed fine dining chef recently shared a story with me after a diner at their restaurant asked them about The Bear. A chef at another restaurant had developed a policy: The only way they’d answer questions about the TV show was if a customer would buy shots for the entire staff.
As the FX-produced TV show prepares to drop its fourth, and likely final, season in summer 2025, it appears some of Chicago has grown tired of Carmy and Sydney’s adventures. Still, a sizzle real released earlier in November that featured brief teases of shows coming to Disney+ and Hulu showed a glimpse of Season 4, with Ayo Edebiri, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jeremy Allen White making appearances. However, any ill will about the fate and direction of the TV show didn’t matter over the weekend in Humboldt Park as about 50 contestants dressed as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto vied for $50 and a pack of Marlboros.
Aping a recent trend in impromptu contests honoring stars including Timothée Chamalet and Harry Styles, on Saturday, November 16, Chicago held a lookalike competition for the actor who portrays the executive chef on The Bear. Paper fliers began popping up last week stuck to lampposts and other places around town touting the event.
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White, who has spent time in Chicago filming both The Bear and Shameless, did not attend the contest; nevertheless, a slow news weekend meant Chicago’s media was prepared with cameras. While the TV show didn’t feature any restaurants from the neighborhood, the event took place outdoors in Humboldt Park with Chicagoans mostly dressed in fall coats. Some held signs reading “Yes, chef,” and there was even a toddler dressed as Carmy.
The winner, Ben Shabad, also received a trophy and crown. He also had a bit of help from a culinary pro. Shabad had a few friends and family members urging him to enter. Notably, he had the support of his stepbrother; Josh Kulp, the co-chef and co-owner of Honey Butter Fried Chicken, is well-known in Chicago’s restaurant scene.
“Josh was very influential in this process. He was the first person to tell me about the competition and then let me have a blue apron to wear,” Shabad writes in a text. “So without him and his great team at Honey Butter, this would have just been a normal weekend for me.”
The 37-year-old Glenview man has been interviewed by the Sun-Times, Tribune, BBC, and other news organizations, though he says he won’t be quitting his job as a mental health therapist.
“It’s been a really exciting couple of days. I didn’t expect any of this honestly, so I’m just trying to enjoy the ride,” Shabad writes in a text.
Kulp, a big fan of the show, was proud of his stepbrother’s win on Saturday afternoon and said he didn’t have to do much to convince Shabad to enter.
“I’ve always told him he looks just like Carmy,” Kulp says. “When I saw the contest I texted him immediately and told him that if he entered, he’d win.”
After winning, the crowd hoisted Shabad onto their shoulders. However, he did not celebrate with an Italian beef sandwich. He headed back home to the suburbs to dine at Lefty’s Pizza Kitchen in Wilmette.
“The competition was solid overall — some of my competitors looked a lot like him,” Shabad writes. “But they were a good group of people. Not cutthroat. It felt like we were all part of the same team. And yeah — we’re all keeping in touch.”
Sadly, though temperatures only sagged to 50 degrees — not freezing for a November day in Chicago — the event did not include an underwear competition.
So, what does Shabad plan to do with the cigarettes?
“In an ideal world, smoke them with Jeremy Allen White,” he replies.
