Los Angeles, CA — “When people ask me is that what its like, I tell them you have no idea,” says Chef De Cuisine Jose Garcia of Jon & Vinny’s Slauson location. Cooking runs in his family. He spent time with family chefs in New York, working in their kitchens and picking up tips and tricks along the way. When Garcia came back home to Los Angeles, he worked his way up the ranks at Jon & Vinny’s, a famous SoCal hot spot, starting as a busser and prep cook.
Jon & Vinny’s describes themselves as a Californian Italian restaurant, using farmers market fresh produce and simple ingredients. There’s also a wine retail shop called Helen’s that’s connected to the restaurant.
While they’re popular for their fresh food, pizza and wine, they’re also connected to the hit FX series “The Bear”. “There’s many moments I relate to in ‘The Bear’ and that’s primarily I’m sure because of chef Courtney. She was my chef when I started,” reflects Garcia. Courtney Storer, the former Head Chef of Jon & Vinny’s is now the culinary producer for FX’s “The Bear”. “I sat down and I watched it and I was like this is 100% from chef Courtney. The mannerisms like ‘behind, behind’ and always making sure you have a sharpie that works.”
The reason we come back every day is because we’re drawn to it by passion.
“It was always something new. She was a book of information,” says Sous Chef Herbert White. He says the perfect example of Storer’s impact on the show is when the pastry chef, Marcus, focuses too much on making donuts instead of the cakes in episode 7 of season one entitled “Review”. “She always loved creativity, but never let your main job fall behind. She always reminded us of that,” reflects White.
It’s not only the kitchen that connects to the show, but other parts of the staff as well. Adrian Cervantes, a waiter at Jon & Vinny’s explains, “we go through the same adversities and challenges that arise in the show, like work life balance.” Liliana Gastelum, General Manager at Jon & Vinny’s Slauson shares that the episode “Forks” from season two hit home with her. “That’s the moment when you try to teach somebody something and they see it in action, they understand it and see why you teach them certain things.”
“Its a passion,” says White. “The reason we come back every day is because we’re drawn to it by passion, which is relatable to almost any other thing that most people fall in love with.” And it’s through that passion that’s displayed in “The Bear”, that White feels helps audiences appreciate and understand what goes into making the experience at Jon & Vinny’s special.
All episodes of FXs “The Bear” are now streaming on Hulu.
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