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As the stars of “The Bear,” a comedy about a fine dining restaurant in Chicago, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach learn a lot about friendship and the professional kitchen. Their relationship goes even further: The two are best friends and home cooks who, like most of us, rely on a few go-to recipes.
“When I’m working, I can’t do anything new,” said Mrs. Edebiri. One of his greatest achievements? Biography of Melissa Clark green pasta with basil.
“I’ve cooked from many recipes over the years,” said Mr. Moss-Bachrach. “But at this point, I’m really tired or bored, and I usually make up what I know.” Her versatility includes easy-to-remember recipes, like Tamar Adler’s crepes and Marcella Hazan tomato sauce.
Among his favorites is his vegetarian mother-in-law’s borscht, a recipe that holds a lot of meaning in his family.
Debt…Ryan Liebe of the New York Times. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog.
Under or over YouTubewatch Mr. Moss-Bachrach teach Ms. Edebiri’s family secret. (His mother-in-law is Ukrainian, and he brought his daughters to the film to learn a little about the family history.) The actors talk about their dining and cooking experiences, both real and fictional.
Here are excerpts from the interviews and excerpts, edited and condensed.
Ebon, can you start by telling us what borscht is?
EBON MOSS-BACHRACH It is a dish that is truly a part of Ukrainian culture. Every family does it, and there are many, many different iterations of it. Some have meat, some beans, some tomatoes. It is a large part of Eastern Europe and a real horse. Almost like an Italian marinara, where they show different families in different regions.
Debt…Victoria Chen
How often does your mother-in-law Lidia Yemchuk make you?
MOSS-BACHRACH My daughters were raised on this. They lived in LA, and every time we get off the plane and go to their house, borscht is always the first thing we eat.
Hey, have you had this borscht before?
LET’S WRITE I’ve never had this borscht before.
MOSS-BACHRACH Have you ever had borscht?
WRITTEN I had borscht before. Beet is not part of my food pyramid, I would say. So, I am happy to have this borscht.
MOSS-BACHRACH It wasn’t for me either, because usually, I think that in the US, borscht is like this strange beet. It’s in a jar, and it’s not really for me. This is a delicious dish. There are other desserts from beets, but this is cabbage soup. It tastes more like cabbage soup than beet.
Before today, did you all cook together?
MOSS-BACHRACH We have cooked together! We went on vacation together, and Ayo came home.
WRITTEN Lazy stuff. I didn’t cook for you well, I feel like.
MOSS-BACHRACH That’s right.
WRITTEN OK. Is that something I should probably change?
MOSS-BACHRACH Yes!
Do you like to cook from recipes or are you mostly freestyling?
MOSS-BACHRACH I’ve cooked many recipes over the years, and the New York Times Recipe program was riding guns with me for a long time. But at this point, I’m very tired or bored, and I usually do what I know. I’m not as obsessive and inquisitive as I used to be.
WRITTEN I feel like, when I’m working, I can’t do anything new.
Do you remember what’s in your recipe box?
MOSS-BACHRACH The first thing that comes to mind is Tamar Adler, she has it crepes as, levels. I really like that recipe. Biography of Marcella Hazan tomato saucebut that, I don’t need to investigate, because there are only three things. It’s like tomatoes and butter and onions.
WRITTEN There was this summer corn pasta. You like, cook the corn and then mix half of it. That was one of my favorites. Also Alison Roman shallot pasta.
Debt…Andrew Scrivani of the New York Times
What are some of the best things you learned during your time at “The Bear” that you’ve brought into your home or kitchen?
MOSS-BACHRACH Omelet?
WRITTEN I can’t eat eggs after an omelet.
MOSS-BACHRACH Oh really?
WRITTEN Courtney (Storer, executive chef on “The Bear”) and I made an omelet – literally, like, because we did! We made a recipe, thought a chip would be good with it – salt and vinegar – and we ate it all because we were all like, “We don’t want to waste food.”
MOSS-BACHRACH I stayed for that day. I didn’t shoot that day, but I wanted to because I’ve tried several times over the years – I saw Jacques Pépin YouTube making omelets many times. I just can’t imagine it. So I stayed to watch Coco and Ayo make an omelette.
What cooking skills did you need the most help with before starting “Bear”?
MOSS-BACHRACH It’s like this (talking to Ayo cutting onions), it’s like a mise en place. That’s the thing that sells cooking games. It’s just a drill for cutting.
WRITTEN I think also, in relation to the mise en place, the stairs themselves. Like it’s time to do something that works and is clean.
MOSS-BACHRACH One thing I learned at “Bear” was that when I was already cooking, I was like doing this (quickly stirring the ingredients in the pot). And then Matty (Matheson) was like: “Just leave things alone. Just let them do their thing. You don’t have to keep moving things around. I like that philosophy.
WRITTEN You know what I – it’s not art – but the tool I got from “Bear” that I like now. The scrapers. I like the scraper. Now, I can’t be without a towel.
Debt…Taylor Miller of the New York Times
Have you ever cut yourself while cooking?
MOSS-BACHRACH Oh my God.
WRITTEN Yes! What is your vice?
MOSS-BACHRACH When I had a mandoline.
WRITTEN Oh my God, I’m a mandoline too!
MOSS-BACHRACH Being cocky.
WRITTEN My friend came over to make dinner, and I was like, this is like God doing it in my house. I started gossiping, and that was good, too. I remember what it was, it was great, and I was like, “Yeah, girl,” and then – my finger changed for a minute. If I had to do TSA PreCheck, it would have been because it was like, this is not your hand.
Can you tell us about your past work in the food industry?
WRITTEN My first job was washing dishes in a nursing home. And then when I was in college, and after college, I also –
MOSS-BACHRACH ABC Kitchen, right?
WRITTEN ABC Kitchen. We started in the reservation office, then worked our way up to the reception area, and then I started serving. Then, when V opened, I was a barista at V. Sometimes, I would have a double shift day, I would do V as a barista, and then serve in the Kitchen. Sometimes I went to Cocina to hide. I have served many famous people. This is very difficult.
MOSS-BACHRACH Well, go go. We’re done shaving, so the gossip gods aren’t scratching your toes.
WRITTEN Steve Buscemi joined Paul McCartney. They were on a date, and everyone was very nice.
MOSS-BACHRACH They were together.
WRITTEN They were together, and then they gave me a hundred dollar tip. And I was, like, the host. I remember being like, “God will shine on you forever.”
If you were a plate of food, what would it be? Can you answer each other?
MOSS-BACHRACH My first thing is, he will be a Shirley Temple.
WRITTEN Thank you very much.
Debt…Ryan Liebe of the New York Times. Food Photographer: Victoria Granof.
MOSS-BACHRACH Was that good?
WRITTEN That was really good.
MOSS-BACHRACH I know my friend. He is a sweet quarterback.
WRITTEN You can be this borscht, but it is a slightly hot sauce.
MOSS-BACHRACH I have a range.
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