Cleveland Cooks: Popularity of Chicago-style Italian beef skyrockets due to ‘The Bear’

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Interest in Chicago’s favorite sandwich, the Italian beef, is skyrocketing lately thanks to the hit show on Hulu “The Bear.”

According to Google Trends, inquiries about the city’s delicacy have nearly doubled since the series released.

The show takes place at a sandwich shop in Chicago that specializes in the local favorite, and the gritty life behind the scenes in the kitchen of the family-run business.

Local restaurants, like Gunselman’s Tavern in Fairview Park, say the Italian beef on their menu is quickly becoming their No. 1 seller.

The Buonavolanto family, of Buona Beef in Chicago, has been making Italian beef sandwiches for three generations. They’ve seen an incredible uptick in interest in their products and methods since the show came out.

They’re now distributing their authentic Italian beef, locally-produced bread, and special blend of giardiniera all over the country to give a taste of authentic Chicago to fans of the show.

This week on Cleveland Cooks, Dominic Freddura, creative content manager at Buona Beef, demonstrated the three most popular and highly-debated ways in which to prepare the famous sandwich.

Copyright 2022 WOIO. All rights reserved.