Illinois Just Made the Italian Beef Its Official State Sandwich, and 'The Bear' Got a Thank You Note From the Capitol
The FX series gets an unlikely honor from Springfield ahead of its final season.
Summary
- The Illinois General Assembly officially named the Italian beef sandwich the state sandwich of Illinois on May 20, with the resolution explicitly crediting The Bear for bringing international attention to the dish
- The Bear actor Corey Hendrix, a Chicago native who plays Gary “Sweeps” Woods, was present at the Springfield Capitol for the proclamation, where a food truck served complimentary Italian beef outside the building
- The fifth and final season of The Bear premieres June 25 on FX and Hulu, making this moment one of the more unusual send-offs a TV show has ever received
The Illinois General Assembly has officially named the Italian beef sandwich the state sandwich of Illinois, and it would like The Bear to know it had something to do with that. In a formal resolution passed on May 20, the state legislature name-checked the FX series as a key reason for the sandwich’s recent resurgence in popular culture, with cast member and Chicago native Corey Hendrix present at the Capitol in Springfield to receive a framed copy of the document.
The resolution is worth reading on its own terms, because it is genuinely well-written for a piece of state legislation. It traces the Italian beef’s origins to the working-class Italian immigrant communities of Chicago in the early 20th century, calling the sandwich an “ambassador of Illinois culture far beyond the state’s borders,” and notes that the series “served as a powerful and authentic portrayal of Chicago’s food culture, its immigrant working-class roots, and the spirit of resilience, creativity, and excellence that defines the people of Illinois.” There was also a food truck parked outside the Capitol serving complimentary Italian beefs, which is the kind of detail that makes you wonder why more legislative proceedings do not end this way.
Hendrix, who plays Gary “Sweeps” Woods on the show and grew up in Chicago, represented the production at the event alongside state representatives Rick Ryan and Dave Vella and Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch. The show filmed all five seasons in and around Chicago, using Mr. Beef on Orleans Street in the River North neighborhood as the location and inspiration for the Original Beef of Chicagoland. That the real shop and the real city have been so central to the series is part of what makes the proclamation land as genuine rather than promotional.
The fifth and final season of The Bear premieres June 25 on FX and Hulu.
