| Gary "Sweeps" Woods | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Portrayed by | Corey Hendrix |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Gary Woods |
| Nickname | Sweeps |
| Occupation | Sommelier, retired professional baseball player |
Gary "Sweeps" Woods is a fictional character on the FX Network television series The Bear . Created by Christopher Storer and played by Corey Hendrix since the show's premiere in 2022. Sweeps has been described as a "minor character who still shines with his minimal screen time." [1]
Sweeps does not drive. [2]
Sweeps is a former professional baseball player. Sweeps' baseball career, which ended when he tested positive for steroid use, [3] included sweeping the Padres, [4] and he also "swept St. Louis three times and had a no-hitter." Sweeps could not afford housing while trying out for the Chicago Cubs and playing on their farm team. [5] He was a left fielder for AAA teams and was also recognized for his hitting skill. [3] Getting a job at the Beef pulled him out of a "dark place" after his expulsion from baseball. [3] In keeping with his baseball background, Sweeps is wearing Nike Air Griffey Max 1 shoes when he puts out the stovetop grease fire in "Braciole." [6]
He worked at Mikey Berzatto's Original Beef of Chicagoland as a runner and janitor, sweeping and mopping floors at the local Italian beef sandwich shop. Under Carmy Berzatto's ownership, Sweeps retrained to be the sommelier of the fine-dining restaurant the Bear. [7] (Multiple wine websites complained that despite the "fine dining overkill" of season three that wine should have been centered as part of the restaurant.) [8] [9] [10]
In season three, the Bear sent Sweeps to the Court of Master Sommeliers. [11] [12] He is also given a copy of The Original Scratch and Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert and "thinks he's being trolled" but author Richard Betts is a "legendary sommelier" and the book "well-respected." [9] According to one wine website, "Sweeps is shown struggling to open a bottle whose cork appears to be already 75 percent extracted. A handpull would have finished it, but he unsuccessfully goes after it with a wine key, chipping away bits of cork and swearing under his breath." [9]
In season four, his character's continuing education included a seminar with famed real-life Chicago sommelier Alpana Singh. [13] In the episode "Soubise," she tutored him on pairings (what wine goes with fish, or a mushroom dish). [14] Singh told Wine Enthusiast , "I met with Corey Hendrix...and I explained the psyche of a sommelier...You can feel like you don't belong in the room, particularly if you’re a person of color. It brings its own 'terroir' to the situation...People are coming into the restaurant whose suit and tie is worth more than you're making every month." [15] He is depicted studying out of The Oxford Companion to Wine and The World Atlas of Wine. [15]
According to one foodie website, by the end of season four, Sweeps has become adept at picking "perfect" wine pairings for dishes at the Bear. [16] Wine Enthusiast commended the show for capturing "especially well...the passion, sense of purpose and curiosity that can take hold so quickly for someone new to the field." [15] According to financial consultant Nicholas "the Computer" Marshall (Brian Koppelman) strong wine sales are one of the fragile restaurant's financial bright spots. [17]
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