FX’s The Bear is a pressure cooker of grief, ambition, and raw human connection, but at its heart, it’s a love letter to mentorship. To what happens when someone truly sees your potential, believes in it, and invests in helping you become who you were meant to be.

That’s what Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto does for the people around him, especially for Sydney Adamu and Marcus Brooks. And their stories echo exactly what we see every day at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Florida: how one person’s belief can change everything.

“You Are Everything I’m Never Going to Be.” – Carmy to Sydney in Season 4

From the moment Sydney walks into The Bear restaurant, Carmy knows she’s different. She’s bold, whip-smart, and determined to create something meaningful. But it’s more than just her talent, Carmy sees her heart. Her leadership. Her why.

Throughout the series, their relationship is tested, but beneath it all is a steady thread of belief. And in Season 4 of FX’s The Bear, that belief finally comes to the surface in a vulnerable, career-defining moment. Carmy tells her:

“Syd, you are everything I’m never going to be. You are considerate, you feel things, you allow yourself to care, you are a natural leader and teacher, and you’re doing all this stuff for every right reason. And I’m going to do everything that I can to set you up for success. But any chance of any type of good in this building started when you walked in. And any possibility of it surviving is with you.”

And he means it. In Season 4’s final episode, Carmy prepares to step away from The Bear and hand over the restaurant to Sydney. Because his belief in her isn’t casual, it’s complete. He knows she’s not only ready to lead, she’s the future. She is, as he says, “The Bear.”

Marcus’s Rise: From Quiet Grief to Best New Chef

Marcus’s transformation is quieter but just as profound. He enters the kitchen grieving the slow loss of his mother, searching for stability, and clinging to the one thing that gives him purpose: baking.

And Carmy listens. He doesn’t overlook Marcus, he sees his hunger to learn, to improve, to create. So he sends Marcus to Copenhagen to train with one of the world’s top pastry chefs. That trip isn’t just about refining technique, it’s about showing Marcus he belongs among the best.

When Marcus returns, he’s changed, more focused, more confident. And in Season 4, that growth is recognized when Food & Wine names him one of the Best New Chefs in the country.

Through it all, Marcus doesn’t just find success, he finds a new version of himself. Pride in his craft. A sense of purpose. A found family. And it all started because someone believed in him.

Mentorship in The Bear Reflects Real-Life Mentorship at BBBS

Carmy isn’t perfect. He’s navigating his own grief, trauma, and self-doubt. But like so many mentors in real life, he shows up anyway. He listens. He encourages. He opens doors.

At Big Brothers Big Sisters of Florida, we see this every day. Our mentors (our Bigs) walk beside their Littles, offering consistency, connection, and confidence. The same way Carmy believed in Sydney and Marcus, our mentors believe in youth across the state, sometimes before they even believe in themselves.

Be the Reason Someone Believes

If The Bear moved you—if Carmy’s words to Sydney gave you chills, or Marcus’s rise brought tears to your eyes—then you already understand what mentorship can do.

This is our mission at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Florida. We help young people discover what they’re capable of with the support of a mentor who’s not perfect, just present. Because all it takes is one person to believe in them.

And maybe that person is you.

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“Any chance of any type of good in this building started when you walked in. And any possibility of it surviving is with you.”
— Carmen Berzatto to Sydney Adamu, The Bear, Season 4