Tina Marrero is a main character in the comedy drama series The Bear. She is a chef at The Bear, and is friends with most of her coworkers. She is portrayed by Liza Colón-Zayas.
Background[]
Personality[]
Tina is rough around the edges, she is set in her ways and doesn't take well to new-comers. She is fiercely independent and refuses help even when needed, because she wants to believe she can do everything herself.
Physical Description[]
Tina is a Latina woman in her early fifties, with light brown skin and brown eyes. She has curly black hair that she keeps short and she wears makeup. She dresses casually and has her own custom apron with a lipstick mark.
Throughout the Series[]
Season 1[]
Tina is a character who works at The Original Beef of Chicagoland. She is initially resistant to Carmy coming in to change things up. Eventually, she gets on board.
When Tina's son gets suspended from school, she takes him to the diner as an opportunity for him to learn culinary skills.
Season 2[]
Tina is involved in the development of The Bear restaurant. After Sydney is appointed as the chef de cuisine, she asks Tina to be her sous-chef. Tina, along with Ebra, is sent to culinary school to further enhance their skills and take advantage of the existing staff. Tina thrives in culinary school and plays a crucial role in developing the menu alongside Sydney. However, she becomes troubled when Ebra stops attending classes, causing her concern.
Tina actively contributes to the menu development process and supports Sydney in her culinary endeavors.
Relationships[]
Sydney[]
Sydney and Tina are co-workers and friends. Upon Sydney first joining the Beef, the existing members of the staff mainly showed skepticism towards both her and Carmy and treated them as outsiders. Chief amongst them was Tina, who would constantly undermine Sydney's authority and disregard her advice. Despite this, Sydney does not get discouraged; in one instance, after Tina accidentally messes up a dish she was preparing, Sydney, having anticipated this, immediately replaces it with her own, earning her respect. Later, Tina gives a pot of mashed potatoes to Sydney that she has been frustrated over, but although she assumed that Sydney would insult her dish. To her surprise, however, Sydney approved of it, and Tina appreciated this. Hereafter, Tina became much friendlier towards Sydney. In Review, amidst a chaotic morning, Tina attempted to calm Sydney down when she was angry, but to no avail.
By the second season, as everyone began to prepare for the opening of the Bear, Sydney asked Tina if she would be her sous chef, which Tina was overjoyed by. Tina would spend most of the rest of the season training and preparing to be Sydney's sous chef. On opening night, however, the two of them briefly butt heads when, in one instance, Sydney asks her to redo a dish she had just prepared because the cook was apparently wrong, which Tina disagreed with. Later, after witnessing Carmy yell at Sydney (followed by a reconciliation), the two of them quickly apologize to each other. After a successful opening night, the two of them seem to end the season on good terms. 
Carmy[]
Carmy and Tina are co-workers and friends. Upon Carmy first joining the Beef, the existing members of the staff mainly showed skepticism towards him due to the changes he planned to implement to the kitchen. She also jokingly began referring him with the nickname "Jeff" which sounds like "chef". While she along with almost everyone else initially labeled Carmy as an outsider, she warmed up to him over time as she got more used to the new system.
In the second season, the two of them continue to have a positive work relationship, with Carmy gifting Tina with his kitchen knife before she went to culinary school, which Tina greatly enjoys. At the end of the season, before the opening night of the Bear, Tina asks Carmy if he would like it back, to which Carmy responds that he did not remember ever asking her for it back. Later, after successfully serving the customers, Tina talks to Carmy through the walk-in door as he is stuck in there, and while he spirals and expresses his shame to her, she assures him that everything is going fine in the kitchen, and that he did not fail them. Carmy also felt comfortable enough to confide in her his feelings concerning his relationship with Claire, although Tina would not hear this part.
Quotes[]
Trivia[]
- Tina doesn't drive.
- She was 46 when she began working at The Original Beef of Chicagoland.
Gallery[]
