The following involves plot and character details from the fourth season of The Bear, which premiered on June 25.

Sarah Ramos may command a fine-dining kitchen on The Bear, but it doesn’t mean her taste is all that refined. “I don’t have an exquisite palate,” she says. “I’m a sour candy from Walgreens kind of a gal.” While she has dined at Ever, the restaurant where her character, Jess, meets Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Richie in season two’s “Forks,” and says she has “incredible respect for the work and care that goes into the service and the food and the artistry of it,” given the chance, she’ll still opt for Chicago deep-dish pizza any day. (Her favorite is Pequod’s, which appeared in “Forks” and has a signature crispy, burned-cheese crust that Ramos rips off and uses to scoop out the inside of the pizza, tortilla-chip style. Go off, Chef.)

Ramos has put in time in the restaurant game in preparation for her role on The Bear, staging at L.A.’s Mozza and Chicago’s the Publican. She never really learned to professionally fold napkins, however, despite what viewers might have guessed from watching season four. “The Bear moves really fast compared to other shows. We were moving around the set shooting different stuff and then we got into positions for the napkin scene and they just said ‘rolling’ and I had a heart attack,” Ramos says. “I was like, I’m sorry, do you mean we’re rolling right now? Luckily, I was prepared, since I’d been begging them to train me in napkin folding for months. When I got thrown to the wolves, ultimately I think I did a moderately good job.”

When did you know Chef Jess was coming back this season, and how was her transition from Ever to the Bear explained to you?
We shot seasons three and four at the same time, so I have known for over a year and have been really excited and waiting to share the news. I appear very briefly in season three, but The Bear is very serious about spoilers so I haven’t been able to talk about it

How does that work? Do you know your character’s whole arc for both seasons from day one, or do you learn over time? 
They sent all the scripts for three and four together. It was like one day you’d be shooting season three, then the next day you’d be shooting season four. And honestly, we shot those two seasons a year ago, then did pick-ups and connecting pieces earlier this year. Then they moved stuff around a bunch, so continuity-wise, it’s just been like, I surrender. I’ll just find out what happens when I watch the show.

You’re always wearing basically the same thing, so they can put your scenes anywhere, really.
It’s always a suit, but we do have variations — white shirt, black shirt, different ties, different suits, even if it’s very subtle.

What do you think Jess’s role is at the Bear as they’re coming off this middling review? How can she change things?
I learned a lot about expediting by playing an expediter. It’s a kitchen role I was not aware of before, and all kitchens work differently. In some, the chef expedites and cooks at the same time, which is what was happening at the Bear prior to Chef Jess coming over, but by letting Syd not have to do that, it lets her do what she does best.

I also think Jess came up under this mentorship and staging framework and Richie assumes she’s a savant like Carmy, but that’s not true. She really worked hard and did the grind, so she brings a sense that change is possible. It’s like, This place is a mess, but I have a vision and I’m confident we can whip it into shape and achieve what we want it to be. The show is so much about trying to achieve something big — like how, as artists, sometimes our taste level way exceeds our ability, and that’s so frustrating. It’s such a relief to have somebody be like, “I see where we’re at and we have a ways to go, but we’re gonna get there one day at a time.”

She also comes in without the baggage of knowing the Original Beef and the whole Berzatto past. Watching her ask Richie about that picture of Mikey, as a viewer you’re like, Oh, wow. She doesn’t know.
Right? I just think she’s forward-thinking, and having come from a good experience at Ever, she’s bringing positivity and support, which is really powerful.

In season four, we get a tantalizing glimpse into Jess’s backstory with the discussion of her checkered-flag pin. How much do you know about what that pin says about her backstory, and what can you tell us?
I think it’s left open to interpretation. When I first read it, I was like, Was her dad a gambler? I don’t have Jess’s optimism and chill, so I was like, He was a gambler and she had a shitty childhood so she’s attracted to dysfunction. And then I thought, Oh, maybe her dad was in the pit crew and he was really good at his job and the pin is a positive thing, like there doesn’t have to be this air of tragedy to it. I like that version better, so that’s where I’ve landed.

Is there more of a Jess backstory beyond the pin? Either something you came up with or maybe you’ve heard from the writers? 
Well, I wouldn’t dare expose any insider secrets, but I will say she’s got a Chicago accent. We get a bit of a glimpse into her past when she says, “I wish I trained in Copenhagen, but I wasn’t good enough.” She’s got brothers, too. I don’t know, maybe we’ll be learning a lot about her dating history, her favorite foods, her favorite colors, and her hobbies someday.

It’s funny that you say she has an accent because typically when people think of a Chicago accent, they think of that sort of hard accent you get with Cicero or Chi-Chi, and that’s not exactly what you hear from Jess. How do you define a Chicago accent? 
Well, a big inspiration for me with Jess is Coco Storer, the show’s culinary producer and its creator Chris’s sister, who worked in restaurants all over the world. She makes all the food on the show, and she’s originally from Chicago. Her accent’s not as strong as Chi-Chi’s, but you can hear that she’s from Chicago and it’s so endearing.

I think Jess might have tried to sand down her accent a bit, but the long vowel sounds haven’t gone away. I have a lot of fun playing with her accent when I’m doing some of the expediting, like I’ll say “tartarrrrrr” instead of tartare. I try to pick words to say that I think play into the Chicago accent, just because it makes me laugh.

Let’s talk about your character’s relationship with Richie. How do you see whatever’s going on with them? 
Well, how do you see the relationship between Jess and Richie?

I think it’s happening like a slow burn. You can see a mutual respect building, and they do seem interested in each other as people, so who knows.
I saw somebody wrote about there being vibes between Syd and Luca. Did you feel like that was happening?

They did seem excited to see each other, but also I think a lot of the time, people want to see relationships on TV whether they should exist or not.
Yeah, I feel like Bear fans are really horny. But yes, from the first episode, “Forks,” I was kind of like, Am I reading into this? I was having the same experience as the fans. Like, I feel like there’s something happening here. I do feel like Jess has an interest, and I think opposites attract. I remember at the time, I said to Chris Storer — this was so long ago, when Euphoria season two had just come out — “They’re like Maude Apatow and Angus McCloud in Euphoria,” like bad boy, good girl, classic pairing.

It’s interesting, too, because the show’s release has happened over years but not much time has passed onscreen. Sometimes, I’ll be like, “This is starting to get crazy. Jess needs to get a boyfriend,” and Rene Gube, one of the writers who also plays Rene on the show, will be like, “It’s only been a week,” or however many months on the show. But in the real world, there’s so much tension building around whatever’s going to happen.

Does that make sense? Did I skirt that answer successfully?

100 percent. I do think Jess is a good grounding presence for Richie. They’re good foils for each other. 
It’s an interesting relationship because Jess is all order but Richie brings fun and chaos. They balance each other out. It’s also funny, though, because sometimes it feels like, Oh my God, this is a “But Daddy, I love him” situation. Like, No! I can fix him! Jess, girl … run. I mean, this guy?

That’s the central question of Richie: Is he getting his shit together? Is he changing? That’s really the question of the entire show, too. Can people change? I think if they were to explore that relationship, there’s room for comedy, but it could also be extremely awkward and go really weirdly.

Do you have a favorite scene you filmed for seasons three and four? 
I liked the end of the first episode of this new season where I get to roll in and boss everybody around. That was really fun, getting to dom the entire cast of The Bear. There’s nothing like it.

I also highly recommend getting to work with Olivia Colman. What an honor. And then there was a scene that didn’t make the cut this season: There’s a running joke about how Chester is threatened by Luca, played by Will Poulter, so we did this scene where it’s Chester and Ted just chilling in the restaurant and talking about feeling insecure about Luca and then I come out, like, “Can you get the fuck out of here?” And he goes, “I’m having a bad day.” And I say, “I’m so sorry. Get the fuck out.” Chris just threw those lines at us, and that was fun but it didn’t make the cut.

Between The Bear and your role on Chicago Med, you are spending quite a lot of time in Chicago. If money, stomach space, and time were limitless, what would be your perfect weekend of meals in Chicago?
I’d have to go to the After Chicago lounge, which is connected to Ever. Also Pequod’s. I’d do Doughnut Vault for breakfast, which is a little window. It’s basically the Beef but for doughnuts, and the chocolate old-fashioned is incredible.

Hmm … where else am I going? I guess I’d have to hit all the Lettuce Entertain You spots, like Shaw’s Crab House. I would try to get into Armitage Alehouse, which is a Hogsalt establishment, since they haven’t taken kindly to me — they don’t seem to care whether I live or die, so I can’t get a reservation there.

 “From the first episode, I was having the same experience as the fans. Like, I feel like there’s something happening here.”