Other sites have outlined the history of this piece. But a quick recap: Ty Warner, owner of the Four Seasons New York, hired famed Michelin Star chef Joel Robuchon to be his executive head chef at the L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon – the premier restaurant in the hotel. The restaurant was set to open on September 5th, 2006. Mr. Warner invited select food critics, journalists, and other guests/prominent foodies in NYC to attend dinner on one of three evenings (Sept 18, 19, or 20th, 2006). Exactly how these bears were distributed is unclear, but for particular journalists/reporters, the bear was sent out as an invite, with a a special red invite.
Now here is the bit that is a bit less certain, and leads into a bit of the subtly of this bear. It is said Ty made about 200 examples of this piece, but we do not believe all 200 went out as “invites” to journalists. This is speculation, but stick with us for a second. The ones that did, came with a “complete” red invite, clearly prompting advanced RSPV’s ahead of the event. Other examples were given out with a “blank” red invite that omitted the date selection. We believe these were examples given out either at the event, or shortly thereafter by Ty/Chef Robuchon to guests. More examples still may have been distributed at the event itself without any invite/box at all. After all, no need for an invite once you were already at the event. And Ty typically likes to give mementoes to guests/members of his posh properties (Coral Casino bear to club members, San Ysidro Bently cat sold at the ranch gift shop, etc.).
Rarity Tier: Extremely Rare
With 200 total examples made, this piece falls into the “extremely rare” category. But to be sure, it is estimated that only 2-3 dozen examples have made it into collectors’ hands. Why is this the case? Why is this bear just so darned tough to secure compared to billionaire bears, #1 rep bears, etc.? By 2006, the beanie hysteria of the 90’s had been gone for years. Recipients of this bear were also not collectors. They were folks in/of the food industry who had no idea/interest in beanies, or were “foodies” interested in the piece as a foodie collectible (vs. beanie collectible). So these bears were most likely discarded, or remain in the hands of individuals who will just never bring them to market. Ty only invited experts, and senior foodie royalty to his event (editors-in-chief, master chefs, etc) – all of whom would have kept their bear as a memento, given away on account of lack of interest, or had no motivation to sell given little need for funds. Additionally, gifts to magazines/publications typically came with strict value limitations, so could not be accepted if more than a certain value, or resold. This is unlike the billionaire bears, for example, where recipients, Ty Employees, have more modest salaries, and know to push their pieces to the collecting market.
Most collectors are more than happy with a chef bear on its own. To many, securing a chef bear is THE ULTIMATE goal in beanie land. But there are “complete” examples that have the original red invite/original box and ribbon. Of those examples, some have an original “full” invite, others have the “less complete” red invite. Any form of invite is quite rare. Below are pictures of two bears we have in our records that have their original red invite. Both examples are complete in their original boxes. One bear has the “full invite”, and the other has the “less complete” invite. We have included a chef out of box as well for good measure. It is possible the full invite only went out with the bear in advance of the 3-day event. Then any bears privately given away by Ty/Chef Robuchon, or handed out at the party/shortly after, came with the limited “red invite”, or without the box/invite entirely.
Rarest Beans 