A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.
Op Ed piece about abuse in Restaurants!
Sofrito Lovers,
Today's post isn't one of my cheesy, campy, or corny lighthearted little fluff foodie pieces. Today, I share this incredibly powerful, poignant, timely, and NECESSARY piece on sexual abuse, racism, and sexism in the restaurant industry.
Originally posted on ChefsFeed.com, this OP Ed piece by Richie Nakano brings to light a dangerous hypocrisy and inexcusable culture of silence that is hurting many people in the food industry.
Read, think, and act. ¡Buen Provecho!
OPINION: Our Track Record On Speaking Up Sucks, And It Shouldn’t
We braced for a wave of accusations and none came. Why?
November 14, 2017
By Richie Nakano | Image via iStock
We braced for a wave of accusations and none came. Why?
November 14, 2017
By Richie Nakano | Image via iStock
The restaurant industry is touted as a place of sanctuary. And yeah, at its best, it can be a place to escape, to start anew.
In the heat of the kitchen, what you do in the moment matters more than some murky moment in your past. Being locked up on a drug charge last year doesn't matter to any of your coworkers, as long as you can hold down your station tonight. Some of the culinary world's biggest names tell tales about how the restaurant industry saved them from themselves, and because we love stories about redemption and second chances, we forget the darkness that brought them and only remember the fable.
And we’re fickle with who we forgive. We accept a station-crushing alcoholic, a misogynist, an abuser; but we can't quite accept Guy Fieri because he has frosted tips. There are whisper networks about who the creeps are, and direct messages sent about who not to hire, but rarely, if ever, do we call anyone out in public. That silence trickles down and infects a restaurant’s culture and its employees.
When the flood of accusations came out against Harvey Weinstein, James Toback, Kevin Spacey, and on and on and on, everyone in the famously ill-behaved restaurant industry held their breath and thought, HERE IT COMES. Then came the news about John Besh, which kicked off a small wave of essays and hand-wringing about how broken our industry is. And then? Nothing. The tidal wave never happened. Everyone went about their business.
And we’re fickle with who we forgive. We accept a station-crushing alcoholic, a misogynist, an abuser; but we can't quite accept Guy Fieri because he has frosted tips. There are whisper networks about who the creeps are, and direct messages sent about who not to hire, but rarely, if ever, do we call anyone out in public. That silence trickles down and infects a restaurant’s culture and its employees.
When the flood of accusations came out against Harvey Weinstein, James Toback, Kevin Spacey, and on and on and on, everyone in the famously ill-behaved restaurant industry held their breath and thought, HERE IT COMES. Then came the news about John Besh, which kicked off a small wave of essays and hand-wringing about how broken our industry is. And then? Nothing. The tidal wave never happened. Everyone went about their business.
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