The celebrity chef and “Top Chef” judge published a scathing open letter on Medium Wednesday decrying the industry’s “ugly machismo” culture and calling for men to change it. The missive follows recent reports that fellow chef John Besh let sexual harassment run rampant in his kitchens and had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a female employee.
“This isn’t just a matter of a few bad eggs and we all know it,” Colicchio wrote. “For every John Besh splashed across Page Six, we can assume hundreds, if not thousands, more with kitchens just like the ones his female employees described. Something’s broken here.”
″...It’s time for men in the restaurant industry to say to each other: enough,” Colicchio wrote. “Enough; Because deep down men know that sexist shit-talk is just a lazy substitute for real wit. They know that work is not sexy time. They know that if they have to insist it was consensual, it probably wasn’t.”
Colicchio listed some personal failings in the letter, saying he’s let his “temper run high” in the kitchen and “brushed off the leering without acknowledging its underlying hostility.” He also said he used a gendered slur against a journalist for printing “gossip,” something he regrets.
After tackling many of the factors that drive women from the industry, he wrapped up the piece with a call for men to do better.
“I’m betting we can reinvent our industry as a place where people of all genders feel safe and prepare to lead,” he wrote.
The only thing wider than Chef Duprat’s palette is his heart. The Haitian-born "Top Chef" competitor and gifted food lover makes a point to align himself with and give back through organizations like No Hungry Kids, the Black Culinary Alliance (BCA), Real Men Charities Inc., the American Culinary Federation, International Youth Foundation, and FLOTUS’ Let’s Move against childhood obesity… to name a few. Additionally, Chef Duprat authored a book titled "My Journey Through Cooking." He began his culinary career a teenager, and today encourages young people to do the same.
Jeff Henderson
Chef Henderson’s journey to the kitchen is unlike any other. He realized his calling for cooking while serving a 10-year prison sentence on drug charges. From a penitentiary kitchen to one that belongs to his culinary world persona, Cheff Jeff has proved himself to be a remarkably talented businessman. Today the inspiring figure owns acatering, publishing, and consulting company. He’s written books, hosted shows, and even shared his story with Oprah. There is a lesson to be learned from Henderson's transformation -- especially for young people : "I use my story to convince at-risk people that they have the gift, traits, ability to create their own business," Henderson said. "I tell kids I'm still a homeboy, I'm still a hustler -- I just changed the products and the terminology."
B. Smith
Barbara Smith’s motto, "whatever you do, do it with style" is fitting. She built her culinary empire without any professional training, yet has expanded her influence in the culinary world across multi-media platforms and manifestations in several different, related industries. B. Smith’s culinary career boasts a variety of impressive projects including “The B. Smith" and "Thank You Dan Show” alongside her husband on SiriusXM Radio, serving as a culinary resource for the State Department (National Chefs Corps), various TV commercials and product endorsements, gracing the covers of magazines (such as Mademoiselle whose color barrier she broke in 1976), her hit NBC show “B. Smith with Style,” and even her own home collection with Bed Bath & Beyond. Chef Smith is, among other things, a celebrated restaurateur, author, model, TV personality, spokesperson, and culinary ambassador. You can also add patriot to that list, since her partnership with Rady Pac that aims to bring culturally diverse food to service men and women in the Armed Forces. Barbara Smith is truly, the whole package.
Bryant Terry
The man is as much a food justice activist as he is a chef. Bryant Terry categorically defies the "black people only eat soul food" stereotype with his Afro-vegan cookbooks -- of which he’s written four -- not to mention his web series Urban Organic. He graduated from the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City, but he also has a masters degree in American History from NYU. It’s no surprise that a Food and Social Policy Fellows Program participant would become a concerned and conscious chef. The social context of Chef Bryant’s position in society and the world does not go unnoticed by the great talent, nor does he waste his influence hiding in a kitchen. World-renowned chef Alice Waters once aptly said, “Bryant Terry knows that good food should be an everyday right and not a privilege.” He is, essentially, an eco-friendly culinary superhero.
Marvin Woods
An Emmy Award nomination, two popular cookbooks ("Home Plate Cooking" and "The New Low Country"), and the honor of being chosen as the first chef to kick off FLOTUS’ Let’s Move initiative combating childhood obesity are definitely things to brag about, but this foodie’s coolest accomplishment is his program, ‘Droppin’ Knowledge with Chef Marvin Woods. A testament to his concern for child health issues and affordable meals for families, Chef Woods has traveled across the country giving talks and demonstrations to educate parents and children why it’s important to eat well and why it doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated to do so.
G. Garvin
Gerry Garvin is part chef, part author, part television host, and packs the same punch of personality in all three of arenas. He cooked at well known restaurants and Ritz-Carlton’s from Georgia to California and back again, before opening his own restaurant, G Garvin’s, in his hometown of Atlanta. His one-size-fits-all approach to cooking certainly seems to suit his ever-growing growing group of foodie fans. The host of two immensely popular TV series, Chef Garvin’s personality translates as wellon screen as it does in his cuisine. His most recent TV project "Road Trip", followed"Turn Up The Heat" -- also the name of the first of his three cookbooks.
Joe Randall
Chances are you’ve seen Joe Randall on TV, heard him on the radio, or read one of his recipes in a magazine -- he’s worked in the culinary world for half a century. Although he’s been in the business for a long time, don’t assume for one second that Chef Randall has slowed down. He continues to teach classes at his cooking school -- Chef Joe Randall’s Cooking School -- and remains a figure of leadership in culinary education and community service.
Tiffany Derry
From IHOP, to the Art Institute of Houston, to "Top Chef," Chef Tiffany Derry has certainly worked her way up in the culinary world. She opened the renowned, now closed, restaurant ‘Private Social’ with partner Patrick Halbert before leaving to pursue a successful career in food television. You can watch her on Spike TV’s‘Hungry Investors’ and ‘Bar Rescue’, Fox’s "Good Day" culinary segments, and various other appearances as an expert on cooking and hospitality.
Govind Armstrong
Famous for his long dreads and devotion to sustainable, local ingredients in his cooking, Govind Armstrong’s name is well known in the restaurant circuit. A devoted California native and restaurateur, Chef Armstrong has successfully established nationwide chains like Table 8 and 8 oz Burger Bar, along with a handful of one-off spots ‘ROFL’, Post and Beam and Willie Jane in Los Angeles. He famously began apprenticed under Wolfgang Puck at the tender age of 13, and has since appeared on the likes of ‘Iron Chef America’ and ‘Top Chef’, as well as authored the cookbook "Small Bites, Big Nights." Oh and he can count Oprah on his list of fans.
Former NBA guard Darius Morris has died at the age of 33. He played for five teams during his four NBA seasons. Morris played college basketball at Michigan.
Affluent Americans may want to double-check how much of their bank deposits are protected by government-backed insurance. The rules governing trust accounts just changed.
It’s key to note that we’re not saying the “best team” or “best roster.” Instead, we’re talking about the best confluence of factors that can outline a path for survival and then success.
Jake Mintz & Jordan Shusterman discuss the Padres-Marlins trade that sent Luis Arraez to San Diego, as well as recap all the action from this weekend in baseball and send birthday wishes to hall-of-famer Willie Mays.
Miami Heat president Pat Riley rebuked comments Jimmy Butler made about the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, while also implying that his star needs to play more.
