Discrimination

Queens Bakery Fined $25,000 for Discrimination

The cakes come in racist or sexist.
The cakes come in racist or sexist. Photo: Courtesy of Framboise Patisserie

The owners of a Middle Village bakery face $25,000 in fines stemming from discrimination charges after a co-owner allegedly told a 25-year-old job applicant, “I can’t hire you because you’re black.” Jamilah DaCosta says she answered a Craigslist ad in 2011 only to be told by Framboise Patisserie partner Patty Meimetea that a black “counter girl” would scare away customers and that her husband would be angry if she hired an African-American. Meimetea and her husband, who deny the allegations, say the real reason the woman wasn’t hired was because she had previously worked a fast-food job. “I can’t hire somebody who worked at McDonald’s,” says AJ Saputhanthri. “She don’t even know what is the cookie dough.” The breakdown of fines includes damages awarded to DaCosta and penalties for racial and gender discrimination. [NYDN]

Queens Bakery Fined $25,000 for Discrimination