Georges Perrier (he of Le Bec-Fin fame), just sat down with the Philadelphia Bulletin’s Chris Freind to discuss the foie gras controversy. Surprise surprise, Perrier isn’t a big fan of animal rights activists. More importantly, the chef has a bone to pick with Stephen Starr over dropping foie gras from his restaurants’ menus:
“Steven Starr is a coward. It makes me mad. Starr used to be a big leader in the restaurant industry, but he removed foie gras because he didn’t want to fight (the protesters). For me, that was a big disappointment because I always considered him a leader, and I consider him a friend. And I thought Steve should have called me and said “Georges, can we do a coalition on this (issue)?I am French, and everyone has copied everything the French has done, and what I have done. When I came to the city, there were no (high-class) restaurants. You couldn’t even buy a good suit. The city had nothing. W.C. Fields said Philadelphia was the worst city in the country. I started the Renaissance in this city. My restaurant was twice named the Best Restaurant in the United States. I’ve gotten the Mobil Award for 28 years. I bring quality to the city, I teach people, I have hundreds of employees, and have helped countless others along the way start, some of whom have started their own restaurants. So I feel that I’ve done something. I don’t accept the people who have done nothing in their lives, some of whom have been in jail, come in front of my door screaming. I don’t care about the screaming, but what makes me upset is when they scream that I haven’t done anything. Who are we kidding?
Where are my rights as a citizen and business owner?”
Also, confidential to the Bulletin: It’s Stephen Starr. This crazy little thing called Google is great for fact checking, y’know?
No Sitting Duck [Philadelphia Bulletin]
Le Bec-Fin [MenuPages]
Le Bec-Fin [Official Site]
