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I talked to 35 people who worked at Blaine Wetzel’s Willows Inn. They said the whole industry needs to change, not just one tiny restaurant in the Pacific NW. The bullying, sexism and homophobia they described happens in top kitchens all over the world. https://nyti.ms/2QE0bp9
One server at the Willows said "the ways in which people were abused and belittled there was horrifying.” Wetzel denied the substance of most allegations, but acknowledged: “we must improve.” https://nyti.ms/2QE0bp9
A few chefs have been held accountable for their behavior in recent years. But the people I spoke to said that if Wetzel can still get glowing reviews, even though many employees walked away miserable and angry, the industry isn’t changing fast enough.
On tiny Lummi island (pop. ~900) it was exciting when the Willows started attracting guests from all over the world. But some islanders (especially women) who worked there resent how they were treated, and that gets around.
Wetzel has made the Willows a destination by claiming that all his ingredients come from the island, but employees said that wasn’t true. Feeding 25 dishes to 40 people 6 nights a week from a 9-square-mile island would be “mathematically impossible.”
Wetzel said “we never misrepresent our ingredient sources,” and described how the Willows farms, forages, and fishes for ingredients on Lummi. But he didn’t deny that many ingredients come from elsewhere, including Costco organic chickens.
Many of these problems aren’t unique to the Willows; they’re part of fine dining tradition. Being a fanatic about ingredients is admired and being a perfectionist is rewarded with stars and awards. But the price of reaching those goals can be an abusive workplace.
Read more in my article about the Willows Inn, on tiny Lummi Island off Washington State https://nyti.ms/2QE0bp9
