@pete_wells Back in 1990 I worked at La Reserve at Rock Center, the chef hit me pretty hard on the ass with a spatula. I quit the next day. If it is so important for one to work for a tyrant then maybe re-evaluate your goals.

@pete_wells I was business manager of Crif Dogs Enterprises Inc (Crif Dogs & PDT) from 2008-2011. That was a unique time in the East Village. It got to be too much for me. I walked away from it all in April 2011, moved to Costa Rica on August 1st 2011, stayed there for 6 years.

@pete_wells I worked for a chef who threw a can of crabmeat (a big one) at a cook and it broke the clock on the wall. The next day he brought her a digital camera. It was so fun! He’d rage at us and then make us sumptuous meals instead of apologizing. We called those dinners “sorry ramen”

@pete_wells I need to read this calmly, later, to verify that it is not another regret to avoid responsibility for the truth.

@pete_wells It is a good piece. I was super fired up about this at some point recently, but in light of the current newscycle, it is hard to focus on this. I just want us to stop failing hospitality workers. Protect them, pay them, give them a chance to survive.

@pete_wells Thanks for writing this.

@pete_wells Mr. Wells, thank you for this thoughtful piece. What role do you think the endless PR for restaurants and groups who can afford it plays in media coverage? Does that coverage encourage the myth making?

@pete_wells @mangiotto This is tremendous and humane, thank you

@pete_wells @imjasondiamond as someone who has mostly worked in academia with a few chain restaurant/coffee jobs in between, I'm again surprised by the mention of non-"disparagement" agreements. Are these really as common in restaurant groups as Momofuku claims?

@pete_wells Knowing about your friendship with Chang, as well as his known close associations with many problematic people (Batali, Meehan, etc) it makes me think your take here is too measured, and that in reality it may have been much worse. Also NDAs are stupid.

@pete_wells The abuser I lived with was also good at being the victim of his own behavior somehow. His non-redemptive redemption was more important to others than the cruel torture he put people through. The abusive chefs I’ve worked for is the same. Empathy, but fuck their victims, right?

@pete_wells @maggieNYT Restaurants deserve better & our help

@pete_wells @maggieNYT I think Chang’s “restitution” is trying to keep the restaurants open so that people have jobs.

@pete_wells Thanks for writing this and amplifying this message. Being caught between an asshole chef and an asshole customer is even more fraught with real danger these days for restaurant workers. We are ready for real change!

@pete_wells Um...give a holler.

@pete_wells I always got a bad feeling about Chang.. I feel like a lot of his and other cis-straight-males’ success in the business is due to what i call ‘Bro-culture’ and it is very incestuous and toxic