Jeff Black digs into Food Bloggers at RAMMYS- sends apology

Submitted by peek on Thu, 06/28/2012 - 1:53pm

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Ever wished you had not said something? How about to a packed house, at an annual awards show of your peers and reporters, consultants and marketing professionals? Jeff Black did say something he later tried to explain, retract and rephrase during just that at his acceptance speech during the Washignton DC 30th Annual RAMMY awards Sunday. FYI BizBash Magazine named the RAMMY Awards Gala the #1 Food & Restaurant event in DC on the Top 100 events list in 2011, 2010 & 2008. It is a big deal fundrasier for the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW)!

Founded by Washington, DC chefs Jeff and Barbara Black, Black Restaurant Group consists of Addie's Restaurant, Rockville, MD, Black's Bar & Kitchen, Bethesda, MD., Black Market Bistro, Garrett Park, MD. BlackSalt Fish Market & Restaurant, Washington, DC, Pearl Dive Oyster Palace & Black Jack Washington, DC. Their website also gives kudos to reviewers aka bloggers on its company's reviews on its website's home page saying it is 'gaining the praise of critics and diners alike."

So, I received this email and decided to share it for all to see. May I first say that I have been writing about his restaurant's happenings on www.CITYPEEK.com, just recently, PEARL OYSTER DIVE. After reading this, I still would give it a shot, but come in slightly tainted. See my article @ http://www.citypeek.com/washington-dc/blog-entry/great-farm-table-exampl.... Here is the apology letter CITYPEEK Patti received June 28, 2012 via email.

To the blogging and media community,

I certainly apologize if my comments at the RAMMY awards were upsetting and I am sorry they were taken out of the context I intended. The point I was trying to make is about the underappreciated people in our industry. Have you ever cleaned a toilet you didn’t own? Scrub pots of food you were not allowed to taste. Clean a table that the food and drink from were more expensive than you can afford. Many of us in the restaurant business have. It’s where we start and hopefully with enough dedication we prosper.

The truth of the matter is I should have directed my comments to people who use the internet as a Bully Pulpit to deride or denigrate many in the restaurant business. Not the trophy chefs and restaurateurs (who should have thick enough skin to take critical comment in stride), but the people who really make the industry work. Countless times nameless, faceless “Posters” on food blogs deride waiters, bartenders and other restaurant employees without thought of the consequences or the commitment these people make every day.

At Black Restaurant Group we support blogs that celebrate Hospitality, That support The Local Food Scene, that spotlight farms and farmers and all the hard work they do. What we don’t support are people who come to the restaurants and make threats of negative posts for “freebies” or to skirt the rules. (You can call me anytime and I will give a laundry list of outrageous behavior from certain people, cell 240.286.3475). Again I do humbly apologize if my comments where taken out of context. I was merely trying to stand up for the people that make my company the success that it is.

Thank you,

Jeff Black

Black Restaurant Group

Washington Post Food writer Nevin Martell is now acting backfollowing the restaurateur's remarks at food bloggers during his RAMMY DC 2012 Award acceptance speech. He is now selling "Jeff Black Hates My Blog" T-shirts, hats, baby clothes and sweats for sale on Zazzle.com.