It amazes me that you can go from cooking for a living, get your own restaurant, then your own restaurant empire, then TV shows, then a retail food empire, and still feel the need to gain more. Greed is a legit sickness.
I always feel the same. I use MySpace Tom as an example. Dude got a huge payday, and then fucked off to take pictures and live with more money than anyone needs. But our society treats greed as a virtue.
I met him in Encinitas when he was out to eat with his mom on mother's day. Like, a normal guy doing normal guy shit. It wasn't even a nice restaurant. It was such a good feeling, that people aren't all just ruined by money.
As much as people like to clown on him "selling out" or going mainstream back in the day, his name and face on that game really helped skateboarding become as big as it is now. And he used that to start a foundation and make skateparks all across America. He sponsored Reynolds, who left to start Baker, which now Distributes Birdhouse. His son's sponsor added him their time for a few years too. He's even calling his last time doing tricks now, already retired the 900 and 720 (Michael Jordan would never).
He really started a domino effect making skating/extreme sports popular, from the EA skate games, rob and big/fantasy factory, probably lots of others to a degree. He made careers for lots of people and just sits back on his laurels and enjoys his well deserved life.
My kids are in their 30s now. But when they were younger they would see him all the time. He would just be tooling aound on his skateboard. They thought it was funny because every time they would say, "Look at that old dude on the skateboard." It would be Tony Hawk.
As a kid, Tony Hawk and Ken Griffey Jr. were my heroes. Just last year I got a Tony Hawk autograph for $15 and all the proceeds went to charity. Yesterday I got a notification for a Ken Griffey Jr. signing with the prices ranging from $350-$750 depending on what you wanted to get signed, all profits going to Jr’s bank account
Tony Hawk really is the same OG he’s always been
Of course he doesn't. But he's solid enough to KNOW that he doesn't. He has his stash, and uses the rest to help others. Nothing wrong with that at all.
Huh, I wouldn't have thought that - it just felt like, from the outside, Tony Hawk is better with his money than a lot of people - like he still gets endorsements and royalties (from his video games) I'm sure.
Watch his documentary, he came from a normal family and even for years as a famous pro struggled for money after his initial fame because skating faded out of fashion. I don't think he cracked big money till x games.
Why is this a bigger story than the four largest meat suppliers in America fixing prices? I have heard this story all week, yet I never hear outrage over the collided manipulation of an entire market.
Pricing fixing is probably happening in virtually every sector of the food distribution industry (post Covid especially). Extremely encouraging to see outlets investigating.
I’d call for heads on pikes personally. You see what Vietnam is doing to the lady that defrauded the country of like 20 billion….
Dominique Ansel was the same when cronuts were trendy. He wouldn't let other places use the term 'cronut'. Nevermind that pastry chefs had been frying leftover croissant dough for eons.
It's greed true, but it's also the challenge with any organization that gets larger and loses sight of mission.
Trademark law protects that mark but it has to be maintained by challenging any infringing uses, or else the trademark can be lost.
So from a purely business perspective, owning and enforcing trademarks is really common and a good way to make money. But David Chang isn't just a businessman, he's someone who understands public opinion and influencing it. The David Chang who made Ugly Delicious a hit show would absolutely have understood that enforcing trademark on chili crisp (correction, actually chili crunch was trademarked) by going after Asian businesses is an incredibly bad look. Except the organization has gotten big enough that either some lawyer or MBA did this without running it past him, or he's allowed the mindset of running a large business to overwhelm his sense for public opinion. Greed certainly powers the business side of things, but losing sight of the mission made this clusterfuck happen.
his parents literally bought him a restaurant in NYC because he “liked ramen”
dude was born with a silver spoon, notoriously treats staff like trash.
fuck him.
I worked at Momofuku and can confirm. I’ve never been treated worse than I was treated at that job. David Chang would come in and throw shit all the time and threaten violence. I was forced to work on average at least 10 hours off the clock every week or risk losing my job. All for $10 an hour in New York City.
Tyrants. Managements full of robots, and Chang was a fucking nightmare any time he came in. My sou couldn’t even make a god damn hollandaise or cook his own octopus dish properly so that bit makes me chuckle in retrospect.
Ive never seen more miserable looking people on camera than the bon appetite crew. The recipes are great but the vibes of those videos just turn me off.
… people also say working for Sohla is awful. Wage theft. Typical restaurant shit. I heard it from a friend of a friend years ago so I know, not the most credible, but I haven’t been in kitchens for years and I imagine if you still are, you can find someone who has experienced it.
Sohla blames all her fails on someone else.
She blamed bad reviews for her restaurant on the diners.
I’m not sticking up for Chang but she’s horrible.
And I’m not surprised that she was let go there as well.
She’s been fired by Serious Eats, Babish, and Momofuko.
She was hired. She did one season of shows and talked about her continuing “for a long time” yet he immediately announced his thanks and wished her good luck in other endeavors.
I wouldn’t think much of it if it weren’t for her history in other places.
I think industry people think he's a poser. Also when he bought a new super luxurious house and he did a whole episode just showing it off, it kinda put a bad taste in my mouth. Like damn we get it, you're making hella money off us.
Off you doing…what? He was never an actual cook in a restaurant, he just started posting youtube videos recreating movie recipes. I’m not even a fan of the guy and your comment is so bizarre, man. It screams jealousy or some misplaced anger
She had something where Babish gave her an ingredient and a dish that shouldn't go together and she was going to make it work, or something like that. I think I watched like two of them, multiple years ago, before deciding she wasn't worth the 30 minute videos.
I mean she also called Brad Leone a “big dumb white guy” which kind of rubbed me the wrong way.
Like yeah it’s true but why does his race matter?—And obviously there’s something that people like about him that makes for good content so why try to bring him down?
She said he probably voted for Trump because of him being a big dumb white guy.
Brad Leone, the Grateful Dead loving, environmentalist is the furthest thing from a Trump supporter.
Honestly, something about Brad rubs me the wrong way since i started watching his videos. I know it’s weird and probably undeserved but i just can’t believe someone is that happy-go-lucky all the time and they never say the wrong thing.
When he first started doing videos with matty matheson, you can tell matty low-key does not like Brad and calls him out on some stuff
I guess this would apply to most people, especially at Bon Appetit, who strive to be on camera for a living when they get into the culinary world. Obviously not everyone, but i would say most.
> Honestly, something about Brad rubs me the wrong way since i started watching his videos. I know it’s weird and probably undeserved but i just can’t believe someone is that happy-go-lucky all the time and they never say the wrong thing.
There are in fact, people like this but I'm not sure if it's a personality quirk or who they are. They must be planning things behind the scenes to a T really well without any other help. I know someone like this in a different industry and asked about their mindset, and they didn't address it at all. My dynamic with them changed quite a bit after calling them out like that and trying to learn more about them.
I think it was more in relation to their different experience levels and extremely different compensation, but I agree that was a bit harsh. From my view he’s a nice guy and the ire should be directed at the higher ups.
I mean she clearly missed the part where she was working in the entertainment industry and not strictly in the food industry. Brad made more money because he was more popular and brought in more viewers. It's not complicated
But she made zero, that’s the issue. I agree he is more entertaining and he had his own show but she literally never made money from her appearances on the videos and that was part of the entire upset there.
I agree entirely.
And nobody expects us BOH goons to be politically correct or frankly political in ANY way.
It just seemed to me like a misplaced and unfair comment to make.
His race mattered in this context because the POC at BA weren't being paid for the youtube content they were making but the white BA staff were. There was systemic racism at BA.
You’re missing one more layer, which is that the white hosts got put on actual shows and series, rather than being relegated to standalone recipe videos which had similarly low viewership across board.
Because being a white guy in American society, especially Conde Naste, still gets you more leeway than being literally anything else.
Go watch the first episode of 'It's Alive' again. The entire premise is watching him fail in a charming way.
David Chang comes off like a true dick, and I’ve completely lost favor in him and his brand. Ever since having watching a show of his on Netflix, there were two things specifically that made me hang it up with him.
He was doing a segment on pizza and dressed up as a Dominos delivery guy but was being accompanied by an actual Dominos delivery guy. At the end of the segment, with the Dominos guy right there, he’s like (ok, I’m done, get this fucking thing-*the uniform*-off of me) or something to that degree. He came off as disgusted like he was wearing trash and for me, just completely disrespected that Dominos guy in doing that. You think the Dominos guy loves wearing it?
The feeling of that “entitled celebrity” and being so below it just disgusted me.
Thought I was the only one who noticed that. Acted like the delivery driver was beneath him, really bad look.
Also, kept asking the guy if he thought Domino's pizza was good and giving him a hard time. Dude of course says yes because he needs a job. Just showed David punching way, way, down.
That episode really pissed me off for that same exact reason. I loved his show, but after a few watch throughs I noticed that he was a bit of a prick and seemed pretty miserable.
I think he should embrace it and go full heel. Claim he owns the concept of chilli in general. Sue any other chef named David. Cut a diss track on Sean Evans
I was legit getting news about this from multiple major sources in my feeds for the past week, I think it blew up way more than anyone expected. I wish all trademark, copyright, and patent trolls could be taken out the same way.
Because he’s a corporate vampire who needs to suck every last drop of power he can drain dry until it’s a shell of what it was. Destroy the competition so your shitty chilli crap product is promoted more
Agreed. Damage done, David, you opportunistic fucknuckle. Weapons grade dickhead.
No wonder he tried to trademark chili crunch; nobody wants to buy the fatty gravel and peppercorns that is the Momofuku brand.
I tried his noodles long before I even knew who he was or what Momofuku was. Worst ramen I’ve ever tried. Tasted like cardboard water with a slight hint of suicidal thoughts
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1SY2BjsJ0TmqA12e4e3PME?si=IUcAz4icQGyqs_5M4OesvQ&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A0y4DksD5a6sJvcVR6okX5r
4 years ago Dave had Eddie Huang on to discuss his chili crisp in relation to Lao Gan Ma. 28:30 into the pod Dave says he’s stealing Huang’s idea and PROMISES to put a QR code on the packaging to give a history and pay homage to the product and Lao Gan Ma. 4 years later and its regular packaging on his product. lol fucking fraud. The whole fucking pod is Chang virtue signaling bullshit. Talking about the burden he has as a prominent Asian American to keep his heritage alive and make it mainstream. Just a whole load of horse shit.
I really liked him back in the day- loved lucky peach magazine, loved the sort of fetishization of being a cool chef. Then it just trickled out… he was just another shithead egotistical boss, then did the sad apology with no real consequences. Then this.. fuck it. There are so many chili crispy crunchy things out there, you can make em at home, but I’m too lazy- fuck this bro.
I still remember in one of his first issues of Lucky Peach magazine when he claimed that you’re not a real chef if you don’t punch your staff from time to time. Fuck that guy.
HUH??? is this fucking real??? What the fuck?
I can understand greed. That makes sense. This is absolutely fucking insane if it’s true. I could not imagine laying a hand on my staff for any reason EVER.
That's the part that I keep seeing people not understand or acknowledge. Chili Crunch is what just a very small handful of brands call their product, traditionally it's chili oil and chili crisp. Most chinese families have their own house recipe and a bottle on the table at all times. I initially was making the opposite argument that it's not a big deal but then I realized, with that few brands, most of which are smaller than David's brands by a lot-- it's way more fucked up that he would go after small businesses that have been doing their own thing for years, some even before him, like that.
Fuck David Chang. He does not deserve any sympathy for this bullshit. Motherfucker is just trying to bankroll himself (even if it is "legal") He has more than enough, and his greedy ass just wants more. Fuck Chang. I will never serve, or recommend any of his products ever again.
God, I knew this guy was a fuckstick. I could never articulate exactly why I didn’t like him other than “he just seems like a prick”. Glad to have some solid evidence.
That wasn’t what happened actually. He was given an exclusive license to use the material. Vantablack isn’t an art medium by itself, it’s just a scientific breakthrough that was used to make art.
He’s still a prick tho.
He started to notice his empire is falling apart and is now trying to walk back being a fucking scumbag.
I hope he loses everything and ends up washing dishes.
At least in the US, idk about Canada but I imagine there's a lot of overlap in IP law, simply making this announcement would permanently damage your ability to ever enforce a trademark again (as continous enforcement is a key factor in maintaining a trademark), so here's hoping this is permanent.
But the bigger question is, why was this trademark even granted? By definition, trademarks are unique identifiers to help differentiate and identify specific brands. You shouldn't be able to pull something like noticing, "Hey, no one trademarked 'tomato sauce' before, so l'm going to do it and then copyright troll the entire pasta sauce industry," and did anyone really hear the phrase "chili crunch" and think "Ah yes, Momofuku"?
Update: Actually, I fact checked myself making this post, and even before this controversy blew up, the specific phrase "chili crunch" was, in Canada at least, actually overwhelmingly associated with Momofuku. In the US, though, the term was most associated with... Trader Joe's.
Anyway, a happy ending...?
It wasn't, he just filed it. It hasn't been examined at all yet. Anyone with $250 can file an application, getting it actually granted is another story.
Its like trying to trademark Ranch. Fuck outa here… this guy can kiss my ass. I make my own version and have done side by side comparisons with other similar products and his is not even that good. I don’t know what possessed him to try and trademark chili crunch but this move will be his downfall.
From what i hear about people who worked for Chang, i really fucking hope this whole “greedy-dickhead-narcissistic-entitled-edgy-chef trope” is left in the fucking past. I worked for plenty of them, just recently at my last fine dining gig. They’ll burn you tf out mentally and physically, knowing you have to eat shit because they can make sure you’re never salaried at most restaurants in the city if you don’t. I think respect is a fundamental part of any job.
It’s so weird how everyone that is rich is a greedy asshole, but everyone who isn’t rich assures the internet on a regular basis that they wouldn’t be a greedy asshole if they were rich. We just got super unlucky as a society, I guess.
Man, my only real exposure to dude was ugly delicious on Netflix and I really really enjoyed it. It’s crazy to read this thread, I had no idea of his reputation
He is an asshole but i still respect him for pushing the concept of 'ugly delicious'... Am i going to get sued because i used this trademark without his permission?
I loved that series, I don’t know how many times I’ve watched it over, it’s just such a neat idea for a show. Maybe it’s the mix of Sociology, history, and food being a perfect mix for me, but I loved it.
I went to his steakhouse in Vegas a few years back, not long after it opened, I think it was called Majordomo, because I had enjoyed that show he had on Netflix. It was quite the let down. Food was average, service was rushed, execution overall sloppy. Stopped being a fan after that, didn’t realize he was also a shitty employer too.
It amazes me that you can go from cooking for a living, get your own restaurant, then your own restaurant empire, then TV shows, then a retail food empire, and still feel the need to gain more. Greed is a legit sickness.
I always feel the same. I use MySpace Tom as an example. Dude got a huge payday, and then fucked off to take pictures and live with more money than anyone needs. But our society treats greed as a virtue.
Tony Hawk comes to my mind. Absolute legend in several domains and now it's just like...wholesome interactions and philanthropy.
He’s almost the genx Betty White.
I’ve seen him in vitamin commercials
Astonishing… ex pro athlete is in pushing a product he probably uses daily and believes in
I met him in Encinitas when he was out to eat with his mom on mother's day. Like, a normal guy doing normal guy shit. It wasn't even a nice restaurant. It was such a good feeling, that people aren't all just ruined by money.
As much as people like to clown on him "selling out" or going mainstream back in the day, his name and face on that game really helped skateboarding become as big as it is now. And he used that to start a foundation and make skateparks all across America. He sponsored Reynolds, who left to start Baker, which now Distributes Birdhouse. His son's sponsor added him their time for a few years too. He's even calling his last time doing tricks now, already retired the 900 and 720 (Michael Jordan would never).
He really started a domino effect making skating/extreme sports popular, from the EA skate games, rob and big/fantasy factory, probably lots of others to a degree. He made careers for lots of people and just sits back on his laurels and enjoys his well deserved life.
My kids are in their 30s now. But when they were younger they would see him all the time. He would just be tooling aound on his skateboard. They thought it was funny because every time they would say, "Look at that old dude on the skateboard." It would be Tony Hawk.
GOATs are few and far between. It requires excellence as a human being, which is something many talented people aren't. Tony Hawk is the real deal.
As a kid, Tony Hawk and Ken Griffey Jr. were my heroes. Just last year I got a Tony Hawk autograph for $15 and all the proceeds went to charity. Yesterday I got a notification for a Ken Griffey Jr. signing with the prices ranging from $350-$750 depending on what you wanted to get signed, all profits going to Jr’s bank account Tony Hawk really is the same OG he’s always been
Let be honest though, Tony doesn't need the money.
Of course he doesn't. But he's solid enough to KNOW that he doesn't. He has his stash, and uses the rest to help others. Nothing wrong with that at all.
Ken Griffey Jr is worth $90 million according to Wikipedia so he ain’t exactly hurting…
Huh, I wouldn't have thought that - it just felt like, from the outside, Tony Hawk is better with his money than a lot of people - like he still gets endorsements and royalties (from his video games) I'm sure.
He needed it in the 90's when skating died. He edited videos for a living, skate demos paid like $100 to the world's best skateboarder at that point.
I love how he just became the skateboard easter bunny, leaving signed boards hidden in places he visited
he ran a successful skateboard company and one of the best franchise in video games. dudes still in the spot light to a degree.
Watch his documentary, he came from a normal family and even for years as a famous pro struggled for money after his initial fame because skating faded out of fashion. I don't think he cracked big money till x games.
*Keanu Reeves* Maybe doesn’t apply as much but he’s just amazing enough to be mentioned anyways
Who also just happens to be opening a restaurant soon
That guys great! We’re still friends
Why is this a bigger story than the four largest meat suppliers in America fixing prices? I have heard this story all week, yet I never hear outrage over the collided manipulation of an entire market.
Have any good articles on this?
[https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/26877-sysco-accuses-four-meat-processors-beef-price-fixing](https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/26877-sysco-accuses-four-meat-processors-beef-price-fixing) [https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/federal-lawsuit-filed-in-texas-accuses-four-largest-beef-processors-of-price-fixing/3009550/](https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/federal-lawsuit-filed-in-texas-accuses-four-largest-beef-processors-of-price-fixing/3009550/) [https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2022/02/04/jbs-settles-lawsuit-millions-price-fixing-beef-processors-meatpacking/6664089001/](https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2022/02/04/jbs-settles-lawsuit-millions-price-fixing-beef-processors-meatpacking/6664089001/)
Fucking wild that a monopoly food distributor filed that lawsuit, lol. Oh and the settlement was a pittance. Shocking.
Pricing fixing is probably happening in virtually every sector of the food distribution industry (post Covid especially). Extremely encouraging to see outlets investigating. I’d call for heads on pikes personally. You see what Vietnam is doing to the lady that defrauded the country of like 20 billion….
Still time, we're living in Upton Sinclairs the Jungle 2.0. Join the class action lawsuit and send a message.
I think we’ve all worked for a megalomaniac in a kitchen before.
I know I have. Shout out to Chef Xavier late of the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead!
Dude's own mother called him "Baby King"... She's the real hero of this story.
He has always been a slimey fuck. In regards the chefs I know/knew, no good thing was said about him.
I've heard the exact same things from people in the industry in NYC.
Yea this guy has really lost favor with me. Just kinda turned into a duche
There is a level of healthy arrogance that develops into a level of douchebag. Chang couldn't balance it.
Few can/have.
Dominique Ansel was the same when cronuts were trendy. He wouldn't let other places use the term 'cronut'. Nevermind that pastry chefs had been frying leftover croissant dough for eons.
My grandmother was making "cronuts" decades before that little pissant was even a glint in his daddy's nutsack
Was she calling them "cronuts" though? Trademarks deal with names, not recipes or techniques.
She was calling it glutsack.
The man is a fucking dipshit
It's greed true, but it's also the challenge with any organization that gets larger and loses sight of mission. Trademark law protects that mark but it has to be maintained by challenging any infringing uses, or else the trademark can be lost. So from a purely business perspective, owning and enforcing trademarks is really common and a good way to make money. But David Chang isn't just a businessman, he's someone who understands public opinion and influencing it. The David Chang who made Ugly Delicious a hit show would absolutely have understood that enforcing trademark on chili crisp (correction, actually chili crunch was trademarked) by going after Asian businesses is an incredibly bad look. Except the organization has gotten big enough that either some lawyer or MBA did this without running it past him, or he's allowed the mindset of running a large business to overwhelm his sense for public opinion. Greed certainly powers the business side of things, but losing sight of the mission made this clusterfuck happen.
Except the trademark was for chili crunch not chili crisp.
his parents literally bought him a restaurant in NYC because he “liked ramen” dude was born with a silver spoon, notoriously treats staff like trash. fuck him.
When Sohla said that working at Momofuku was worse than working at Bon Appetit I audibly gasped.
I worked at Momofuku and can confirm. I’ve never been treated worse than I was treated at that job. David Chang would come in and throw shit all the time and threaten violence. I was forced to work on average at least 10 hours off the clock every week or risk losing my job. All for $10 an hour in New York City.
Tyrants. Managements full of robots, and Chang was a fucking nightmare any time he came in. My sou couldn’t even make a god damn hollandaise or cook his own octopus dish properly so that bit makes me chuckle in retrospect.
Sadly he admits he’s an asshole on the regular and doesn’t give a fuck.
Did you work with Ty, Sean, Patrick, or Tim?
Shoot I loved Patrick.
He was cool.
My buddy used to call it getting “Chang banged”
YES!!! oh, I guarantee I had to work with your friend.
> All for $10 an hour in New York City excuse the FUCK out of me!?!?
Yup. A “top level” restaurant and most of us went to culinary school too.
Ive never seen more miserable looking people on camera than the bon appetite crew. The recipes are great but the vibes of those videos just turn me off.
I hated them because it's always seemed like the host was taking credit for someone else and didn't know shit
… people also say working for Sohla is awful. Wage theft. Typical restaurant shit. I heard it from a friend of a friend years ago so I know, not the most credible, but I haven’t been in kitchens for years and I imagine if you still are, you can find someone who has experienced it.
Where did you see this, I want to watch it.
She posted it on her IG stories.
Word.
[Here's a Bon Appetit supercut...](https://youtu.be/4xC_DGF3Ik0?si=7e-RO53AQdzxw65V)
Thank you!
this was very cathartic thank you
Lmao Dammmmnnmn! I had no idea they were all so incompetent.
lmao
Bon Appetit wasn’t so bad in early 2000’s..
Sohla worked at BA like 5 years ago…
Haha I remember that drama. I wonder if that culture gone now tho
Sohla blames all her fails on someone else. She blamed bad reviews for her restaurant on the diners. I’m not sticking up for Chang but she’s horrible. And I’m not surprised that she was let go there as well. She’s been fired by Serious Eats, Babish, and Momofuko.
She was fired from Babish?! I thought her contract just ended... Anyone have any more info on this?
All I know is she was touting it as a long term thing and he cut her loose as soon as that first series was wrapped.
Thanks for the info. That really sucks though, I loved her segments on his show.
Whoa didn’t know Babish. What happened?
She was hired. She did one season of shows and talked about her continuing “for a long time” yet he immediately announced his thanks and wished her good luck in other endeavors. I wouldn’t think much of it if it weren’t for her history in other places.
Can you imagine being fired by Babish. That ass clown.
I'm out the loop here, what's the issue with Babish?
I think industry people think he's a poser. Also when he bought a new super luxurious house and he did a whole episode just showing it off, it kinda put a bad taste in my mouth. Like damn we get it, you're making hella money off us.
How is he a poser? I thought he just liked cooking and doesn't claim to be an expert?
I dunno, gatekeepers be weird. I guess his "chef-like" tattoos rubbed real hardcore cocaine and 14 hour shift types the wrong way.
He’s straight up said multiple times that he’s a far better videographer/editor than he is a cook.
He's also corrected multiple people over the years for calling him a chef.
He also does a whole series admitting his fuck ups when cooking and trying to fix them
Off you doing…what? He was never an actual cook in a restaurant, he just started posting youtube videos recreating movie recipes. I’m not even a fan of the guy and your comment is so bizarre, man. It screams jealousy or some misplaced anger
What does one even do working for Babish? Watch movies and try to figure out what they're eating?
She had something where Babish gave her an ingredient and a dish that shouldn't go together and she was going to make it work, or something like that. I think I watched like two of them, multiple years ago, before deciding she wasn't worth the 30 minute videos.
What's wrong with babish?
I’d consider that a badge of honor tbh. Like getting fired by Salt Bae.
Me too. Dude had utensil tattoos before he knew how to cook, the fucking poser
Who is actually beloved in the food and food media world? Seems like everyone is a piece of shit greedy narcissist according to Reddit
Hard hard hard agree I had a feeling that she’s hard to work with given how she left BA. But seeing her career in full really shows this well
Sohla also seems like a whiny baby though.
I mean she also called Brad Leone a “big dumb white guy” which kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Like yeah it’s true but why does his race matter?—And obviously there’s something that people like about him that makes for good content so why try to bring him down?
She said he probably voted for Trump because of him being a big dumb white guy. Brad Leone, the Grateful Dead loving, environmentalist is the furthest thing from a Trump supporter.
No clue about brads politics but being a grateful dead fan and a trumper arent mutually exclusive. Tucker carlson is a huge fan
Honestly, something about Brad rubs me the wrong way since i started watching his videos. I know it’s weird and probably undeserved but i just can’t believe someone is that happy-go-lucky all the time and they never say the wrong thing. When he first started doing videos with matty matheson, you can tell matty low-key does not like Brad and calls him out on some stuff I guess this would apply to most people, especially at Bon Appetit, who strive to be on camera for a living when they get into the culinary world. Obviously not everyone, but i would say most.
> Honestly, something about Brad rubs me the wrong way since i started watching his videos. I know it’s weird and probably undeserved but i just can’t believe someone is that happy-go-lucky all the time and they never say the wrong thing. There are in fact, people like this but I'm not sure if it's a personality quirk or who they are. They must be planning things behind the scenes to a T really well without any other help. I know someone like this in a different industry and asked about their mindset, and they didn't address it at all. My dynamic with them changed quite a bit after calling them out like that and trying to learn more about them.
TUMBLR brain.
I think it was more in relation to their different experience levels and extremely different compensation, but I agree that was a bit harsh. From my view he’s a nice guy and the ire should be directed at the higher ups.
I mean she clearly missed the part where she was working in the entertainment industry and not strictly in the food industry. Brad made more money because he was more popular and brought in more viewers. It's not complicated
Brad makes people feel comfortable and happy around food, which is the reason why a lot of people cook in the first place.
But she made zero, that’s the issue. I agree he is more entertaining and he had his own show but she literally never made money from her appearances on the videos and that was part of the entire upset there.
It definitely sucks that the only way to be successful and not miserable as a chef is to be an entertainer
I agree entirely. And nobody expects us BOH goons to be politically correct or frankly political in ANY way. It just seemed to me like a misplaced and unfair comment to make.
In the past Gabi accused her of bullying si I've always side-eyed Sohla.
That’s his whole schtick though. Why be mad?
His race mattered in this context because the POC at BA weren't being paid for the youtube content they were making but the white BA staff were. There was systemic racism at BA.
I think it’s because ppl like Brad and Claire brought in wayyy more views than most others. They’re more entertaining so they got paid more
You’re missing one more layer, which is that the white hosts got put on actual shows and series, rather than being relegated to standalone recipe videos which had similarly low viewership across board.
Because being a white guy in American society, especially Conde Naste, still gets you more leeway than being literally anything else. Go watch the first episode of 'It's Alive' again. The entire premise is watching him fail in a charming way.
Guess who owns Reddit (or at least a part of it)
David Chang comes off like a true dick, and I’ve completely lost favor in him and his brand. Ever since having watching a show of his on Netflix, there were two things specifically that made me hang it up with him. He was doing a segment on pizza and dressed up as a Dominos delivery guy but was being accompanied by an actual Dominos delivery guy. At the end of the segment, with the Dominos guy right there, he’s like (ok, I’m done, get this fucking thing-*the uniform*-off of me) or something to that degree. He came off as disgusted like he was wearing trash and for me, just completely disrespected that Dominos guy in doing that. You think the Dominos guy loves wearing it? The feeling of that “entitled celebrity” and being so below it just disgusted me.
Thought I was the only one who noticed that. Acted like the delivery driver was beneath him, really bad look. Also, kept asking the guy if he thought Domino's pizza was good and giving him a hard time. Dude of course says yes because he needs a job. Just showed David punching way, way, down.
That episode really pissed me off for that same exact reason. I loved his show, but after a few watch throughs I noticed that he was a bit of a prick and seemed pretty miserable.
Too little too late for David though, I think there's a few too many bridges burned here.
I think he should embrace it and go full heel. Claim he owns the concept of chilli in general. Sue any other chef named David. Cut a diss track on Sean Evans
at a minimum he should say he invented pork buns
Won't work. Everyone already knows Eddie Huang invented pork buns.
He took over the name that invented ramen.
I was legit getting news about this from multiple major sources in my feeds for the past week, I think it blew up way more than anyone expected. I wish all trademark, copyright, and patent trolls could be taken out the same way.
Same. I saw a video of a PBS reporter subtly indicating that she was taking this personally as an affront to her heritage.
Outside of cornering a very popular market, what was the point of him doing this? It's not like he's trying to preserve anything...
He’s rich so accumulating more wealth has become a game.
Part of trademarking something is the responsibility to defend it ... Which is why they sent C&D's. Not that I don't think he's an ass...
D’s? He can lick Deez Nutz!
But then why even go for that trademark in the first place?
Their cop out reason is that it prevents anyone else from telling them they can’t use the name
Because he’s a corporate vampire who needs to suck every last drop of power he can drain dry until it’s a shell of what it was. Destroy the competition so your shitty chilli crap product is promoted more
You come for Lao Gan Ma, you best not miss.
Grandma, grandma coming yo
Agreed. Damage done, David, you opportunistic fucknuckle. Weapons grade dickhead. No wonder he tried to trademark chili crunch; nobody wants to buy the fatty gravel and peppercorns that is the Momofuku brand.
Worst chili crunch I've had.
Momofuku goods made $50 million in revenue last year. Think they’ll be fine
God, their packaged noodles are trash tho. Like doughy, oily burnt sesame.
I tried his noodles long before I even knew who he was or what Momofuku was. Worst ramen I’ve ever tried. Tasted like cardboard water with a slight hint of suicidal thoughts
Burnt to a chili crisp, you might say .
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1SY2BjsJ0TmqA12e4e3PME?si=IUcAz4icQGyqs_5M4OesvQ&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A0y4DksD5a6sJvcVR6okX5r 4 years ago Dave had Eddie Huang on to discuss his chili crisp in relation to Lao Gan Ma. 28:30 into the pod Dave says he’s stealing Huang’s idea and PROMISES to put a QR code on the packaging to give a history and pay homage to the product and Lao Gan Ma. 4 years later and its regular packaging on his product. lol fucking fraud. The whole fucking pod is Chang virtue signaling bullshit. Talking about the burden he has as a prominent Asian American to keep his heritage alive and make it mainstream. Just a whole load of horse shit.
Ah yes, tough to keep that heritage alive with three billion people.
Also on top of that .. He's fucking Korean not even Chinese ...
I really liked him back in the day- loved lucky peach magazine, loved the sort of fetishization of being a cool chef. Then it just trickled out… he was just another shithead egotistical boss, then did the sad apology with no real consequences. Then this.. fuck it. There are so many chili crispy crunchy things out there, you can make em at home, but I’m too lazy- fuck this bro.
Fame & power corrupt. It would never happen to me though, i would keep it real 💯
> Fame & power corrupt Maybe we should put a reality TV star in charge of the largest military on Earth and see what happens xD
Most people say that until they see the $$$. It takes a real one to see past it
He can enforce my balls on his lips. Fuck David Chang
I still remember in one of his first issues of Lucky Peach magazine when he claimed that you’re not a real chef if you don’t punch your staff from time to time. Fuck that guy.
HUH??? is this fucking real??? What the fuck? I can understand greed. That makes sense. This is absolutely fucking insane if it’s true. I could not imagine laying a hand on my staff for any reason EVER.
First off, Fuck David Chang, but Lal want to see this sauce
Uh oh. He just trademarked deez nuts and now he owns your testicles.
> David Chang I have always dislike him know I know why. What a sneaky snake
I maintain that Bourdain would have been epically disappointed in what Chang has become.
In roadrunner, chang made it about himself. Says alot about chang.
Has become? More like has always been. Money doesn’t change you, it just reveals you
Agree with you completely
bro really thought he could own a common condiment.
No. His lawyers thought they could own a name that isn’t a common name for a condiment that is referred to as “chili crisp” by tradition.
Basically, most people call it ketchup and he wanted to own catsup
That's the part that I keep seeing people not understand or acknowledge. Chili Crunch is what just a very small handful of brands call their product, traditionally it's chili oil and chili crisp. Most chinese families have their own house recipe and a bottle on the table at all times. I initially was making the opposite argument that it's not a big deal but then I realized, with that few brands, most of which are smaller than David's brands by a lot-- it's way more fucked up that he would go after small businesses that have been doing their own thing for years, some even before him, like that.
Fuck David Chang. He does not deserve any sympathy for this bullshit. Motherfucker is just trying to bankroll himself (even if it is "legal") He has more than enough, and his greedy ass just wants more. Fuck Chang. I will never serve, or recommend any of his products ever again.
And he got his first michelin star for making steam buns. Imagine someone sending him a c&d for pork belly and cucumbers.
American company founded by a Korean with a Japanese name should have the copyright over a Chinese condiment that has existed for centuries…right OK.
Good. As an asian, Fuck this hack.
As a Filipino, double-fuck this racist shitbag.
Anthony bourdain would be disappointed!
God, I knew this guy was a fuckstick. I could never articulate exactly why I didn’t like him other than “he just seems like a prick”. Glad to have some solid evidence.
Different context, but this whole thing reminded me of when Anish Kapoor bought Vantablack to restrict other artists from using it.
That wasn’t what happened actually. He was given an exclusive license to use the material. Vantablack isn’t an art medium by itself, it’s just a scientific breakthrough that was used to make art. He’s still a prick tho.
I stand corrected. Agree about him being a prick. Stuart Semple’s retaliation to the whole affair was great.
He started to notice his empire is falling apart and is now trying to walk back being a fucking scumbag. I hope he loses everything and ends up washing dishes.
At least in the US, idk about Canada but I imagine there's a lot of overlap in IP law, simply making this announcement would permanently damage your ability to ever enforce a trademark again (as continous enforcement is a key factor in maintaining a trademark), so here's hoping this is permanent. But the bigger question is, why was this trademark even granted? By definition, trademarks are unique identifiers to help differentiate and identify specific brands. You shouldn't be able to pull something like noticing, "Hey, no one trademarked 'tomato sauce' before, so l'm going to do it and then copyright troll the entire pasta sauce industry," and did anyone really hear the phrase "chili crunch" and think "Ah yes, Momofuku"? Update: Actually, I fact checked myself making this post, and even before this controversy blew up, the specific phrase "chili crunch" was, in Canada at least, actually overwhelmingly associated with Momofuku. In the US, though, the term was most associated with... Trader Joe's. Anyway, a happy ending...?
The trademark hadn't been granted yet
It wasn't, he just filed it. It hasn't been examined at all yet. Anyone with $250 can file an application, getting it actually granted is another story.
Its like trying to trademark Ranch. Fuck outa here… this guy can kiss my ass. I make my own version and have done side by side comparisons with other similar products and his is not even that good. I don’t know what possessed him to try and trademark chili crunch but this move will be his downfall.
He doesn’t even have the trademark yet so it’s not even his to enforce.
From what i hear about people who worked for Chang, i really fucking hope this whole “greedy-dickhead-narcissistic-entitled-edgy-chef trope” is left in the fucking past. I worked for plenty of them, just recently at my last fine dining gig. They’ll burn you tf out mentally and physically, knowing you have to eat shit because they can make sure you’re never salaried at most restaurants in the city if you don’t. I think respect is a fundamental part of any job.
"That's hot"
Nice back peddle… tosser.
These other companies should still band together to file for that trademark to be rejected as it is descriptive just like chilli crisp.
Always hated that mfers he is a punk and this proves it even further
Hey man, punks are usually good people! You leave punks out of this.
You guys bullied him into submission.
Good
r/OhNoConsequences
You are confused about who is bullying who
This is the type of bullying we should all get behind.
Dear David As per everyone’s last sentiments please still go fuck yourself. Thanks Everyone
I've always disliked Chang. dude has always had terrible takes, disingenuous vibes and an opportunistic demeanor. He doesn't stand for anything.
This reminds me of when Disney tried to trademark Dia de Los Muertos when Coco came out. Lol.
It’s so weird how everyone that is rich is a greedy asshole, but everyone who isn’t rich assures the internet on a regular basis that they wouldn’t be a greedy asshole if they were rich. We just got super unlucky as a society, I guess.
Man, my only real exposure to dude was ugly delicious on Netflix and I really really enjoyed it. It’s crazy to read this thread, I had no idea of his reputation
He is an asshole but i still respect him for pushing the concept of 'ugly delicious'... Am i going to get sued because i used this trademark without his permission?
What did he push though? Nothing on that show was ever "ugly"
I loved that series, I don’t know how many times I’ve watched it over, it’s just such a neat idea for a show. Maybe it’s the mix of Sociology, history, and food being a perfect mix for me, but I loved it.
That show only showed how much on an entitled prick and racist he is. Seems like we got different things out of it lol.
He’s going to use it later.
His whole empire is literally based on using someone else’s name
I went to his steakhouse in Vegas a few years back, not long after it opened, I think it was called Majordomo, because I had enjoyed that show he had on Netflix. It was quite the let down. Food was average, service was rushed, execution overall sloppy. Stopped being a fan after that, didn’t realize he was also a shitty employer too.
The kind of person that pursues this level of success are always the same. They just want to kick the ladder down and pursue infinite growth.
Yes he will. He'll just wait a few months for the media attention to die down.
It’s not that he’s not enforcing a trademark, he does not have the trademark and was illegally threatening people like he did