Something funny happened in the way to Emeril's Show

[maria_nyc]

In case you haven't heard about it already, Emeril is/was planning a special show about tamales so he thought of inviting Daisy Martinez...good move, right?

Indeed, but then Emeril wanted Daisy to bring some of her friends and that's where the trouble started....but please let Daisy Martinez herself tell you right here in her blog entry:
http://boriquablog.wordpress.com/2011...

Funny I never thought I could dislike Emeril more but I guess he has proven me wrong.

BAM to you Emeril Lagasse!
The word you really deserve I can not write here.

[The Chowhound Team]

Folks, we're not quite sure why this particular thread became so ugly, but we can't keep up with the personal attacks flying back and forth, so we're going to lock it now.

[dmjordan]

Uh oh. This reminds me of the recent Ina/MAW situation.

[Cachetes]

Ha! That's precisely what I thought! Like wise advice I once received when I got two divergent reviews of something, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. People are fleeing to the poles on this one. The funny thing is, we have no idea what Emeril's side is because it hasn't weighed in publicly - it's just been made up here so as to have a polar opposite to the Martinez position. Like the Ina situation, the truth is probably much more nuanced than either side here.

ETA: I don't mean to insinuate that everyone on this thread is on a pole - clearly they are not!

[maria_nyc]

Anyone with a clear conscience would have nipped it in the bud already.
So why doesn’t he or his publicist do it?

[Cachetes]

You can argue with people here about it, who know just as much as you do. And it will be an exercise in frustration and speculation.

Or you can send an inquiring email to Emeril's "people" to see if they can offer their side. It's not your responsibility to do this, but it certainly would enhance the discussion on the thread and our perspective on the issue.

[linguafood]

Seriously, tho. Since you are so invested in this whole thing, why not send him a personal email telling him how you personally feel about this, and what action/s you demand him to take.

[celeryroot]

I think you are missing something. E is nothing more then an employee. This has nothing to do with him

[FoodChic]

Excellent point, celeryroot.

[FoodChic]

I'm sorry, but I don't believe this at all. IF this did actually happen, the person on the phone was an idiot but I think she's seriously suspect. What better way to generate some publicity than a big story on racisim and how she's encountered such discrimination.

Emeril is from New England, is Portuguese (a fact I bet she didn't know), spent YEARS in New Orleans with all sorts of ethnic types, and this is the guy that went out of his way to make sure all of his employees (and other restaurant employees) had jobs at his other locations while New Orleans was shut down after Katrina. There is no possible way this is true. I think she's looking to tear him down to build herself up. I just hate liars.

[maria_nyc]

So if you are right, he should soon be making an announcement about how he and his team have been wrongly accused on the Web...no? Let's wait and see.

I hope you are right...because it's beyond belief that in the XXI century we're still dealing with this old issue that refuses to die.

It must be hard to find out one's idol has clay feet.

[FoodChic]

Idol is your word not mine. Also, the proper term is feet of clay, not clay feet.

Don't worry, I am right. Why would he make an announcement and give credence to a liar?

[maria_nyc]

Yes I was paraphrasing but I think you got the message loud and clear.

I doubt you are right...he is a Fake and now he has added a new adjective to the long list that comes to mind when his name is mentioned.

It's a free country and you and everyone else who shares your view are free to adore him "feet of clay" and all.

[DougRisk]

Jeez, I am speaking for FoodChic now, so, please forgive me, but:

Who is "adoring" him?

Attempting to understand a situation as objectively as possible, and adoring a person are two very different things.

[DougRisk]

Maria, who here is idolizing Emeril?

Emeril, probably because of his "Bam" antics, has rarely been lionized amongst the various Chowhounds the way that some chefs have. And yet, most are saying the same thing here:

For whatever anyone thinks of Emeril, he has rarely, if ever, shown hostility to any group for any reason. And I happen to know for a fact that at his own restaurants he has employed at the very highest levels (i.e. Executive Chef at his restaurant(s)) ethnic minorities.

Yet, for you, he is as guilty as sin for what was likely some staffer saying something stupid to Daisy.

And, it is very possible, that Emeril did not know that anyone said anything to anyone that might be construed as being stupid. But, even if he did, who said that he or anyone else should do anything IN PUBLIC!

If anything was to be done in this situation, why not do it privately?

Or, is that simply too old fashioned?

[LaLa]

plus one FoodChic! I think his actions to his staff over the years clearly show his character....just as this little publicity stunt clearly shows Daisy's character.

[ChefJune]

Interesting. Emeril is guilty by association with his team, and Daisy made it clear that it was the team and not Emeril, who was screening the guests.

I'm guessing Emeril did not know this was occurring as it was going on. Surely he does now, and I can't believe he would not do something about it.

However, Daisy's readers were quick to excoriate Emeril himself, rather than understanding what Daisy had posted regarding his production team.

[maria_nyc]

Not exactly, it's his lack of response that made this story go from bad to worse.

[melo7]

How do you know he's even heard of this tempest in a teapot? Did Daisy call him? Did you?

[maria_nyc]

If he didn't know then he should know by now.

When your name is a brand then you better know everything that's happening around it, good and bad. That's assuming he's a good businessman.

[melo7]

Why? Who would have told him?

[rasputina]

And yet again, go you have any proof at all that he even knows?

[EarlyBird]

Sorry, folks. Emeril runs a nation-wide television show which caters to an English speaking audience. If the guests on his show can not be understood due to an overly-heavy accent - of any kind - he and/or his production staff should be concerned. Daisy should know this.

It sounds like Emeril's staff handled this unprofessionally and insensitively. But the point of wanting guests who will speak on t.v. to be understood by 99% of the viewing audience is not inherently racist or discriminatory. Daisy needs to chill out.

[maria_nyc]

Perhaps you didn't read the story...they were told not once but twice there was no problem regarding the accent or English fluency of the guests.

Doesn't his "national audience" manage to put up with his accent? That's no small feat.

These guests were not going to be there to co-host the show with E.

The role of the guest chef requires speaking (but that was going to be Daisy's role alone.)
So let's assume the members of E's production team are not total idiots, and they knew ahead of calling (or should have known) what Daisy sounds like through her shows.

[ttoommyy]

"Sorry, folks. Emeril runs a nation-wide television show which caters to an English speaking audience. If the guests on his show can not be understood due to an overly-heavy accent - of any kind - he and/or his production staff should be concerned. Daisy should know this. "

3F???? There are people with heavy accents all over nationally televised shows on TV. And did you stop to think that there might be a considerable percentage of his audience that have accents themselves? What year are you living in???

[EarlyBird]

My point, toomy, is that a t.v. show has every reason to consider the ability of their guests to be understood. There is no reason to assume the producers are bigots, unless, of course, we are attempting to prove our own multi-culti bona fides by reacting with faux outrage.

Like I wrote, it seems like his staff handled it unprofessionally and insensitively. But to assume that a staff of hipster foodie NYC t.v. producers in the "year" 2011 - probably plenty with accents themselves - are uncomfortable with "ethnic" people, is absurd.

[Cachetes]

Agree completely with your assertions about having guests that are easily understood. At the same time, I think you overestimate the open-mindedness of the producers.
As for 'faux outrage', well, that's a bit insulting, no?

[maria_nyc]

Let's hope Emeril sends signed copies of his books to all his fans here. It's really the least he can do. Oh better yet, he can have them all as guests for a special show and THEY can prepare the tamales!

[rasputina]

Instead of slandering Emeril personally on the internet she should have contacted him directly to work it out and then if he behaved poorly she can tell the world.

[Cachetes]

Where's the slander? Unless this did not in fact occur. She made it clear all along that it was his staff. Why hide something so egregious?

[rasputina]

I never said she should hide it, I said she should have contacted him personally to work it out before blogging it.

[DougRisk]

Rasputina, you are WAY too old fashioned.

Please, you must understand, if something, ANYTHING, happens that could be interpreted in anyway to be offensive, it must be aired in public immediately.

All dirty must be aired, in public, and commented on endlessly.

[mucho gordo]

Am I correct in assuming you're being facetious?

[DougRisk]

Yes.

(The internet can stink at times for trying to communicate "tone")

[mucho gordo]

I had no trouble getting the 'tone", Doug; just wanted to be sure I was reading it right.

[LaLa]

looks like she is using his name for the press...shame on her!

[FoodChic]

Yep, LaLa, I agree..she's a liar.

[Davwud]

Yet again I find amazing how people who've never met someone know EXACTLY what that person is like.

As it stands, E has to come forward and "Fix" this. It's his show and does not reflect well on him. Regardless if he had anything to do with it.

DT

[maria_nyc]

Exactly!

The "decent" thing to do is to publicly apologize and go ahead with the program as had been planned (prior to this fiasco; assuming Daisy and the guests who were nixed accept.)

It's his name and brand that are suffering. He’s wrong if he thinks this will just blow over. Latinos are known for being brand loyal but that also works on reverse (we have long memories).

A good (and smart) person would take ownership of what happened. If he doesn’t' fix this mess then it looks like he's condoning the acts of his show's production team.

[melo7]

There are currently 49(!) comments to Daisy's blog post and the story is already 6 days old. This story really hasn't exactly rocked the blogisphere so I doubt Emeril's brand is really suffering.

[collardman]

Emeril grew up in Fall River with accents. He has management in his restaurants with accents. From everything I have heard from people who know him and have worked for him he is empathetic and a people person.

I don't think this incident had any direct connection with him. I'm not even sure if the production company is connected with him or with Martha Stewart. If you are going to dislike him dislike him for something other than this.

[hazelhurst]

I think you're right. I used to see him when he was at CP, after the place closed when the staff went out-on-the-town, and he was a perfectly decent guy. I know his accountant and I gather The Empire is huge, so I cannot impute any doings by the minions all the way up to the Tsar.

[maria_nyc]

Has the "decent guy" apologized yet? Of course not, he is waiting to see if the storm will just blow over...he certainly acts like a decent guy.

(His show = his production team; regardless where the paychecks come from)

[rasputina]

Do you have any evidence that he even knows about this?

[LaLa]

Thats not really how it works...do you reallly believe he knows all the thousands of people that have some link to his empire...

[southernitalian]

I hardly think Emeril is in a position to be critical of anyone's accent.

[SmartCookie]

I would be pretty hard pressed to think that Emeril had anything to do with this....it was his production team. I would guess that when he got wind of this that someone was either reprimanded or fired...

[maria_nyc]

"I hardly think Emeril is in a position to be critical of anyone's accent."
Amen. That's the part that makes this almost laughable.

But it's his show...so he buck stops with him.
After all didn't he hire these bigots?

[melo7]

I'll bet the house Emeril had no idea this was going on. He probably doesn't even know what segment is going to be taped until he gets to the set that day.

You can dislike Emeril all you want but this had nothing to do with him.

[LaLa]

I agree .... i doubt he even knew it happenes. Of course it says a lot about her character that she threw him under the bus without the courtsey of making him aware.

[wattacetti]

While the actions of the staffer(s) are deplorable, is there any evidence of a direct instruction from Emeril Lagasse to select for "accents".