Foie Gras War: Wolfgang Puck Cleans Hands

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Last Thursday Wolfgang Puck announced he would no longer serve foie gras, issuing nine points about his new program. Many articles in the press focused on his decision to ban the use of foie gras rather than the other important standards he is setting: such as banning pork and veal from farms where the animals are confined to crates, buying chichens which are not confined to small cages and only purchasing certified sustainable sea food. He told The New York Times: We decided about three months ago to be really much more socially responsible. We feel the quality of the food is better, and our conscience feels better. Is foie gras is different? Is a luxury product made from well-cared for birds different from factory products for the masses? Did the Humane Society and Farm Sanctuary score a big victory in their fight against foie gras? Certainly, they got a lot of press attention. Wolfgang has Express outlets nationwide. All of them will be affected to some degree by his nine points, but none of the fast casual outlets serve foie gras in any form (or veal for that matter). How many of Wolf's restaurants will the foie gras ban affect? Some of his 14 fine dining restaurants, including flagship Spago. Why did Wolfgang issue his decree now? He has been nominated for a James Beard Award [PDF file] for his steakhouse, Cut. Then again, Spago has been picketed for 2 years by Farm Sanctuary which also put up a website, http://wolfgangpuckcruelty.org/ -- which now celebrates Wolfgang's embrace of Farm Sanctuary's platform. One wonders whether any Express outlets pressured him as well. Another source of pressure could come from Wolf's fundamental Hollywood angle: "Wolfgang Puck, chef to the stars." Actors and Actresses are increasingly vocal about animal rights, be it fur or geese. Could Wolfgang have been pressured by his most famous clientele? Could that be the reason so many chefs who do serve foie gras, have not been vocal on supporting production or their right to serve the product? Super Chef asked Ariane Daguin, owner of D'Artagnan, for a comment on Wolfgang's decision: I think it's important that we all support the right of chefs to make their own decisions about what they serve in their restaurants, but we, at D'Artagnan, are obviously disappointed by Wolfgang's decision. Foie gras farming is just the type of small-scale, sustainable, traditional, humane agriculture that he claims he is working to promote. Foie gras farmers are deeply committed to caring for their animals, and scientific study after scientific study has proven that foie gras production methods are humane. Unfortunately, Wolfgang seems to have ignored the expertise of veterinarians and listened instead to vegetarians. Super Chef also asked several top chefs for their opinion. Few ventured to offer a comment. Lidia Bastianich did respond with an interesting take on the issue. She told Super Chef: In our restaurants we do not use much foie gras , hence it is not an issue. But then I am not a big fan of foie gras, way before this issue. I think foie gras sets a dominating presence in ones mouth, anything you eat after it seems banal. I consider it a food bully, created my men's gluttony not by nature. What would Wolfgang say to that? Video: FOOD FLICKS: Wolfgang Puck on Foie Gras Related News: Chicago Tribune Forbes USA Today Associated Press International Herald Tribune San Francisco Chronicle Seattle Times Bloomberg Detroit Free Press Salt Lake Tribune Previous articles: Wolfgang Puck: Newseum Museum Catering FOOD FLICKS: Wolfgang Puck on American Idol Forbes TasteMakers 2 [Foie Gras War] - complete Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, Wolfgang Puck, food blogging, foie grask Del.icio.us | Digg | Technorati | Blinklist | Furl --> back to Super Chef