July 10, 2015
Chef Zakarian Backs Out of DC Trump Hotel Restaurant
Matthew Wexler READ TIME: 1 MIN.
Chef Geoffrey Zakarian is canceling plans for a restaurant in a new hotel being developed in Washington by real estate mogul and presidential candidate Donald Trump.
In a statement Thursday, the host of the Food Network's "The Kitchen" and judge on "Chopped" said he won't go forward with plans for a restaurant at the Trump International Hotel because Trump's recent statements on Mexican immigrants "do not in any way align" with his personal core values.
Many organizations have cut ties with Trump after he said in a campaign speech that some Mexican immigrants bring drugs and crime to the U.S., and some are rapists. He's been criticized but hasn't apologized.
A spokeswoman for Trump hotels said in a statement Thursday that "Zakarian's foolish decision will be his loss."
Matthew Wexler is EDGE's Senior Editor, Features & Branded Content. More of his writing can be found at www.wexlerwrites.com. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @wexlerwrites.
