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Soul Food Chef Plans Direct Action Protest Against IHOP's Chicken & Waffles
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 14, 2011
Modified Apr 14, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 14, 2011
Modified Apr 14, 2011
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Chef Carl Redding, who made a name for himself in Harlem with his soul food restaurant Amy Ruth’s, is so disgusted that the International House of Pancakes is serving Chicken and Waffles that he's planning a protest outside an IHOP in New Jersey. One unforeseen side-effect of Redding's activism? Free publicity! Today the Daily News profiles Redding and his IHOPposition—he calls the chain's Chicken and Waffles dish "soul food without the soul. It's nothing like the way we know it in our community. If you're going to appropriate a dish we treasure, at least get it right." Daaamn, the International House of PAIN is in effect!
Redding now runs the Atlantic City restaurant Redding's, which also serves Chicken and Waffles. But he tells the News his version offers fried, grilled or smothered chicken, with both white and dark meat. And he says his Belgian waffle makes IHOP's taste like cardboard: "Theirs is like a brick. It should be light and fluffy." In an attempt to liberate benighted diners from the abomination of IHOP's foul bastardization, Redding intends to hand out free samples of his Chicken and Waffles outside the IHOP in Mays Landing.
An IHOP spokesman tells the News, "I would respectfully suggest we have chefs and owners who prepare and serve it with love. And with soul." And with calories! IHOPs Chicken and Waffle combo, which is only available for a limited time, clocks in at 1,100 cal, with a total fat count of 65g. It's unclear how many calories are in Redding's version, so we can all safely assume its very light and diet-friendly.
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carl redding
chicken waffles
ihop
Soul Food
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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