Roots Chef Responds to Sign Fiasco

Plenty has already been written about the attempt at humor that Roots Bistro manager Kenneth Choate displayed on the restaurant's sign on Sunday Saturday, but chef Chandler Rothbard has kept silent until now. He explains that he had nothing to do with the decision to display the message on the sign, and that he was "speechless" when he saw it on Sunday Saturday afternoon. "I just couldn't believe he'd put that up there."

Rothbard says that he was with Animal Farm founder Gita Van Woerden when he saw the sign for the first time. "We both read the sign ... and I said 'what the fuck is on the fucking board, man?" He described the sign as "offensive" and said it's "not what our restaurant stands for."

When Rothbard took over seven months ago, Roots was in turmoil after the sudden departure of chef German Mosquera, but the restaurant has stabilized and even added lunch service. He's concerned that the progess he's made will be undone and customers will abandon the restaurant after Sunday's incident. "We support farmers, and we're able to do that because our customers support us. [The sign] affects people who work at the restaurant and people we buy from."

One thing he wants people to remember is "we serve good food. We take a lot of pride in our food."

· Roots Bistro