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Upscale French Restaurant to Hire McDonald's Cook
Alain Ducasse has fired the head chef at his self-named restaurant, the most expensive in New York City, after critics downgraded its rating from four stars to three.
"We just had two different philosophies towards cooking," said Ducasse, who explained that he wanted a less traditional approach for a style more suitable to the American palate. "These classically trained French chefs - all they care about is using quality ingredients, producing rich flavors and presenting the food in an appetizing manner," said Ducasse. "That just won't cut it in the U.S."
In a move deemed "unbelievably disgusting" by a former New York Times food critic, Ducasse announced he was hiring Rob "Deepfat" Kapinski, 20, the head burger flipper at McDonald's 57th Street branch, as his new executive chef. "Deepfat knows how to give Americans what they want: greasy, salty, tasteless food that they can eat in a hurry," Ducasse said.
Kapinski has gained a reputation in the food industry as a "bad boy" with his behind the back burger flipping technique and his habit of not washing his hands after using the bathroom. But in a phone interview from the bedroom he shares with his younger brother in his mother's Bronx apartment, he seemed humbled by the prospect of his new job.
"I owe this all to my cousin Louie," Kapinski said. "If he didn't leash me to the barbecue when I was five until I built up a tolerance for grease burns, I never would have discovered my passion for cooking." Kapinski said he was especially excited by the prospect of a raise in salary from the $5.95 an hour he pulled down at McDonald's to "two or three times that" in his new position.
Some critics have expressed concerns that customers will balk at paying exorbitantly high prices for a menu that features hormone-laden beef-like patties. But Ducasse dismisses those critics as liberal, East Coast elitists. "Diners are tired of eating the European way, with a knife and fork," he said. "This is about catering to the sensibilities of the American heartland."
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