Should White Chefs Cook the Food of Minority Cultures?

In March, renowned chef Rich Bayless made waves when he was interviewed on the podcast Sporkful in an episode called “Other People’s Food.” Bayless, a white chef, is known for his oft-praised upscale Mexican food.

Bayless was asked about privilege and his answer was astonishing. “I certainly have never thought about that,” Bayless says, adding he “put everything together from nothing, basically, just like any other entrepreneur.”

“I know that there have been a number of people out there that criticized me only — only! — because of my race,” says Bayless. “Because I’m white, I can’t do anything with Mexican food. But we have to stop and say, ‘Oh wait, is that plain racism then?’”

Lots of chefs cook the food of cultures other than their own. Great chefs are artists, drawing inspiration from a range of experiences — many of them cultural. They borrow from each other and from other cultures. And that’s perfectly acceptable, but the lesson of the Bayless interview is it’s incumbent upon white chefs, who are representing other cultures in their cooking, to recognize their privilege.

Food writer Angela Garbes also notes privilege isn’t just white — it can be male, or economic. In recognizing whatever advantages we may have, we are at least laying the groundwork for equality. Without this, the world’s inequities will only be perpetuated.