Still Waiting for Paula Deen's Response

The award winning Presidential Master Chef, Talli Counsel has written an open letter to fellow celebrity chef Paula Deen asking that she end her endorsement of Smithfield Foods. The company has been mired in controversy including a series of legal rulings that found it assaulted, intimidated, illegally fired and used racial slurs against its workers. Human Rights Watch has written two reports citing widespread abuses at the world's largest pork plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina plant.

Chef Talli's saying that he and Deen are in a "unique position to make a difference" in the lives of the families who work at Smithfield" asked Deen as the "face of Smithfield foods" to agree to meet with the workers and end her endorsement Smithfield workers have been following Deen on a Smithfield sponsored tour of the south trying to get her to accept a letter they have written asking for a meeting. "We are fans of Paula Deen and we can't understand why she won't listen," said one woman Ronnie Ann Simmons who was badly injured working at Smithfield. "We can't imagine that once she knows the truth she will keep supporting a company that has inflicted so much pain and suffering on every day working families."

The next stop for the Michael Moore style appeal is in Nashville, Tennessee August 4th where, joined by area churches, workers will attempt to enter the venue to deliver an enlargement of a letter asking for a meeting with Paula.

The unusual appeal from fellow celebrity chef, Chef Talli emerged after he read about the tragic circumstances of workers at the Smithfield plant. "I was raised to care about people and I can only hope that Paula Deen will investigate and understand these issues with Smithfield, as I have, and possibly work together too end the issues that face the Smithfield workers once she learns the facts" said Counsel. Chef Talli has ended all use of the Smithfield products, and will urge fellow chefs and culinary associations to take a very serious look at this situation.

Counsel, who has won many awards for his culinary creations, is the nation's only African American presidential master chef having worked with two U.S. presidents. A few of his personally developed cuisines include: Italian Rainwater, European Crystal, Dr. Woo's Chinese Hot Wok, and California, New Coastal Cuisine, Deep Gator Cajun Cuisine, and San Francisco Cable Cars & Crayons.