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[UPDATE BELOW] At at a time when any decent baker should have been selling racially harmonious black and white cookies by the truckload, one Greenwich Village bakery popular with celebrities and shows like Sex and the City has outraged neighbors by selling a "Drunken Negro Face" cookie in, um, "honor" of President Obama. [Video below.] A shocked customer tells My Fox NY that Ted Kefalinos, proprietor of Lafayette French Pastry, asked her, "Would you like some drunken negro heads to go with your coffee? They're in honor of our new president. He's following in the same path of Abraham Lincoln; he will get his."
Later, her friend stopped by the bakery and said Kefalinos corrected her about the name of the cookies—they're actually drunken "N-word" cookies. She says the backwards baker then repeated the dark suggestion that, like Lincoln, President Obama "will get what's coming to him." Go Secret Service, go!
And it gets worse when Fox's Arnold Diaz goes into the store with a camera and microphone to confront Kefalinos, who suddenly makes Joe the Plumber look like a Rhodes scholar. "I called them Drunken Negro Heads. What's the problem with that?" Kefalinos asks the newscaster with a smirk. "On Inauguration Day I thought it would be cool to change the name to Obama Heads. I just changed it for the day." We suppose Burning Cross Bananas Foster was too complicated to mass-produce.
Kefalinos denies intimating that Obama would be assassinated, and insists that the cookie is "not unflattering. I think it's a fun face... And anyone who says anything else should be ashamed of themselves." Besides, nobody got upset about the "Dead Geese Bread" he sold after the recent Hudson River plane crash. (We're NOT making that up.) Also, Kefalinos insists he can't be racist because, for one thing, "my brother-in-law, he's Cuban." Below, behold the breathtaking train wreck of racist ignorance.
UPDATE: We just spoke with Kefalinos on the phone and he remains utterly oblivious, telling us, "This whole thing was blown out of proportion." He says he's sold out of the "Drunken Negro Cakes" and doesn't plan to make anymore, despite the fact that many customers have been requesting them (he claims). When asked whether he understands that most African-Americans find the word "negro" offensive, Kefalinos explains, "It's a French word. It comes from the French."
Community Board 2 was quick to call for a boycott of Lafayette French Pastry, to which Kefalinos responds, "I'm sorry they feel that way because I was trying to do a nice thing." Not seeming to grasp in any way the degree of outrage he's sparked, he added, "I did it and that's the end of it and it's over."
UPDATE 1/24: Now Ted Kefalinos apologizes: "Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, it was an innocent design I created. It was nothing more than just a piece of art."
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Sounds like someone saw all the success that Heath Campbell has been having in NJ and decided to try his own angle...
...
...
...
(sigh)
Bet Rush Limbaugh buy's a case of them.
What a lovely reminder that racism is alive and well in NYC. What does he do for the gays - nevermind, I don't want to know.
Which Bakery is this?
I wouldn't be surprised if some door-to-door salesman stopped by the bakery and tried to sell him some "Slashed Baker Face" bread knives.
anyone who shops here ever again is a racist bastard.
correct
oh shut the hell up, have a little fun you idiot
Someone's "gonna get his" for sure, but my guess is it won't be Obama. This guy better watch his back.
Arnold Diaz rules!
I wish Arnold Diaz had an actual hall of shame. You could go and see displays on auto body shops and plumbers that ripped people off in 1992.
He keeps all that stuff in the same desk drawer as the bottle.
Lafayette French Pastry
Manhattan - 26 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10011, USA - Greenwich Village
I heard his daughter makes a yummy 'My Uncle Took My Cherry' Pie
"I can't be racist my brother in law is Cuban" This the best line ever. I wonder if I can use it my mail man is white or does it have to be a relative I don't like.
he looks and sounds at least mildly retarded.
Could someone please point me to the Gothamist article on Rev. Lowery's racist inaugural benediction? I can't seem to find it.
go back to listening to Rush
Easier to hurl insults than confront racism on all fronts isn't it?
bigots like Gothampc must be so angry these days...Its gonna be a long 8 years for you
and thank you for confirming that "listening to Rush" is an insult!
you can find that article, and other such articles deep up your own ass.
Is he a native new yorker or newly moved? I've met many people who've recently moved from abroadand have said very rascist things. A south American guy I know said that they get a certain group with 'large phalluses' to make their donut holes back home. He said it to a whole bunch, like it was no big deal. I don't think a lot of cultures see the problem with it unfortunatelyvand think it's just humor. This guy must truly belive (somehow) that this isn't offensive and be very confused at the uproar. Otherwise, he must be nuts.
Um in your case it was a harmless joke. Big phalli making big holes in donuts that he served you a couple minutes ago. haha. In this retard's case, he is suggesting Obama will be assassinated and he sculpts a turd in his own image and calls it drunken n* heads.
Anyone in that area, order a large coffee, poor it on the counter, and walk out the door.
really?
REALLY?!?
/snl
How do they taste?
if it's not racist, why doesn't he make a white chocolate version?
"Would you like some drunken negro heads to go with your coffee? They're in honor of our new president. He's following in the same path of Abraham Lincoln; he will get his."
Sounds like t Ted Kefalinos of Lafayette French Pastry has made a direct threat against the President of the United States, Barak Obama.
the beauty of free speech is that while he is allowed to be racist,
the beauty of free speech is that while he is allowed to be racist, we now know he is & can boycott his store.
i'd rather know someone hates me than continue to give them my money.
good point
there is absolutley no excuse to shop at this store if you know about these cookies.
and the beauty of capitalism is that consumers and citizens dictate if this store will continue to survive.
Free speech doesn't protect threats against the President.
...he will get his."
pkreder's info comments should be removed, there are plenty of crazy people who will do what moorecor suggests.
OH FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT THINK MY POSTING THE ADDRESS HERE ON GOTHAMIST IS IRRESPONSIBLE...PLEASE CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK:
http://www.letmegooglethatforyou.com/?q=Lafayette+French+Pastry%2C+NYC
neat
I did not know there was more to this story.
I thought they were just obama cupcakes.
I find lots of new immigrants to be republicans, it's that false dream they still subscribe to.
I think in their heart everyone is a little bit racist. It is just too easy to categorize people based on how they look, talk, dress, etc. However, most people will either keep it to themselves and or adjust their opinions when they get to know the person better.
That said, this guy is fucking retarded. He is begging to be made an example of. There are over 2 million black people in this city and he just issued an open invitation to be forcibly sodomized or have his business fire bombed.
categorizing people by how they talk and dress is WAY easier and makes way more sense than on how they look (when relating to "race").
Totally completely different things.
Reminds me of that idiot designer with the "Who Killed Obama" t-shirt. His shop is now closed.
Apollo Braun's store is closed? That makes me very happy.
Me too!
http://racked.com/archives/2009/01/15/discontinued_apollo_braun_1.php
The best cure for racism is to counter it with homophobia.
I wasn't suggesting He was GAY !! He's probably closeted unlike his BIGOTRY so STUFF IT Chelsea BOY !!!!
Lighten up, Francis.
Oh I'm sorry Virgil, but It's Frank to you !!! Familiarality BREEDS Contempt !!!!
Doesn't Familiarality breed Conteraliempt?
does he make them look retarded on purpose, or are these the creations of a man operating at the top of his game?
Oh my, an alleged racist in NY. How dreadful. Let's develop a mob mentality and lynch him. Let's do it in Brownsville or East NY, where there is no racism and where we are sure to get out alive.
alleged?
He has a right to free speech but his comments and those cookies border on inciteful speech which is not protected. I expect this type of story to occur in South Carolina where, apparently their calendars still show the year 1880 and they still fly the confederate flag (YOU LOST!)on their statehouse.
Hopefully, this story picks up more steam and draws boycotts and protests. Who knows - maybe this asshole owner is not even an American citizen.
"He will get his" certainly sounds like enough for the Secret Service to pay him a visit.
This is amazing. I'm speachless.
And speaking as a Cuban, if you've got one of us in your family, it's pretty much Carte Blanche to say whatever the hell you want. It's allowed.
Thoughtcrime!
...doubleplusungood...
Those cookies look mighty delicious.
Take his kids!
They're no Cookie Puss, I'll tell you that!
This bakery was on Bleecker Street for many years before moving to Greenwich. I never saw anything like this in there at that time. Is the bakery under new ownership?
sorry to say this won't be the last of such type incidents.
the paramus parks worker and his facebook page. The Secret Service got their work cut out for them.
Lighten up, Francis.
Which pair of Bad Idea Jeans was this guy wearing?
werd
This gentleman will probably get a visit from the secret service. What an idiot.
The balls on this guy must be the size of watermelons. *cough*
The balls on this guy must be the size of watermelons
Yes but his watermelon-size balls came with a price: his brain is the size of a walnut.
the self-righteous indignation of the extreme left is hilarious; free speech as long as we agree with it. poor taste is not an offense, get over it. if this is a credible threat the USSS was all over it before Jen got out her Idiot's guide to misspelling and poor grammar.
hey, um, verbal: free speech doesn't extend to threats against someone's life. especially the president's. regardless of credibility. just a little legal fact for you.
It doesn't matter what your political views are, if you aren't disgusted by this, you a bigot pure and simple.
I got over my liberal guilt a long time ago; I'm a NY liberal democrat who happens to be more disgusted by political correctness. I'm actually more offended that President Obama has totally shied away from the fact that he is inter-racial and not African American.
Obama campaigned on live TV with his white WW2 veteran uncle and has always sung praises in front of people, on TV and in his writings about how great the white side of his family was to him.
By the way, most African-American are biracial. You think there wasn't a lot of race mixing in the past 300 years?
If you think this is just "self-righteous indignation of the extreme left", then you need to read more news besides your aryan nation monthly newletter.
Seriously this is the most shocking thing I have read in awhile. I mean the guy must be, like, I dunno. Is he insane? I mean the chutzpah. He's trolling the "real world" in the way one would a messagaboard. My mind is totally blown on this. I have to laugh at it.
alright, this has got to be a joke. i can't believe this. that video is worse than an onion article.
jeesh.
back to work.
Guy's an idiot. I think it's hilarious, however, that there are idiots posting here who don't think he could possibly be a New Yorker! He must have moved here from South America or South Carolina recently! I forgot that NY had banished racism, silly me.
I will say it over and over again, racism in NY is just as bad as it is in the South. I've heard so many different people being racist at work it boggles the mind to quote a few "I just don't like black people" "they aren't like us"...
I agree he is off the wall. I think the cookies are crude and overpriced. Arnold Diaz and Fox News scrapes the bottom of the sewer with reporting like this. However, I am equally offended by rapper Lil Wayne's lyrics. The lyrics are racist, misogynist, and illiterate. His albums sell millions more than these idiotic cookies ever will. I will boycott this crummy bakery as well as anything that has to do with Cash Money Records. Idiocy and hatred should not be endorsed under any circumstances...
DUMBASS.
YOU KNOW, WHEN I FIRST OPENED THIS LINK, I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT THIS WAS AN IMAGE OF EMMETT TILL, AFTER HE WAS FOUND WATERLOGGED IN THE TALLAHATCHIE RIVER, HAVING BEEN BEATEN, EYES GOUGED OUT, SHOT IN THE HEAD BECAUSE HE WHISTLED OR SOMETHING AT A WHITE WOMAN.
THINK I'M EXAGGERATING? http://www.maximsnews.com/2005davidholmbergemmetttillfuneral.bmp
• Cock the gun.
• Aim it at your big toe.
• Fire.
• Repeat with the other foot.
His business is gone, like a spaceship beamed it up type of "gone".
Whenever "real new yorker" commenters here talk shit on transplants, this guy is always who i picture clacking away at a keyboard. this is the image of the native new york.. UGH.
What makes you think he is a native New Yorker, and not a douchebag newbie like yourself?
$3.50 for a racist cookie?
Hold on!!!! Hold on!!!!
I think everyone should reserve judgement
until they've tasted those cookies!!
This is a very sad comment on racism in this country and I can't believe this is even real.
That said, it looks like a pretty delicious cookie.
obamas not even black. only real black people look like that.
Negro? My first thought seeing the pic before reading the article was 'Mr. Potatohead'.
Douchebaggery is still legal in the US, children. Considering the trillion dollar robbery going on downtown, why bitch about cookies???
No one said anything about the penis nose.
I love how he touches the dead geese bread with his bare hands, lovely.
wow...seriously?
I'm not defending this idiot or his product, but I did some Googling, there's a French dessert called tête de nègre.
http://www.whytraveltofrance.com/2006/03/23/french-pastries-101-tete-de-negre/
And if I'm not mistaken there are a lot of desserts that are "drunken" ie: liquor preserved cherries or liquor soaked cakes.
Even if that was the case...did he seriously think something like this wouldn't cause controversy?
yes, but these drunken french cookies do not have bloodshot eyes. and when the french use the form of "negro" it is to to describe dark chocolate. in this bigot baker's case, it is a derogatory word for a black person. racism will always exist but to being treated fairly with respect as an equal being is a right. and it is a right that many have DIED for.
I wish that were the case, but "nègre" does not describe dark chocolate, it definitely has negative connotations.
This is so stupid. Why are people so dumb sometimes? Racism is deeply ingrained and yes so many people don't see what's wrong with something like this. What was this guy thinking? It seems to be mindnumbingly clueless. Is it possible that it was an earnest attempt to honor Obama? WTF! Somebody must have explained it to him by now... Hope he isn't defending this obvious mistake and can learn something from it.
Hmm, no mention yet of having plenty of black friends?
Yep..he's racist.
aren't you clever
has anyone called yet and ordered a dozen 'stupid greek cupcakes"?
It's been a long time since I was in school, but unless what he said poses an imminent threat--and really imminent as in "I'm closing my store and going to kill Obama now"--isn't everything he said still protected speech? I guess that wouldn't preclude a visit from the Secret Service.
I'm with Slappy, I'm willing to believe he really doesn't get it, and is both too limited and too on the defensive to get it even now.
Funny, most of you have made or laughed at thinly veiled death threats towards Dubya.
that's completely different
Really? He was still President at the time.
Thank you, on top of the political correctness run amok, the stench of hypocrisy is unbearable. The so called 'liberals' are anything but, and shameless to boot.
what a fool, I would have made a Madoff Face Cake with his trademark grin. Larry king lost over 1 million with Madoff, and a woman who lost 7 million is now working as a maid.
i've read much more racially offensive garbage here on gothamist...but this should confirm that, despite electing a person of color as president, ignorance is alive and well we still have a long way to go in educating each other around what is appropriate and inappropriate in public forums with regard to people's cultural backgrounds.
the 'my brother-in-law is cuban' argument is the old 'my uncle is gay' routine, which is always said right before someone spews hatespeech. the Lincoln comments are unacceptable and secret service should pay him a visit that causes him to lose sleep for the next 4 years...
of course ignorance is alive and well. Electing a black president doesn't change it overnight. Education is the lethal weapon against racism and misogynist. I think we should even have all those parades in NYC (Irish, columbus day, Puerto Rico etc) because we are American and we should all celebrate as Americans.
Correction
of course ignorance is alive and well. Electing a black president doesn't change it overnight. Education is the lethal weapon against racism and misogynist. I think we should NOT even have all those parades in NYC (Irish, Israel/Jewish, columbus day, Puerto Rico etc) because we are all Americans and we should all celebrate as Americans. We are too divided as a nation.
education can be a good weapon against ignorance, depending on who is doing the teaching.
celebrating one's culture through the majesty of food, music, dance, and costume as embodied in a parade is not the problem. anxiety and fear is, and those Americans, who have yet to realize this, will continue to participate in negative and destructive ways rather than add to the beautiful collective of our American culture.
give, don't take away. add. be constructive.
adding to the problem is not that the solution and those parades are expensive and needless. If people want to celebrate their own beliefs/traditions then they can do it at home. it is ridiculous to have parades for every race in NYC. This is why we are so focused on race. The only parade we should pay for is an AMERICAN parade.
hmmm...so it's OK by you for me to celebrate my culture if I lock away my traditions behind close doors so you don't have to deal with differences we may have.
perhaps you should realize that the world is a large place and it's not always about you. i'd argue that being proud of one's cultural background IN america makes one's american identity a stronger more rich one. especially to the eight year old puerto rican girl who gets the chance to perform a traditional dance for her fellow new yorkers.
if you didn't limit yourself so, you might become...educated.
You can be proud but there is no need for parades that are a financial burden. the only parade that we should pay for is an AMERICAN parade. For someone who preaches tolerance, you are quite intolerant.
No parades because they celebrate ethnic differences? Please, we aren't robots or ants (yet).
No parades because it is a financial burden and the whole midtown is shut down to celebrate any race in NYC. I think that cultural difference are part of every day life and no need for a parade. it is divisive in the end.
I love the feigned anger of white people commenting on blog entries.
2009, we have a bi-racial president elected into office and we still see ignorance like this. I'm not suprised but sad that there are people in this wolrd who still have these ignorant and negative views. I mean I truly didn't vote Bush into office but I never wished him to be killed either. As someone said in another comment this goes beyond free speech and I will make sure this isnt a place I spend my money
I want to see Cuban brother in law cookies.
"It's a French word. It comes from the French."
Jesus, this guy just needs to shut-up. He's certainly not helping himself.
Touche TK...fake outrage lives on. And morons, this has nothing to do with free speech. Read the damn Constitution before giving 'legal advice'.
Get a freckin life people, they are cookies.
I think you have completely missed the point. It isn't the cookie that is the problem (although it looks like manure). It is what he named them and why he did so.
why is that because in his eyes an overly hyped (thank you liberal media) and underqualified black man (or in another language, negro) was elected president and was celebrated like no other by 52.9% of the popular vote with a large percentage of them being 'colored' (is that safe to say?...).
The media and liberal party is so blinded by their own biased views that they forgot that $42m spent for Bush's innauguration was an outrage yet the teflon man's (Obama) $160million celebration of mass media hype and in a large count, ignorant voter turnout. Much like people cry bloody murder and call you a racist if you comment that the president will or should be assassinated but had no issues with it being said about 'W'...
I just think that liberals for a large part are too blinded and bitchy to realize how hypcritical they truly are.
I think drunken white heads would be a great idea too...though I like chocolate more ;)
Fake outrage? Why would anyone fake being angry about something?
Get a life, it's only blatant hateful actions from another human being.
Oh my, he does seem a little retarded doesn't he?
There's a history of giving racist names to certain pastries, from "Mohrenkopf" to "Ras al-Abd," but the face is going a little too far, as are the Obama comments. I don't really know whether to laugh my ass off or collapse into a sobbing heap.
When I saw this story I knew who it referred to without even seeing the video (though I did watch the video). I stopped into his bakery two months ago - in an effort to support "the little guy" and not Balduccis, Citarella, etc. - and he immediately began a Limbaugh-esque tirade about Obama (in his nasally way), and he wondered openly about who he thought would assassinate him ("Maybe it'll be an Asian guy, like Virginia Tech"). I was stunned, and quite honestly couldn't tell if it was a put-on or not. He seemed like he could very well be mildly retarded. Truly one of the weirdest encounters I've had during the eleven years I've lived in NYC. I would completely encourage a boycott of the place, except it'll probably ruin his business and he'll end up with a LOT more free time on his hands to think his delusional yet very real thoughts about killing the President, or any other non-white person that crosses his path.
Drunken Negro is quite tame compared to the vile racist slurs I hear black kids call each other all the time. Same thing for black comedians and rappers. The rules all depend on what color your skin is.
what a genius this guy is.
and hey while we're at it let's all boycott Mexico too!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mem%C3%ADn_Pingu%C3%ADn
typical- blaming it on the French. On a serious note,he really does seem mentally challenged.
To make amends, maybe this guy should offer to bake a "typical white person" cookie as per Obama's description of his own white grandmother who raised him.
I was concerned when I read this article and as a member of the Greek community I was enraged, so I called the The Lafayette Bakery.I recognized the baker's last name as Greek and so I asked him that as a "Greek" (a culture with a history of tolerance & the creators of Democracy) how could he support such racist and insensitive comments and actions? He said that a lot of lies were put into this report,that the missunderstanding took place when he referenced the cookies as Negro. Europeans use the Latin rooted term "Negro" not as a derogatory slander but as the meaning of "black" and does not carry the culturally negative conotation that Americans have given it with their history of slavery and segregation. He said that this pastry in Sweeden is called "testicles" for its shape and in Holland they are called Black Heads two names that would start a riot here in the states by the looks of it. I asked him what prompted him to do this in the first place he said that his business was struggling and in order to get some attention he thought specialty cookies and cakes would make some sales. Also he added ,it was all done in good natured fun that had no malice or racism involved. He told me and I quote " I went to City Collegey CUNY" all my friends and classmates were black I never felt anything negative when I made the pastry it was made special for Obama's inauguration , just as the dead geese cake was made to gain popularity for the recent headline grabbing Hudson River landing of a jet airliner. " I have an odd sense of artistic style and humor Mr. Kefalinos said and thats all. I never meant to hurt or anger anyone. Anyone who knows me knows I am not a racist. Upon reviewing my conversation with Mr.Kefalino's I realized he wss sincere despite his naive approach to negative cultural stigmas. Despite the great heights that President Obama has achieved for our nation and our future, fear and racially charged sensitivity that should have disappeared with his victory over fear and hatred, are still ever present and ever charged in some people to the point of hysteria. I suggest that the politically correct and the hyperconcious thought police of this modern era stay vigilant and aware. Just as we the people should stay vigilant & aware of those who see shadows in the flickering light of hope and sound off alarms claiming that their friends and neighbors are the reincarnation of the third reich. If this nonsense continues what makes us any different from those we call our enemies.
Upon reviewing your comment, I am reminded why I need a 4 o'clock coffee break.
I visited Athens a few times and the Greek people are liberal to communist minded yet they don't care much for the African and Albanian population in athens. they may not hurl racist remarks at them but they ignore them. In fact an African worker inform me that they are invisible, not looked at or spoken to. Also you won't see any interracial marriage in Athens.
Yes I am sure your "visits" to Greece has made you an authority on the people and the culture. The indifference that Greeks have to migrant cultures is a quite natural one. The immigrants come to Greece temporarily with work visas or illegally establish themselves selling batteries and bathtowels. They do not engage the populace they do not establish themselves as part of the community they do not contribute they use. This occurs here in New York , amongst the many faceless Chinese migrants selling Bootleg DVD's and tubesox how many times have you engaged them and asked them to dinner. Please respond with detailed knowledgeable concise reports. After 500 years of oppression and murder on the black "slaves" brought to this country , plus the violence and bigotry forced on the native american populations and then the harsh poverty and dark circumstances when Irish,Italians,Czechs,Hungarians and Greeks came to this country, after all that this country finally elects an African American man to the highest office and you think that cleans the slate. It does not an it does not make formerly guilt ridden closet bigots the right to point fingers at other cultures and call them less cultured and racially aware than you. The Greeks have never forced genocide upon another culture for any reason in there long history and have exercised more forms of education , cultural exchange and artistic fusion with more cultures in their history than any culture in the world. There would be no America & no bloody constitution if it was not for the Greeks. So please step off......
Where did I state it cleans the slate? I only made comments on what I observed in my trips to Athens. Please don't make a Felixthecatface cookie now. peace.
No I think in your case if any cookies should be made they should be thin , flakey , with nothing inside.
Konstatine, also in Athens, I seen too much animal cruelty. People inform me that thousand of dogs were killed by the govt before the Olympic games. Some say the dogs were gassed. Also i seen so many stray dogs starving while all the Greeks sitting outside eating and drinking were oblivious to the dogs' suffering. Dogs dying in the streets, while Greeks walked by oblivious. This is why I did not like AThens at all.
Good ,dont go to Athens and please dont go to Greece its not for you. You want homogenized racial stereotypes , you want the news and your TV to tell you your a good citizen and that the nasty ,slow witted cafe owner makes you think of how you treated that poor Hindu girl in third grade recess. I understand how you want your delicious grilled cheesestake without witnessing the millions of electricuted , rancid destroyed FDA protected moo cows .I understand how removed you are from the country and the farm , from famine and pestilence. How removed you are from poverty and bad living conditions but you dont have to put in our faces. By the way the stray dogs & cats in Greece were an epidemic and they were not controlled properly to the point where the population carried disseases dangerous to other animals with owners and to the delicate tourists visiting Athens during the 2004 Olympics. So they euthenized them the same way they do here at the ASPCA in Long Island when no one comes to adopt Fluffy or Spot. Enough said.
i don't buy the american translation excuse. have you seen the video? he is evidently fluent in the english language. please please please, people, stop making excuses and defending the guy. he is obviously not the keenest person and is a racist. why can't we accept that? SURPRISE! THERE ARE RACIST PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD! use your smarts to do some good in the world instead of encouraging this type of behavior.
Fine , when you are right, you are right. A racist is a racist , no matter what culture they are from. I have to accept that he is not the standard for my people , just as I am not. The same can be said for any race or culture and the difference is identifying it as wrong and making the ones committing it realize it is unacceptable and continue with our lives. Ignoring it will not make it go away and neither will backpedaling or excuses. I got involved personally because I was horrified that this individual represented a segment of my cultural heritage which I did not agree with at all. He is an anomaly in Greek culture , most Greeks I know and grew up with are fair and compassionate people. There are very few like this man. I asked him directly as a Greek and he unconvincingly and with some shame admitted that he was unaware that the word "Negro" had become an unacceptable social term. I found this hard to believe. Unless this guy was mentally stunted , which I doubt. Instead think he is a bit of an ignorant idiot and an insensitive coward.
Nothing you said explains away the guy in the news clip who said that Kefalinos has gone on racist tirades while he's been in the bakery, or why Kefalinos can't seem to shut up about Obama getting assassinated. The guy is just a hardcore racist, and there's no getting around that. Why are you even dragging the global Greek population into the fray? Nobody cares if he's typical of Greek people or not (I realize that you're Greek and that you are clearly embarrassed by his behavior, but nobody with any sense is going to judge all Greeks by this one loser; his own ethnicity is irrelevant). The guy's got a serious problem with black people, period, end of story.
If any muslims would like to get in on the moral outrage, FYI: the French croissant was created to celebrate a French victory against the muslims during the Crusades, so basically you're eating a symbol of the islamic faith.
On your marks, get set, .....riot!
You should stop believing everything you read on the internet.
that would be a sight to behold, croissant burning in the muslim world, sort of like this:
http://www.nancarrow-webdesk.com/warehouse/storage2/2008-w46/img.410795_t.jpg
looks like a croissaint! next they can burn that mime guy
Negro is so offensive that we should boycott those solicitations for donations to the United Negro Scholarship Fund.
Furthermore, a demonstration in front of the offices of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is in order to remove this racist and demeaning word from our lexicon.
Finally, we then remove welshing, Paddywagon, Indian giver, gyp and Philistine until we make our language lily white and offensive to no one.
Opps, better add lily white to that list.
That's an old argument. NAACP also; yes one says Negro and one says Colored. We know.
Why not remove offensive terms from the language? Terms that were invented to cause pain and fuel hatred. Seems logical. Let's not get all, "Hey this PC stuff is gettin' outta hand!" Maybe it is in some instances, but in these terms it's valid.
Censorship is never "valid". Outlawing words is tantamount to book burning.
Who said anything about censorship? Do you really think that I believe people should be arrested for saying bad words? We are talking common courtesy here.
NAACP: Niggers Are Actually Colored Pollacks
I think Sarah Silverman should be moderating this thread.
Har har. You so funny. Not.
This guy didn't just say negro, he said n*gger because apparently the shock effect of saying "negro" wasn't big enough. He is just a really racist slob. I don't want to think about how many kids he has raised.
Anyone know if Mr. Kefalinos and/or his bakery has made it through the day intact?
I love Arnold Diaz's "you know you're a racist" tone at 1:40
expression of freedom? it freedom of expression. LOL.
the guy at 3:03 sounds like a Speak N Spell.
By the way Mr.Arnold Diaz apologized to Mr.Kefalinos after the report for laying it on too thick but as the baker explained to other reporters today ,Hey even Arnold Diaz needs to make a living off the hype, I have no anomosity towards him I just dont want confused people throwing rocks through my window.
Way to show your tolerance, fellow posters. Instead of finding a way to enlighten the man to his mistakes, many of you choose to make threats against his life and business.
How is that ANY better than his comments? At the very least, his were made in ignorance, yours are made in anger and vengeance.
Think about that for awhile.
I think this is hilarious. The guy is getting a rise out of people and thank goodness for that much. The US has gotten so boring with its over-sensitivity. I for one think that part of diversity is having guys like this, mixing it up. I love it!
All you need to just grow up, you uptight people take life waaaay too seriously.
By the way, was the Cookie good?
George
I like how Arnold Diaz plugged his "BLOG" at the end of it so we can "Sound Off". Whatever Arnold....
people get mad at how black people look in cookies and toys but guess what that's what they look like, so you're racist for thinking what they look like is racist.
Will Diaz and all the Political Correctoids on this blog also boycott stores that sell "Drunken Irishmen" cards on St. Patrick's Day? Or does their hypocrisy only apply to bakeries?
If only the guy who ran over and killed two small children in Chinatown yesterday provoked as much hysterical moral outrage as some dopey baker who ran afoul of PC doctrine.
If only the politicians now ransacking the public treasury caused the same level of fury...
21st Century America (the trailer)
" You saw us attacked. You saw us over react and invade the wrong country. Then you saw us become torturers and War Criminals. After that we gave you worldwide securities fraud and now we're bankrupt!. Now don't miss next years exciting season, when all our decades of pent-up racial frustrations explode into an orgy of racial civil wars & killing!."
"A bloody mess! Literally."
-Rolling Stone
-"Once again, America has outdone itself!"
-London Telegraph
"There hasn't been so much bloodshed since Herod killed all those babies"
-Christian Monitor
If I walk in and ask for one of these cookies, do I get a discount for being a negro.
I mean lets be serious, the cookies literally do look like a shitfaced drunk negro.
Would it be different if he called them "Drunken African-American Faces"?
I don't see the problem here.
While I may not agree with your cookies, I will defend to the death your right to bake a drunken negro face.
"There are over 2 million black people in this city and he just issued an open invitation to be forcibly sodomized or have his business fire bombed."
I can assure you white people would be up for this, too. Me for one. Although I can't participate in the sodomizing.
Why? Most blacks are junkies, criminals or drain the economy via welfare.
Some guy making a caricture of a drunk negro should be the least of their worries.
Get off drugs, stop committing crimes and then get a job.
I just saw the Arnold Diaz video of him.
He is astoundingly thick-headed, dimwitted, and slow. Like the kind of cartoon numbskull that Bugs and Daffy are always outsmarting. He talks like an 8 year old. He's a freakin' fell-off-the-boat Greek version of a racist, hillbilly redneck.
My god he is the real Peter Griffin.
BAH Hahahahaahahhaahah
I heard this story and was walking my dog past his place and saw an elderly couple buying something. I opened the door and shouted "don't give him any money, he's a racist" I stopped going there years ago, because his cakes are crap! I say spread the word and put this loser out of business.
I found out about this story from reddit.com and I made a screenname just to leave a comment. Here goes...
Let's go and harass some innocent bakery guy because we interpret his silly joke to be racist. But wait a minute..whatever happened to that liberal tolerance and acceptance of everyone? Oh, that's right. It doesn't exist. Being all for equality and rights for everyone as long as they don't go against the status quo..it's the way of the leftists, and there are far to many of them here in NYC (especially in Manhattan, that place is disgusting).
I hope any of you left leaning passive-aggressive douchebags reading this realize that even if you are the majority in NYC, right leaning folk still exist around here whether you like it or not and we hate you. We resent you. Not just for stunts like hounding on and cornering this bakery guy but for all your arrogance, ignorance, hypocrisy, and a lot more.
Poor guy just made some cookie as a joke to capitalize on a current event and now he might have to watch his back because of all the 'racism' whiners and their leftist counterparts always looking for an enemy (the bad guy). The shame here is not on the bakery guy but on Fox news and on you leftist types, maybe one day Fox news can report real news and you..can grow up.
Leave it to a racist, pigheaded Greco strunz to come up with a shitty cookie that looks like a sock monkey.
-oops!
"...crossed the line between free expression and blatant racism." - News flash to Arnold Diaz: "blatant racism" is protected speech like everything else.
What's in these cookies and how do they taste? While the name of the cookie is somewhat tasteless, they look like they might be good to eat.
I think people should cut him some slack - he sounds and looks like a total idiot. I wouldn't doubt that he'll be bankrupt in the near future with this bad publicity...
"Everyone's a little bit racist
It's true.
But everyone is just about
As racist as you!
If we all could just admit
That we are racist a little bit,
And everyone stopped being
So PC
Maybe we could live in -
Harmony!"
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/01/23/2009-01-23_obama_heroin_bust_reveals_the_audacity_o.html
heroin branded "obama".
Apparently Arnold Diaz, you're utterly oblivious because "Negro" is a French word, and it means Ghost Writer. It’s derived from the Latin word "niger" pronounced (nahy-jer) and in French pronounced (nee-zher) it also happens to be a word found and used in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian(old) and several other languages where it means "Black" and it used to describe a "Black" person. It's politically correct and accepted widely throughout the world. The only place anyone makes a huge deal about it is here in the United States, which is utterly ridiculous.
African American isn't a correct term, and the USA is the only place in the entire world that you will hear this phrase used to describe or speak about a black person. Use this term any other place or in regions where the word Negro isn't viewed as a racist slur (which it isn't) and at the least they will know you're an ignorant American.
Your entire article is based on mumbo jumbo. If it weren't for the fact that you live in the United States and were able to blow something out of proportion that you knew would grab the public’s attention your article would have fallen flat on its face. If anything needs to change in this country, it should be how and what reporters and television networks can report on. More specifically how they decide to report on it. These twist and turning of words in order to increase viewers are absurd.
By the way I wonder just how many unique hits you got on that page from people outside the United States.
Blatant Racism? What a joke
IF:
Asian people aren't Yellow but Asian (and certainly not Oriental)
Tan people aren't Mulatto but Black
African's aren't African but Black
Whites arn't European but White
and Terrorist's aren't Arab but Terrorists
Than why can't the American public handle the spanish translation for black; Negro in place of Black when it comes to a cookie... Last time I checked the millions of Spanish speaking people in this country were allowed to say Negro when pertaining to anything else.... Grow up people- and stop acting so sensitive- there will be a back lash if we're not careful..
asians are saffron
tan people have cancer
black people are chocolate
white people are marshmellows
and east indians have better jobs
Fuck racism, I'd buy a baker's dozen of these! They look simply scrumptious!
Hell, I'll buy him a Frappe one day!
The cookies look pretty nasty if you ask me. And I don't think anyone can rightly say that the representation is a favorable one. Regardless of what the guy really thinks about black people ... and cookies, I must say that in this economy a businessman's got to be some kind of moron to do something that's bound to alienate a good number of his customers enough that they're probably going to find their baked goods elsewhere ... or just do without. And if he hadn't known better, saying that it's just a fun thing like his "dead geese bread" probably won't make up for it. just my 2 cents.
you're all little bitches yo. it is a joke, from a man who is not intelligent enough to figure out people would be bothered by it. it's not a big deal, it is supposed to be a black persons face who is drunk, hence the red eyes. it is a cookie, it's not going to be handsome. it's a joke playing on the fact that black people are going crazy because of obama, they're all drunk on happiness. just because he used the word negro it shouldn't offend you, give me a break. if an "artist" did that in a soho gallery you'd think it was beautiful.
This bakery has been in the neighborhood for many many years and is family run. The person who made those cookies is the son of the owners and he is a very simple man--a bit like Lenny from Of Mice and Men. It is too bad there are so many unscrupulous self-promoters taking advantage of this mans limitations.
You all should know better. Take no pride is beating up on a man with an IQ that is probably one-third of yours!
Shameful.
This bakery has been in the neighborhood for many many years and is family run. The person who made those cookies is the son of the owners and he is a very simple man--a bit like Lenny from Of Mice and Men. It is too bad there are so many unscrupulous self-promoters taking advantage of this mans limitations.
You all should know better. Take no pride is beating up on a man with an IQ that is probably one-third of yours!
Shameful.
but whats inside the cookie they do look yummy, AND lighten up -WHAA...
Give us all a break, a bigot is a bigot! this is so sad, especially considering that Kefalinos was probably given access (or his family) to starting this bakery with assistance from programs designed to help with "the American Dream." how sad for you that you feel the need to gain income this way, and promote racism. Also you are lucky secret service hasn't scooped you up for "terroristic threat/statement, against our President." funny you didn't seem to make anything in the form of your "cousin" and crook Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is another sad example of "your people."
You must be proud as stupidity and ignorance runs in the "family." Too bad the help you got to open your business didn't go to a far more deserving person, who I am sure would have been proud to be an American, with liberty and justice for all, by the people for all people. God help you, He is the only one who can. you are a pitiful person in need of deliverance. Hopefully you repent and have remorse somewhere, even though it doesn't seem possible! but God works in mysterious ways!
I do not agree with a word you say but will defend to death the right to say it. Has everyone forgotten what America was all about. By the way people still don't give a S### about the the Oglala Souix, Iroquios, Leni Lenape, Cherokee, etc. yet there is still red man tobbaco! Seems these days you can offend everyone but black people. Well let's ban everyone rap record with the N word in it. Let's be equal on all counts then. Hell the N work offends me all around so let's ban that too and let's burn Huckleberry Finn too!!! Yeah let's do that. Hell anything from now on with any racial slur in any context is banned let's get that law passed. Hell Native American if offensive yet that's the politically correct term. How can they be Native to a country that didn't exhist when they were there first. You all suck rhino cack. Every last one of you. The only people in this country that have a right to pissed about anything are the ones the were here first. The rest, work your ass off to get where you want to be, (we can ALL do it now right Obama's proof) shut the f*** up and be greatful we are more "free" than most places on the globe. I'll be impressed when we have a President Eagle Claw in office till then shut the hell up already.
I can't believe you would make a story of such a thing. If someone had baked a drunken Irishman cookie would there be such a stink? Just who are the real bigots here? It's off color, no pun intended, but is there really an issue of hate or racism? Political correctness is indeed a disease. The stangest thing of all is that this man is somehow accused of bigotry and racism, yet most of the people commenting here seem full of vitrolic hate. Shut his store down, kill him, he's missing a chromasome. Something I've noticed about politically correct people. When confronted with what they deem an intolerant act, they run as quickly as they can for the moral high ground, as if they are somehow morally superior. At the very same time, they display themselves as being morally superior by espousing hatred ten times that of who they are criticizing. But of course their hate is moral hate; that is hatred of the haters. Yes political correctness is a disease, contracted through the mainstream media and the educational system. And the word Negro is not improper. Black is not a race anymore that white is. Negro, Caucasian, and Asian are all proper words. You can't rightfully stigmatize language or a word. I think you people are out of your minds. The man should also bake a drunken Irishman cookie, along with a bucktooth Chinaman, and a head bobbing Jew cookie. Besides, I think they look scrump diddly uptious!
Besides, Negro in Spanish means Black. So is there a difference? No!
Except that it's, you know, a different language. You ass.
Black Box, you are a moronic puto bigot!
There you go, hate the haters. You are so moral. You should get a medal.
Store's been there 80 years. Owner's son. Not a recent immigrant, accent notwithstanding.
Claims of sub-par intelligence won't hold water. Kefalinos' syntax is perfect. Just a scumbag. The crushed maraschinos.
what is so racist he did not say anything racist . oh now they dont want to be call negro we know your african american too. every day it something different with you people give it a break you are just as equal as anyone else in america you chose to cry and do nothing with your life you have your self to blame .Yes when there where slaves they had it bad and i feel for them but most negro today have nothing to do with that. just like the jews, Italians and everyone else who went through stuff went on with their lives. GIVE it a break he did nothing wrong but voice his opinion.
How about creating the 'Drunken American War Criminal Pervert" cookie?; a steaming pile of freshly crapped dog shit topped with a cherry and sprinkled with meth.
Hmmmm just like momma used to make 'em, huh?
I know exactly where that bakery is. Bold move, indeed. Obviously, the owner of this place is serving a particular type of customer who is interested in ingesting these morally tainted treats, don't you think? There are still racists in New York. There are also provacteurs that love to stoke the flames of hatred. I believe we'll see more of these crazy spectacles as the year progresses. Please don't let t
his silliness distract you especially as President Obama is now in the process of creating new policies for this country. Stay focused.
Oh well, I'm sure our fearless leader, Mr. Obama, will get exactly what he deserves (whatever that may actually be), and I'd love to buy a TRUCKLOAD of those cookies!
The problem is that, in France, there is a cake which is sold in pastries and is named : "Tête de nègre" (i.e. "negro head"). This is a kind of meringue with a chocolate skin on it (see this link, for example : http://www.penglobe-cordier.com/article-1010338.html ).
This is obviously the legacy of the colonization and its "normal racism". The fact is that french people don't think about the racist thing when they see the name "tête de nègre" (even if the cake was named maybe one century ago).
I must be honest and tell that, for a few years, more and more bakers and pastries wonder if this cake shouldn't be renamed (for example : "meringue au chocolat", i.e. "chocolate meringue").
In my opinion, this baker in New York wanted to make a joke (and money, certainly) with the new USA's president election, with an adaptation of the french "tête de nègre" cake (with a face design). However, he didn't think there would be consequences, according to the fact most american people don't know the original cake (and original name) : the french "tête de nègre" ("negro head").
So, in this way, I don't know whether this baker is a racist or not, but I think this french cake name must be obviously a part of the answer.
If we are going to point fingers we should start with the media!!!! Every word out of there mouths since Obama join the race was black this and black that! So much for color blind! He is a man who happens to be our president! I don't remember ever someone saying our white president Bush or Clinton. As for as these cookies this guy is an idiot and just the mere mention of his store is just free publicity @#%* him and his store.
On the other hand, if the Abraham Lincoln part is true (it seems there isn't a record of this), this comment doesn't have anything to do with the french cake name...
Hum. And I forgot to tell the original french cake doesn't have red drunk eyes (even if it must have a good taste with the chocolat, I think... Sorry, I know, this is not the point !).
Anyway : this cake seems to be a bad joke and a bad game of words with the original french cake, the "tête-de-nègre".
The baker should have made another cake with the first one, a meringue covered with white chocolate and two pieces of red confit fruit, the "drunken WASP head", a wonderful tribute towards McCain whom must have drunk some alcohol the night he lost the elections !
This guy at Lafayette is clearly a racist jerk. I only went in their once in my life and will never go back. He will probably lose his business, which will be a shame for the workers but for a small victory for anti racist forces. On the other hand, I don't think this should be blown out of proportion. The reason that this made the news is that it is uncommon--otherwise, who would notice. Same thing as the person who mentioned the tete de negre; there is indeed such a pastry, but you will not find it in an overwhelming majority of french pastry shops--I lived there and never actually saw it and believe you and me I visited my fair share of pastry shops. This distracts us from fighting real racism, which affects people more in choices for education, residence, health, and career. Pastry choice is not one of the major issues confronting anti-racist forces, and we luckily live in New York where there are hundreds if not thousands of pastry shops that do not sell racist cookies. If we are really upset by this jerk, let us pool our resources and help someone else buy a pastry shop on that block. Better yet, let us pool our resources to help African American entrepreneurs to open new small businesses like pastry shops throughout our city.
I think it's hilarious, however, that there are idiots posting here who don't think he could possibly be a New Yorker! He must have moved here from South America or South Carolina recently! I forgot that NY had banished racism, silly me. I will say it over and over again, racism in NY is just as bad as it is in the South. club penguin