3/19/09 Update: Culinary Communion is Closed.
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Culinary Communion owner Gabriel Claycamp is a man accustomed to flying by the seat of his pants. And he loves his spotlight in the media.
While he is charming and engaging, what lies behind the sweet smile is cunning and deception.
For years rumors have been swirling about unpaid bills, questionable health code practices...and then there was his illegal underground restaurant, Gypsy. "Shh....don't tell anyone," unless you can get me a spot on national television or magazine coverage. The authorities finally caught up with him and shut Gypsy down.
Then, ironically, it was Claycamp who cried foul. "There's a traitor among us."
Yeah, right.
The latest saga in Claycamp's woes deal with a little operation called the Swinery. But the health department's not buying it. Here's one space where being above the law isn't going to cut it.
And I'm rooting for the health department here.
Having worked with Claycamp in the past, I can attest to some seriously questionable health code violations. I'll never forget running downstairs to grab supplies from the second refrigerator.
What I discovered was more like a murder scene.
Blood (for boudin sausage) splashed & spilled down the front of the refrigerator, splattering on the floor. Away from student eyes, by the time I saw it, the blood was a caked & flaking mess.
Crying foul fell on deaf ears...and I severed my relationship with Claycamp as fast as possible.
The Seattle PI's piece on Claycamp has stirred the pot, and the comments are downright hysterical. One day, this rogue will get his due. And it looks like it's coming sooner than later. Read on.
Comments
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Wow what interesting comments on the Seattle PI piece. The thing that I don't understand about Heidi and Gabe is why all the argumentative behavior. Why not simply admit fault and say how they are going to resolve and fix the problems that they have created. We live in an apologetic society. People admit fault, explain how they plan to fix whatever was wrong, and then it's old news and not a story. Had Heidi or Gabe simply done this, there probably would have been few if any comments posted to the Seattle PI article. Plain and simple, no matter how you slice it, if you are in the wrong - and they were - why try to hide it? Admit mistakes were made and own up to it. Combative responses make them look worse, first because it gives the impression that they somehow don't think they have done anything wrong, and secondly because in in the end it is giving them both more of a black eye. All people will remember in the end of this is that Gabe really messed up. As opposed to mistakes were made, solutions realized and fixed...
How hysterical! Heidi, it's the truth, you just can't handle it!
As a small business owner (food business), yes there are regulation hoops that you jump through, but on the whole they are reasonable. And food inspectors will work with you if you try. Prior to our launching our operation a food / building inspector reviewed all my plans and we discussed options that were both economical and met the state requirements. I see a lot of posts about how difficult things are or were for the Swinery and CC. Well they are not. I'd rather comply with the law then produce food in an environment where I might endanger someone's life. Think about it from another view, what if you ate something and got sick from it. The later found out the place was not complying with state food regulations. You'd probably be pretty angry. You might think, "I'll sue them!" Simply put the regs are for two purposes, protecting both the shop owner from being sued, and protecting the consumer from eating something that might make them sick.
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