New Coalition of Top Chefs Urges Biden Administration to Scrap Food and Wine Tariffs

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, award-winning chefs from across the country launched the Coalition to Stop Restaurant Tariffs. The coalition is pressing the incoming Biden administration to end all tariffs on European food, wine, and spirits via executive action on his first day in office.

"The pandemic is devastating the American restaurant industry," said Kwame Onwuachi, a James Beard Award-winning chef and former "Top Chef" contestant. "The pandemic has forced restaurants to turn away patrons and lay off longstanding employees. We can't afford the additional burden of tariffs on imported products and hope to stay in business."

The Trump administration imposed these tariffs to try to punish Europe for subsidizing its aircraft manufacturers. But the tariffs have backfired. They've inflicted four times more economic damage on U.S. business than on their European counterparts.

"Removing these tariffs isn't about restaurants like Chez Panisse," said Alice Waters, the chef behind the iconic northern California restaurant credited with launching the farm-to-table movement. "It's about the thousands of local restaurants that are on the verge of shutting their doors for good."

"These tariffs have been devastating in the midst of this pandemic," said Mike Lata, owner of critically acclaimed Charleston restaurants FIG and The Ordinary. "Most restaurants are barely scraping by."

"Beloved local restaurants are folding every day," added Chris Bianco, chef-owner of the award-winning Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, Arizona. "A newly inaugurated President Biden could give so many a big boost with the stroke of a pen."

The restaurant industry is one of the largest employers in the United States. It supports 3.2 million jobs and pays $60 billion in wages every year. Without action from the Biden administration, bar and restaurant closures could put 7 million Americans out of work.

The Coalition to Stop Restaurant Tariffs' leadership team consists of award-winning U.S. chefs and restaurant owners, including:

• Chris Bianco, chef-owner of the award-winning Pizzeria Bianco, as well as Pane Bianco and Tratto, in Phoenix, Arizona.
• Daniel Boulud, James Beard award-winning chef-owner of three Michelin star-rated restaurant Daniel.
• Nina Compton, James Beard Award-winning owner of Compère Lapin and Bywater American Bistro (BABs) in New Orleans, Louisiana.
• Thomas Keller, owner of California's globally acclaimed French Laundry restaurant and the only American-born chef to receive multiple three-star Michelin Guide ratings.
• Cheetie Kumar, James Beard Award finalist and chef-owner of Garland in downtown Raleigh.
• Mike Lata, James Beard Award-winning chef-partner of FIG in Charleston, South Carolina, and former "Iron Chef America" contestant.
• Danny Meyer, founder and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, which comprises 19 award-winning restaurants, including New York's Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, and Union Square Cafe.
• Kwame Onwuachi, James Beard Award-winning chef and author of "Notes from a Young Black Chef."
• Alice Waters, James Beard Award-winning chef of Chez Panisse in northern California and awarded National Humanities Medal by President Obama.

About the Coalition to Stop Restaurant Tariffs
The Coalition to Stop Restaurant Tariffs, which represents restaurants in all 50 states, is calling on the Biden administration to end all tariffs on European food, wine, and spirits. Led by renowned chefs and restaurant owners, the coalition seeks immediate executive action to provide tariff relief for small and independent restaurant owners who are already struggling to survive the debilitating Covid-19 pandemic.

For more information, visit StopRestaurantTariffs.org.

MEDIA CONTACT
Sandra Ramos
(202) 471-4228, ext. 115
[email protected]

SOURCE Coalition to Stop Restaurant Tariffs