Anthony Bourdain, noted chef and TV personality, said Donald Trump's plan to deport the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. would "shut down" the American restaurant industry.
"If Mr. Trump deports 11 million people or whatever he’s talking about right now, every restaurant in America would shut down," Bourdain
explained on a SiriusXM satellite radio show.
"I grew up in the restaurant business — 30 years in the restaurant business. I came out of, like a lot of other white kids, I rolled out of a prestigious culinary institute and went to work in real restaurants. I walked into restaurants and always, the person who had been there the longest, who took the time to show me how it was done, was always Mexican or Central American," said Bourdain.
Bourdain, the former executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles, said that immigrants were willing to do the jobs that Americans would not.
"Never, in any of those years, not once, did anyone walk into my restaurant — any American-born kid — walk into my restaurant and say I'd like a job as a night porter or a dishwasher. Even a prep cook — few and far between. Just not willing to start at the bottom like that," he said.
The interviewer then asked Bourdain if he felt other chefs across the country would agree with his stance on Trump's deportation plan.
"Yeah, because they’d be up the creek," Bourdain responded.
As The Washington Post noted, Bourdain became defensive when he was asked if illegal immigrants working in kitchens should have health insurance provided by their employer.
"Um," Bourdain said. "Look, it’s tough. It’s a very difficult business for small operators."
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