"May god help the Liberal hippie idiot whos going to ask for gluten free pasta this weekend."
Shocking and true and bizarre. Help find this person. I got a Twitter message from Gluten Free G late last night with a link to Damian Cardone's rant on Facebook. This chef admits to deliberately poisoning people who ask for gluten free items. The GF community is attempting to find out where this guy works in Colorado.
His resume is substantial:
Here's his info on his profile...
Damian J. Cardone has apprienticed under Swiss, Master Chef Kurt Wigger. Damian was the Executive Chef at the Sopris Chalet, Restaurant, Aspen, Co. Executive Banquet Chef at the Tavern on the Green N.Y.C.
After apprienticing under Master Chef Kurt Wigger, Switzerland. Whom, was the last person to study under Du Franze, who was the last person on earth to study under Georges Agustus Esscoffier.
Spending time between Aspen and NYC. In 05 and 06, Damian upheld the position as the wedding/banquet Chef at the Tavern on the Green. Has apeared on Regis and Kelli, Project Runway, numerous P.B.S. segments. Personally cooked for Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Tom Hanks, Segourney Weaver, and George Clooney. Currently resides in Glenwood Springs Colorado as a private chef for hire, and learning how to make tacos.
Damian Cardone's Photos - Wall Photos
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Otto Groning likes this.
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Joanne Cardone Damian---- They may have Celiac Sprue disease... it's real and gluten can damage their intestinal track..just FYI!March 10 at 11:27am
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Damian Cardone Ok Dr. Cardone, I know theres a few people who might have real disorder, Im just saying the majority of of these people are jumping on the band wagon because its now the popular fad diet.March 10 at 11:30am
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Joanne Cardone I hear ya but be careful we live in a very sue happy society so I won't let too much more be said! Anyway... we would love to try your homemade pasta.. we need to travel to Colorado!March 10 at 11:32am
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Damian Cardone Yes, people beware, when you eat out at restaurants, chefs love to use people as experimental research test subjectsMarch 10 at 11:37am
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Mary Ragno Fedorchak My best friend has Celiacs very bad. She notices later that night if gluten was in any product she had because she becomes extremely ill. Be careful.March 10 at 1:10pm
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Mary Madden My friend's son is autistic and they have cut out gluten in his diet. It has helped him quite a bit.March 10 at 8:51pm
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UPDATE: Cardone took his FB page down, Twitter and GF blogs went nuts and Zagat posted a blurb. See it here
Hi there Chef Cardone,
Just because you do not see the symptoms in you restaurant does not mean that they do not exist. I went Gluten/Wheat free about a year and a half ago....and Garlic free 10 years ago. Not because I wanted to believe me... I love my beer, pasta, breads and Garlic!!!!! I was just tired of feeling crappy and spending the rest of the night in the bathroom with a garbage can in front of me.
Believe me when I say Gluten free is not a wait loss Gimmick for me nor should it be for anyone else. It is higher in Fat, Calories, Carbs and is 3 times more expensive than regular products that contain Gluten and Wheat. Trust me when I say if I could sit down and eat a pasta meal and not feel ill about an hour after words I would.
You really need to research Celiac's and Wheat/Gluten intolerance's so you have a full understanding of what they are and what the long term effects of eating Gluten and Wheat are for someone who can not eat them. Maybe then you will not be calling those of use who follow a Gluten free diet idiots. As far as I am concerned you are the idiot and you have just opened yourself and you restaurants to a ton of law suits.
I really hope that you can learn something and have a better outlook and appreciation to those of us who do follow a gluten free diet
Jody
Posted by: Jody | 30 March 2011 at 12:00 PM
I can't even believe I am reading this!! Is this chef CrAzY? I hope he liked his job... since I am sure he won't have one for much longer. And how about nut-allergies, soy-allergies, shellfish-allergies, etc? Does he use those people for "experimental research test subjects" too? We are celiacs... hear us ROAR! This makes me SO angry!
Posted by: BeFreeForMe.com / Kathleen | 30 March 2011 at 12:00 PM
In trying to track him down...it looks like he's unemployed there in Colorado, and it also looks like from his postings that he may have relocated back to NJ, probably central in the Piscataway/shore area. Would love to make sure every restaurant in Central NJ knows his name and doesn't hire him. Thankfully if an employer Googles his name, it's 3+ pages of rants about him!
Posted by: JJ | 30 March 2011 at 12:55 PM
what a jerk! ughhh. i hope he responds to this - this story is spreading fast, and now if you google his name these are all the links that show up first!
Posted by: Allie | 30 March 2011 at 02:02 PM
for some gluten is a fad. For people diagnosed by a physician with Celiac disease it is very serious. You need to educate yourself
Posted by: Martha | 30 March 2011 at 03:01 PM
Damian - you should really watch what you say. While going gluten free HAS become a fad thanks to stupid celebs, there are PLENTY of us that really do need to be gluten free. My kids can easily tell you of mommy's pain & suffering before going gluten free with my doctor's blessing. It wasn't fun. And because of moron's like YOU, it isn't easy either. I don't dine in restaurants often because of the stress and worry of trying to clearly communicate my needs to the kitchen staff. I'm not a fad follower in the least. It is my BODY that dictates that I remain gluten free forever. I'd wish it on you to have to be gluten free, but that might be mean. I hope you see the stupidity of your comments and the errors of your ways and make a very public apology to ALL that MUST be gluten free.
Posted by: Kim | 30 March 2011 at 03:16 PM
What he did out of ignorance Was still deliberate and Malicious.
I wonder if any of those Pasta eaters Missed work the next day or were in pain for a week or worse.?
FURTHER?
THE REAL Harm is continuing to eat ANY form of gluten if you have celiacs disease is that it WILL give you Type 2 diabetes and bone CANCER!! Among other conditions and diseases.
Gluten is also AIrBorne And Celiac patients must avoid even walking into a bakery in some cases.. avoid licking stamps..use special makeup/shampoo. So it goes way beyond ingestion for the severely effected... Purposely feeding it to someone like this IS Malicious AND CRIMINAL. PERIOD.
People go to jail every day for Committing ( Reckless Disregard for Human Life.)
NO different than man slaughter.
AND HE admits he did this on purpose loosing his job is the least of what this man should get done to him.
It WAS deliberate it was illegal & unethical.
I hope no-one who trusted his food comes down with the related serious conditions.
This clown isn't fit to sling hash in a public school.
If he has ANY real CFA accreditation I hope it's pulled by a regulatory board or the Public Health AUTHORITIES in his area.
He should be arrested for feeding a child something that he was told that child could not have. PERIOD.
If the child had dropped dead on the spot would he say.."Golly Gee it REALLY is a medical condition..Who KNew? and shrug it off as they take him off to jail.?!!!
This guy played Judge/Doctor/ nutritionist AND GOD with I don't know HOW MANY peoples lives & health.
And if they were stuck in the toilet in screaming pain for days after eating his delightful lies...? Maybe this even costed someone else their job.
And if it had been a peanut allergy and he had deliberately fed it to a patron to see if anything would happen.
He'd be dealing with a lawyer right now.
I hope the food network pulls every episode he did for any of them.
And that his celebrity fan base turns their influence into his misery....
Personally deliberately poisoning.. (And that's what you are doing when you give someone something counter indicated for a serious disease or allergy...)
IS a CRIMINAL offense PERIOD.
GOING ON LINE AND BRAGGING that HE DID this deliberately?
SHould just make it nice and easy for the prosecuting lawyer.
He can polish his Darwin award in his prison cell.
And if the lady 's child who ate this Fake Gluten free pasta turns up needing insulin daily down the road or worse comes down with the cancer that is nearly certain if you continue to consume gluten even just once in a while and you are a Celiac person?
Will she still be able to get a judgement months to years from now when the Cancer is finally found?
You'll be hard pressed to find this clearly hiding and running idiot that just now realized what he did could cost him his job. reputation...or Freedom.
I think a lot of people have now taken an interest in his career who he trained with..the famous chefs and TV shows and celebs that have hired him... and reached out to those people as well.
HOPEFULLY the only job he'll be able to get in the food industry will involve a paper hat/drive through window and asking people if they'd" like fries with that".
A Celiac :
Carmen Stevens
Posted by: Carmen Stevens | 30 March 2011 at 05:48 PM
I snagged this idiot's picture before his Facebook page was disabled. The JPG is linked below. Make sure this is not your chef!
TinyURL.com/5ujwa2q
Posted by: jimbo | 30 March 2011 at 06:51 PM
This was a crime.He needs to be prosecuted for deliberate and willful acts that harmed those people. Celiac Sprue is a well-recognized disease listed by the AMA, American Medical Association. Each harmed individual may file a personal injury lawsuit against him, also. I certainly hope that some do to stop such horribly abusive acts by this bully. This is no different from feeding a person hidden peanuts who has a peanut allergy. He could be held criminally responsible and also could be sued for damages in civil court.
Posted by: Sandra Mclaughlin | 30 March 2011 at 06:57 PM
Hi there! I saw your tweet of my blog post today (open letter to "chef"...) and I just wanted to say that I have since had over 4000 "hits" to my letter - that's potentially 4000 people who are better educated now than they were this morning about the dangers of hiding gluten in food. As the wife of an amazing, ethical, fabulously creative and knowledgable chef... I thank you all for realizing this is one (uninformed/malicious) man - not an entire industry at fault. Contact your local ACF (American Culinary Federation) and let them know you would like to see some food allergen certification of chefs in your area! They WANT us to eat out! They WANT us to be patrons of their establishments! They WANT to make us happy with their creativity. Let them know how that would be possible for you - with your specific food/dietary restrictions. There are good chefs out there... seek them out and tell them how wonderful they are!
Posted by: Chrissy | 30 March 2011 at 10:09 PM
This news story is now posted on the Globe & Mail which is a major Canadian publication. I emailed a note to Gawker, and much to my dismay, they have yet to mention the outrage from the Celiac community regarding this dangerous, uneducated, morally unethical chef!
Many others have emailed all of the other major American news outlets, and yet, with all of the justified outrage, still no mention.
As a certified celiac, we must keep the pressure up, and have this story go mainstream.
Posted by: Colette Ledoux | 31 March 2011 at 11:07 PM