'Black and Bleu' Chris Brown, Rihanna Sandwich Chef Has No Regrets
The Georgia chef behind the controversial "black and bleu" sandwich that pokes fun at Chris Brown and Rihanna said he's "not afraid" of what he did and has no regrets.
"I was not trying to make a joke of domestic violence, just bringing light to the situation through food," chef Richard Miley told ABCNews.com today. "I do not regret doing it. I don't regret anything."
Miley is one of the owners of Chops & Hops in Watkinsville, Ga. The mom-and-pop-style restaurant made headlines last Friday with its celebrity sandwich of the week.
"Put your hands on this Caribbean black and bleu sandwich," the restaurant advertised on its Facebook page. "Chris Brown won't beat you up for eating this unless your name starts with a R and ends with A."
In February 2009, Chris Brown beat Rihanna in a rented Lamborghini. They recently fueled speculation that they had gotten back together after they collaborated on two songs.
The ribeye sandwich was made with bleu cheese, sliced tomato, onions and shredded romaine.
This is just the latest of Miley's creations that mock celebrities. He has also created a Paula Deen sandwich with fried honey butter when Deen announced she had diabetes, and a Whitney Houston sandwich topped with powdered sugar and sea salt after her death.
Customers quickly took to Facebook to comment on the "black and bleu" sandwich.
"I keep trying to find the right words to respond to this inexcusable, irresponsible, and despicable incident," wrote one, referring to the Lamborghini beating, "and I can't seem to find the right words other than we will NEVER eat there and I will be sure to tell all my friends they should also not support this biz," one customer wrote.
Another wrote, "Shame on you. There's nothing funny about domestic violence, and you won't get my money with this kind of promotion."
The majority of the comments were similar to these, but some people focused on the humor.
"The silly thing is you are making a big deal about a domestic violence situation that obviously wasn't that big of a deal because RHIANNA is trying to get back with Chris Brown and fighting other women over him," one person wrote. "Find something worth your time to gripe about…….. LAWD!"
Another person said, "Who ever came up with the idea for this sandwich must be a funny guy."
As for Miley, "I never expected this," he id. "I started my celebrity sandwiches about six weeks ago to have fun with food, and that was my whole intent. I did not expect this to happen."
The chef said he "probably could have worded it a little bit differently" and recognizes why people might be upset, but he said that what he did is no different than late-night comedians poking fun at the situation.
"I'm not going to take it off Facebook, because I'm not afraid of what I did," Miley said. "I'm just trying to have fun with food. Some people like it and some people don't."
The sandwich was a one-day special, but the restaurant has posted a statement on Facebook:
"The owners of C&H would like to make sure everyone knows that we and our staff DO NOT SUPPORT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. Many of us have been affected by domestic violence in some manner and realize that this is no joke."
The restaurant said it would donate proceeds from the sale of the sandwich to Project Safe Team 6, an organization dedicated to stopping domestic violence.
