Celebrity chef Guy Vaknin, originally from Israel, claims he’s facing a severe hate campaign that’s harming his business and affecting his children. He has criticized the vegan community for escalating their actions against him.
Vaknin, known for his appearances on Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen” and ABC’s “Shark Tank,” shared that he received a threatening anonymous message featuring a photo of a young child. The message read, “Beautiful kids. Did you feel bad when you went to kill a Palestinian child? I hope that the child doesn’t die like the ones you killed in Palestine,” along with a grim conclusion: “You’re done.”
He described this type of message as something he encounters almost daily due to his perceived lack of denouncement of Israel amid the ongoing war with Hamas, which has seen significant loss of life since October 7, 2023.
Having served in the Israeli Defense Forces over two decades ago, Vaknin has since moved to the United States and opened several vegan restaurants under his City Roots Hospitality brand, including Reverie and Le Basque.
He attempted to brush off the malicious posts, deleting them when possible and blocking the sender. “I didn’t want to scare my staff. I thought this would fade away,” he reflected. But there were moments, like when he found the phrase “free Gaza” scrawled on the bathroom wall of one of his restaurants, that brought the situation back to harsh reality.
After a post from a Palestinian vegan group calling for a boycott of his restaurants on September 4, 2023, his business has faced setbacks.
The group stated, “Dining at these restaurants not only helps normalize (and contribute) the oppression of Israeli Palestinians, but also aids in the #veganwashing of Israeli crime.”
Vaknin expressed concern for his over 200 employees who are suffering due to this wave of hatred. He issued a statement condemning the online attacks, clarifying that his only connection to the conflict lies in his birth in Israel. He stated, “My political views have never been publicly shared, and it’s unfair and destructive to target my family and livelihood based on assumptions.”
In contrast, the Palestinian vegan community escalated their backlash against him. They condemned his statement and rejected Vaknin’s plea for peace as “both suffering,” indicating discontent with his previous affiliations.
Vegan influencer Sabrina Dahlmann, who posts as @sabring.the.vegan, criticized him, allegedly using slurs as part of her response.
Vaknin chose not to engage in such rhetoric. Living close to the Gaza border, he revealed that on October 7 he received private video messages from friends devastated by the violence. “I responded out of sadness, reflecting on what’s been happening,” he noted, recalling how he shared meals in a peaceful environment prior to these events.
He added, “After making my statement, everything exploded. We’re facing threats, and the boycott feels like it’s ramping up. It’s gotten worse… I think the mob has awakened.”
Requests for comment from Dahlmann and the Palestinian vegan group went unanswered.
