'An absolute gentleman': Celebrity chef Curtis Stone defends James Corden after NY bistro banned him
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: James Corden has been defended by chef Curtis Stone after he was banned from a New York City restaurant for intimidating its service staff. The 46-year-old Australian celebrity chef expressed his disbelief at claims that Corden was "abusive" to the service staff.
In an interview with TMZ, Stone said that the 44-year-old television personality "has been an absolute gentleman" at his restaurant, describing him as a "lovely guest" who has "always been friendly to the staff." Stone stated, "We never talk about our guests," adhering to restaurant owner etiquette. He said, "Well I just did, but I said something nice about him," realizing he had contradicted himself.
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Owner Keith McNally briefly banned Corden from Balthazar after claiming that Corden had been "the most abusive customer" with the staff. When Stone was questioned by TMZ about whether it was in "poor taste" to publicly accuse a customer of being impolite, he responded, "I do think it's a little off-color... We're in the hospitality industry so we create special moments for people [who are] getting together with people they love and care about."
Stone added, "Sometimes they have a lot of fun, sometimes they behave a little crazy. We make that safe space for them." Last week, McNally called Corden a "tiny cretin of a man" and claimed that the comedian had twice mistreated his staff in an Instagram post. However, he promptly revoked the ban after the comedian called and "apologized profusely."
McNally wrote, "All is forgiven," in a later post. However, in an interview with the New York Times on October 20, Corden referred to the restaurateur's posts as "so silly" and "beneath all of us." He claimed to the outlet, "I haven't done anything wrong, on any level."
On October 21, McNally blasted the actor and TV host on Instagram for asserting he hadn't done anything wrong. In addition to asking if Corden was "joking," he added, "Or was he denying being abusive to my servers? Whatever Corden meant, his implication was clear: he didn't do it."
The owner of the company called Corden out for "lying," but said that he could still make amends by professing his apologies to the serving staff at the restaurant he was supposedly disrespectful to. McNally promised Corden he will be able to "eat for free at Balthazar for the next 10 years," if he did so.