Welcome to Open Tab, a weekly roundup of news, gossip, and stories that have stayed open in my tabs all week. Last week we covered the critics still dining at Noma post-scandal
What if I told you the San Marzanos you thought you bought were not in fact true San Marzano tomatoes? I know, shocking right? But if you bought Cento’s “San Marzano”-labeled canned tomatoes you, my friend, may have been the victim of fraud. At least, that’s what a lawsuit against the company alleges.
Another shocking revelation this week: FBI director Kash Patel, who, according to The Atlantic has displayed “erratic behavior and excessive drinking,” is apparently known for giving away personalized bottles of Woodford Reserve bourbon. The irony is too much to handle for me personally.
In legal news, the saga of spice company Burlap & Barrel‘s lawsuit contesting the Trump administration’s tariffs has reached what may be its final chapter. The court ruled in favor of Burlap & Barrel, declaring the Section 122 tariffs the company faced to be illegal. Though the government may appeal the decision, this victory may also pave the way for other businesses to file similar suits.
Also this week: A trailer for the Anthony Bourdain biopic dropped. In less happy news, barbecue legend Rodney Scott closed his last remaining restaurant, plus Delta is dropping snacks on some flights, and we spoke with a content creator soliciting recipes from Hinge dates.
In what was undoubtedly earth shattering news for anyone with a tattoo of a chef’s knife on their forearm, the trailer for the Anthony Bourdain biopic, Tony, dropped this week. The movie stars Dominic Sessa as a 19-year-old Bourdain as he works his first restaurant job at Ciro and Sal’s in Provincetown in the mid-’70s. “It’s a coming of age story,” Sessa says in the meta opening line of the movie’s trailer, which also features Antonio Banderas as Bourdain’s chef mentor, as well as Stavros Helkias and Leo Woodall as cooks in the restaurant.
It seems the Bourdain estate is fully supportive of the movie. “We chose to support Tony because it is not a standard biopic and doesn’t attempt to summarize a life,” reads part of a statement released by the estate. The movie is set to be released in theaters in August.
Rodney Scott first started barbecuing around 11 years old at his family’s restaurant in Hemingway, South Carolina. As an adult he took over the family business, and in 2017 opened his first spot on his own, Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ in Charleston, South Carolina. In 2018, Scott was the second pitmaster ever to be named Best Chef, Southeast by the James Beard Foundation.
A couple years later, when he appeared on an episode of Netflix’s Chef’s Table, Scott’s status as BBQ legend was firmly in place.
With his partner Nick Pihakis, Scott franchised out a few locations of his restaurant across the Southeastern US, but sadly news broke this week that the restaurants are facing multiple lawsuits for unpaid bills and loans. As a result, Scott’s restaurants have closed—at least temporarily.
There’s not much that makes plane travel tolerable these days. Everything is expensive, the general public still doesn’t understand the concept of personal space, and we are somehow still not boarding planes back-to-front. But one thing that redeemed the experience? Those tiny cookies they give you.
