Adelaide’s master chef Duncan Welgemoed calls out MKR cook who wanted a free feed
Top Adelaide chef Duncan Welgemoed has publicly called out a My Kitchen Rules star who tried to scam a free dinner at his restaurant in exchange for social media exposure.
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Top Adelaide chef Duncan Welgemoed has called out My Kitchen Rules star Andy Vignati for asking for a free dinner in exchange for social media exposure, declaring if “Katy Perry can pay for a meal” so can the reality TV contestant.
The award-winning chef behind East Tce restaurant Africola shared an email sent by Peruvian-born Andy on his Instagram account, where she declared she’d “love to come try some food” this weekend.
“In exchange I can post food shots and stories on my Instagram page,” she wrote.
Duncan ridiculed the request from Brisbane-based Andy, who’s in town for cooking demonstrations as part of Tasting Australia, writing: “#payforfood #payforstaff #f--kexposuredollars”
Later, the popular chef shared Andy’s private Instagram response to his public post, in which she described Duncan’s reaction as “not only disappointing but very disrespectful”.
“Based on your petty response I think it’s clear you don’t fully appreciate the power of social media,” she wrote, adding she has personally received hundreds of invitations from restaurant owners.
“A simple no thanks would have sufficed. Wish you all the best, we certainly won’t be visiting during our time in Adelaide.”
Duncan wouldn’t back down, declaring the MKR star, who has almost 9000 Instagram followers, would “not generate any hype nor actual dollars” for his restaurant, which was named The Advertiser’s 2017 Restaurant of the Year.
“How about you do the right thing and pay for your meal like everyone else,” he wrote on Instagram.
“If Katy Perry can pay for a meal in my restaurant so can you. Good luck with your depressing demo at Marion Shopping Centre.”
US pop star Katy was a surprise guest at Africola back in 2014, when she visited the eatery with her then-boyfriend, US DJ Diplo, who was touring in SA.
Duncan later said he’d received thousands of messages of support and love for “calling these sycophants out”.
“We can never give them an inch, always stick together, be proud and confident in what you do because you’re the only peeps that can influence an industry,” he wrote.
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