Portland Food and Drink

Restaurant News and Information For Portland Oregon Area Restaurants and Bars

Chef Stu Stein Gossip Spreads (and more!)

by

Updated: Statement from Terroir’s ex-PR firm:

The Willamette Week is reporting that Terroir Restaurant and Wine Bar has closed. Much like Cole, we were not aware of the status of Terroir’s operations as we had ceased representation of Terroir in late ’07. As an added note, we did not work on the publicity of his 2004 book The Sustainable Kitchen (that was another PR firm) and Stu Stein handled the copy for his website personally. Randall PR [emphasis mine]

Updated: CONFIRMED: Terroir has closed.

According to MSG over at portlandfood.org, Terroir closed yesterday. I’d like to think that the press (and bloggers) Mr. Stein so despised had a big hand in it, but I really think it would have closed in the next six months anyway. Bad location, bad business plan, too high a debt load, so so food, and incredibly stupid PR moves are more responsible than anything else. This time, let’s hope someone puts a spike in him, otherwise he’ll rise again in another city. He doesn’t seem to understand the internet. [updated again: confirmed by another party.]

Stu Stein is getting more and more publicity, but I doubt it is the type he is hoping for. This morning a reader alerted me that SFGate.com had picked up the plagiarism story (they are one of the victims).

My initial reaction to Stein’s liberal use of my words was to feel somewhat flattered, but in pursuing links people sent me, and after talking to the reporter, I discovered that I’m just the latest victim. So I guess I have my answer: It’s not flattery, it’s simply plagiarism. Journalists who plagiarize and lift from other sources are usually fired, but things get murkier when non-journalists are posting on blogs or websites. Readers, what do you think?

Ironically, a recent review of Terroir suggested that even Stein’s concept and cooking weren’t that original. I wonder if he’s ever been to Terzo? I’d love to ask him what “we” think of it.

Now I’ve noticed that Willamette Week has made Mr. Stein their Rogue of the Week.

Stein didn’t return messages seeking comment, and his representative at Randall Public Relations didn’t either. The kerfuffle is just the latest serving of plagiarism accusations against Stein. As a guest writer for the Ashland Daily Tidings , in 2005, Stein was caught copying portions of Tami Parr’s Pacific Northwest Cheese Project blog. That same year, a news editor removed his radio show, Sustainable Kitchen, from Jefferson Public Radio after listeners said Stein’s commentaries mirrored material in blogs and food reviews.

Stein later moved to Portland, opening Terroir in June .

“That’s doubly egregious,” Bauer said when told that history. “I can see why people are so mad.”

Finally, nationally known blogger Kevin Allman, famous for his caustic words when it comes to journalism, has weighed in.

We’ve also had inquires from National newspapers and magazines. The story has taken on a life of its own.

For those who missed the first part, you can read it here.

_________________________________________

A couple of things I forgot in my news roundup this week:

Rumor on the street: Apotheke is planning to reopen on 3808 N. Williams, in the same building Ristretto Roasters is going into. I’m not sure why they think it has a better chance of working in North Portland rather than the Pearl District, but it would be nice. This is going to be an interesting building, with the addition of a new restaurant called Lincoln, a joint venture between David Welch and Jenn Louis, owner of Culinary Artistry (you may know him as a waiter at various places around town, or from his work with Public Broadcasting).

_________________________________________

My favorite food TV show, Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie is back. The Tivo started picking it up a couple of weeks ago. In my opinion, if you are going to watch one food show, this should be it. You can see the new season schedule, plus stream complete episodes of last season here. For season two, they will cover Southern India: The Spice of Life, New Zealand: The Rugged Land, Bread: The Foundation of a Meal (this week), Hidden Hong Kong, and North Carolina: BBQ and Beyond. Each show has several recipes that will have you heading to the kitchen. The next one is this week, January 25th @ 12:30 on OPB.

__________________________________________

Y’all are going to think all I do is sit around and watch TV, but really, I have a life. The Travel Channel was running a promo banner on the site last week for Anthony Bourdain’s new season. This week it was on one of my favorite cities, Vancouver B.C. Worth watching for the three chefs he focused on, including Vikram Vij.

__________________________________________

Rumor Confirmed: Three Lions Bakery has moved out of NW 5th and Davis location. An upscale restaurant and bar are going in. The latest I’ve heard, is it will be run by the General Manager of Andina. I think it is going to be his restaurant.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cuisine Bonne Femme says

    Has Terroir closed shop? I just drove by the restaurant and even though their website states they are open on Weds., there are no lights on and the door is locked.

    No sign on the window saying why they are closed either.

    Anyone know what’s going on?

  2. Betsy Richter says

    They’re not closed! It’s just totally coincidental that the place is closed for the day on Wednesday – the day Willamette Week hits the streets.

    See, Chef Stu has the…uh…flu. That’s it! It’s the flu.

    Or else it’s this…um…weather. See, it’s too cold to expect people to come out to eat, so he’s conserving energy and resources by shuttering for a day when people won’t be out and about anyway.

    And let’s not forget that oh-so-convenient ‘death in the family’ option.

    Can’t wait to see how this gets spun on his blog…

  3. metroknow says

    I have prepared a statement that Stu can use, completely original – feel free to quote me.

    “Now we are engaged in a great civil culinary war, testing whether that nation restaurant, or any nation awesome restaurant, so conceived and so dedicated and sustainable and organic, can long endure. We are met on gather in a great battle-field dining room of that war. We have come to dedicate a [large, ample] portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives recipes that that nation place with small plates and civilized dining might continue this great institution of good design and focused intent. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this, because that’s what we’re all about.”

    Sidenote: I am available for further PR engagements. In fact, I do run a business where reasonably priced press releases can coexist.

  4. Dave J. says

    The absurd thing to me about Stu’s plagiarism is how sloppy it was. He just found phrases he liked from various websites, and pasted them in, almost verbatim. Anyone with an elementary grasp of Google could work backward from that to find his sources. So I don’t know what bothers me more — the plagiarism itself, or his apparent arrogance in assuming that nobody would be smart enough to figure it out.

  5. morris says

    Would it not be much worse and completely indefensible if one made tiny little changes to make it look like it wasn’t a straight cut and paste from somewhere? That would be an attempt to hide something. Could it be he simply surfs the web a lot and came across things and went yeah, that describes what I think I am doing here and genuinely didn’t think it falls into the palagiarism category – esp. given the documented history?

    Has the Washington Post called? :)

  6. Food Dude says

    Um, Nettie, I mean that metaphorically. I’m not suggesting anyone kill him.

    Also, remember this man got caught for the same thing a few years ago while working for a newspaper, and was run out of town. He doesn’t seem to learn.

    It’s called The Google!

  7. Nettie says

    This time, let’s hope someone puts a spike in him, otherwise he’ll rise again in another city.

    Dude, isn’t the death penalty for plagiarism a little harsh? Maybe having his restaurant fail and being exposed to the universal scorn of the internet is punishment enough.

  8. one swell foop says

    It seems as if Stu is well on his way to being ridden out of this town on a log. I get the feeling he’d have run away already if it weren’t for all the money he has sunk in that restaurant. Perhaps he hopes that one day we’ll all appreciate his genius.

  12. twschopp says

    “Perhaps he can head to the Island of misfit Portland restaurateurs up there in Seattle.”

    Funny, CBF, that’s exactly what I was thinking…

    I have to say, though, there’s something about all of this that just doesn’t add up to me. This guy has the wherewithall, presumably, to secure financing, negotiate a space, and open a restaurant, which is no small feat (I can barely clean my kitchen, and that’s on a good day), and a restaurant that occasionally garners a decent review at that. He clearly has at least some kind of ability and some kind of vision. How did it never occur to him that plagiarizing other people’s work, especially after being run out of Southern Oregon for just that, would get him into trouble? How? It just doesn’t make any sense…

  13. pdxyogi says

    Borderline personality disorder: well let’s see…he has impulse control and anger issues, mood instability, frantic effors to avoid real or imagined abandonment, paranoia…yup that handily fits the bill.

    But wait what about Narcissistic Personality Disorder: grandiose sense of self-importance, preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success & power, belief of being special/unique & can only be understood by & associate with other high-status people or groups, requires excessive admiration, sense of entitlement, is interpersonally exploitative, lacks empathy, shows arrogant haughty behavior…do we have a winner?

    The problem with Narcissistic is that it doesn’t encompass the recklessness so in evidence, yet other than that it is totally befitting. OK, NPD it is, albeit with some reservations!

  15. QuoVadis says

    BPD and NPD wouldn’t need to cover all his behaviors. They would only aggravate what are obviously pathalogical behaviors.

    He’s an intellectual property clepto.

  16. johnee says

    The schadenfreude here is more than a little disappointing. No, I never even met Mr. Stein, never ate there if you’re wondering. News to me: Queen of Sheba Bistro or something like that is about to open next to the lovely Toro Bravo, calling itself an “annex” to the restaurant on MLK with a bar open until 1 a.m.

  17. reflexblue says

    Wow, African Bistro – that’s interesting. I wonder if they’re taking a page out my new fave, Enjoni’s book.

    I think the NE Fremont/MLK corner would be great for an Eastside Kenny & Zuke’s or South Indian, like Chutney’s in the ‘Couve. The breakfast/lunch biz is there with all the doctors etc. nearby. I just don’t feel like the corner is welcoming at night.

    I noticed that the rest of the building is unoccupied, I’m sure that didn’t help things.

  18. pdxyogi says

    Johnee: In his blog he publicly criticised his employees for not properly explaining his food philosophy to customers. He blasted his own PR firm. He blamed the dining public and media for not “getting it”. Everyone’s fault but his. He has repeatedly and unrepentantly stolen creative property not just once but well-documented in the dozens, an act no different from embezzling funds or stealing goods. For him to get his comeuppance is justice, and restores my faith in the system. For you that’s schadenfreude, for me it’s the pigeons coming home to roost.

    QuoVadis: everything I described was being shown at a pathological level. Kleptomania would be covered under “impulse control issues”. Personality disorders are life-long, persistant, and really hard to treat.

    I doubt K & Z will expand to that location, or at all in the near future. Getting one place off the ground, no matter how successful, is quite an undertaking.

  20. themick says

    Stu Stein on moving to Seattle….I can see the quote now……..

    “Portland wasn’t ready for me,” says Stein. “People in Seattle love what we do. They don’t mind paying for quality.”