A change.org petition is calling upon Columbus City Hall and Mayor Andrew Ginther to rename the city of Columbus, Ohio "Flavortown" in honor of native son and "cheflebrity" Guy Fieri.
The Diner, Drive-Ins and Dives star, restaurateur and receiver of probably the most infamously scathing dining review of all time for his Guy's American Kitchen & Bar in Times Square is renowned for his spiky bleached hair, wearing sunglasses on the back of his head and being the "Mayor of Flavortown" — his catchphrase used to describe food that tastes good.
The petition — started by a 32-year-old former Columbus resident, according to CNN — hopes to make Flavortown a real place, not just a figment of Fieri's culinary imagination.
Columbus is an amazing city, but one whose name is tarnished by the very name itself. Its namesake, Christopher Columbus, is in The Bad Place because of all his raping, slave trading, and genocide. That's not exactly a proud legacy.
Why not rename the city Flavortown? The new name is twofold. For one, it honors Central Ohio's proud heritage as a culinary crossroads and one of the nation's largest test markets for the food industry. Secondly, cheflebrity Guy Fieri was born in Columbus, so naming the city in honor of him (he's such a good dude, really) would be superior to its current nomenclature.
Mayor Ginther has already removed the statue of Christoper Columbus from outside of City Hall and placed it in storage.
“For many people in our community, the statue represents patriarchy, oppression and divisiveness. That does not represent our great city, and we will no longer live in the shadow of our ugly past,” said Ginther in a statement. “Now is the right time to replace this statue with artwork that demonstrates our enduring fight to end racism and celebrate the themes of diversity and inclusion.”
There is no word on whether or not a new statue will pay homage to Fieri, who was born in Columbus but grew up in California (according to his Wikipedia page).
The petition has obviously gone viral, with Bud Light promising seltzers for the entire city.
Fieri hasn't posted a reply yet.
Bud Light Seltzer for all of Flavortown if this happens https://t.co/hUMViimR3n
— Bud Light (@budlight) June 18, 2020