Who is Bon Appétit chef Brad Leone?

BON Appétit chef Brad Leone is receiving backlash after posting a cooking video that critics say could make people ill.

The self-proclaimed chef has posted videos in the past that his followers said made them sick, but his response has left those on Instagram baffled.

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Who is Brad Leone?

Brad Leone started making his cooking videos on Bon Appétit’s YouTube channel using unorthodox experiments that other food influencers have said can have disastrous effects.

The majority of Leone’s videos attempt to teach his followers how to cure meat and one follower who had tried his recipe for cooking brisket claims to have become ill.

“I made the brisket recipe just as you described and now I have absolutely atrocious diarrhea — I mean mind boggling diarrhea,” she wrote on Leone’s Instagram. “Did this happen to you after you ate it thanks.”

Leone quickly defended his brisket recipe saying, “I’ve never gotten sick from any of my ferments or cooking experiments.”

“Not sure where you live but there’s a crazy stomach virus going around by me,” he said, adding, “Sorry to hear about your intense diarrhea. Stay hydrated.”

Why was Brad Leone’s cooking video dangerous?

Leone’s most recent video was posted on April 4, 2022, showing viewers a new way to make pastrami.

The improvised recipe used celery and sauerkraut juice instead of the traditional pink curing salt.

Viewers were quick to respond, calling the recipe dangerous and claiming Leone’s recipes would cause botulism because the meat wasn’t cured correctly.

Leone’s recipes have previously garnered criticism for canning seafood but it was taken down after critics said that it would potentially poison cooks.

Culinary scientist Ali Bouzari said the combination would likely cause drastic illness in those who follow the recipe, saying it could make them prone to different nitrate depending on how the product was grown.

“Just like every peach varies in sugar content or every lemon in acid, every stalk of celery is prone to different nitrate load depending on how it was grown,” told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Bouzari’s assessment would mean that as bacteria grows, it could cause food-borne illnesses like botulism.

Joe Rosenthal, a food influencer, posted on Leone’s Instagram accusing him of botulism by breaking down the method by which he makes pastrami.

By pushing the meat with a fork, Rosenthal says Leone is pushing the bacteria to the inside of the meat, doesn’t fully submerge the meat in brine, and doesn’t use an “actual cure for the meat.”

However, in a statement to the New York Post, Condé Nast, the parent company of Bon Appétit said, “Our safety practices are of utmost importance at Bon Appétit and we have many processes in place to ensure all content is accurate, fact-checked, and safe for viewers.”

The statement continued, “Our culinary production team extensively reviews all of our video content to confirm they adhere to safety protocols. In addition, we have a fermentation expert who oversees our recipes for this series, including this video.”

Leone did not respond to Central Recorder’s request for comment in time for this article.

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What is botulism?

Botulism is a rare illness that is caused by either bacteria that grows in a wound, bacteria that grows in an infant’s intestinal tract, typically between two and eight months old, or food-borne illnesses such as uncooked meats or improperly stored foods.

An individual typically shows symptoms between 12 and 36 hours after consuming the bacteria-tainted food which can result in:

• Difficulty swallowing or speaking
• Dry mouth
• Facial weakness on both sides of the face
• Blurred or double vision
• Drooping eyelids
• Trouble breathing
• Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps
• Paralysis

The symptoms can be long-lasting as it affects muscle control throughout the individual’s body with the first symptom being shortness of breath which is typically the cause of death.

If a person experiences any or all of these side effects, Mayo Clinic says you must seek medical care immediately.