-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Feast Fest chef Lakeland Donavert (don-uh-VAIR) defiantly defended former fellow FF fixture Stephen Dreim Sunday, calling Dreim "a master" whose "love for Feast Fest and wishes for it to reach the highest of heights would have absolutely excluded him from partaking in any nefarious activities that would damage the event's reputation," referring to Dreim's implication in a bribery scandal earlier this week. Dreim's name has been cleared in that scandal, but he resigned earlier this week mere hours before he was pronounced innocent, angered at the intense interrogations and harsh treatment he received during an independent investigation. Feast Fest has tried desperately to re-sign a stubborn Dreim, but some aren't so sure if that's the best move. Chefs have condemned the 33-year-old Americana master, calling him haughty, conceited, and self-centered, while others, such as Donavert, have virulently defended him.
"Feast Fest wishes to do what is best for the chef body as a whole," FF Executive Beryl Shady said early Sunday. "We wish to conform to the wishes of the chef body. If those wishes are saying, 'Hey, we didn't get along with Dreim, so if he doesn't want to come back don't try to get him back,' we'll listen." But, Shady said, "We're waiting for more chefs to voice an opinion before we make a decision based on those dialogues."
Only 23 chefs have voiced a Dreim opinion so far; of those 23, 11 viewed him negatively, 11 viewed him positively, and 1 was neutral.
Dreim is a polarizing factor among FF chefs. Said one of the few neutral chefs, Jack Mark, "You love him or you hate him, that's why he's Steve Dreim."
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