How top Arizona chefs react to Roe v. Wade abortion decision: 'Be an adult. Vote'
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Several Arizona chefs took to Instagram on Friday in the wake of the Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court that overturned the constitutional right to abortion.
In a 6-3 ruling, the court reversed almost 50 years of federal abortion protections, changing the framework of laws across the United States, leaving states to set their own course on abortion laws.
Some metro Phoenix chefs and food entrepreneurs shared memes and news items.
James Beard Award winner Charleen Badman of Scottsdale's FnB shared a letter from Michelle Obama that expresses her heartbreak for "the people around this country who just lost the fundamental right to make informed decisions about their own bodies."
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Chefs issue calls to action
Some Valley chefs took it a step further and wrote their own messages. Angelica Urrego, a farmers market entrepreneur who was raised in Colombia and is best known as Arepa Babe, posted a plea in her stories for more people to register to vote.
"Who's with me? My body, my choice," Urrego's story reads. "Elections are coming up! When you become an American citizen it's not only 'the blue passport' ... Right now it's our responsibility to do the right thing. Be an adult. Vote."
Known for its outspoken online persona, Phoenix food truck Saint Pasta, run by chef Racan Alhoch, posted an expletive-packed Instagram story and a pledge to collect donations for abortion-rights charities.
"Please share your favorite pro choice charities with us so we can choose one to collect donations for. And don't forget to insult your government officials every chance you get because they're all mostly worthless to us," the story said.
Alhoch, who is Syrian American, also posted on his personal Instagram stories: "Got harassed my whole life about Sharia law, but it's white Christians forcing their values on the whole country in the end."
Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza of the iconic 16th Street restaurant Barrio Cafe shared several memes, including one of former President Barack Obama with the quote: "The consequences of this decision would be a blow not just to women, but to all of us who believe that in a free society, there are limits to how much the government can encroach on our personal lives."
She also shared a call to action, inviting her followers to join a protest.
Some Phoenix chefs will be joining demonstrations
As of Friday morning, demonstrators had gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., both supporting and protesting the court’s decision. In downtown Phoenix, Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers put up a fence near the state Capitol "for public safety reasons should there be events there this weekend," according to Bart Graves, a public information officer with the department.
In Esparza's most recent post, she shared plans to join the #MyDecisionAlone demonstration scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at the Capitol, with the caption: "See ya tonight."
The protest is being organized by Women's March Phoenix and is one of several planned in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff.
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Reach reporter Andi Berlin at amberlin@azcentral.com. Follow her on Facebook @andiberlin, Instagram @andiberlin or Twitter @andiberlin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Roe v. Wade abortion decision: Phoenix restaurants, chefs react
