TORONTO (RNN) - A Canadian chef hounded by animal rights protesters for months, delivered a counter protest of his own.
On March 23, Michael Hunter butchered a deer leg from his restaurant window as the a few dozen protesters looked on outside.
Hunter told The Globe and Mail he hadn’t engaged the protesters for months outside his restaurant, Antler Kitchen & Bar, but that changed after he’d had enough.
Protesters yelled, “you’re a murderer” and “you’ve got blood on your hands.”
“I figured, I’ll show them. I’m going to have my own protest,” Hunter told the paper.
Armed with a cutting board, a knife and the hindquarter of a deer, Hunter began his display as the protesters yelled from outside the restaurant.
The restaurant serves an assortment of animals and is decorated with photos of Hunter and his business partner on foraging expeditions.
It all began last December when an employee wrote, “Venison is the new kale,” on a sign.
“There was no offence meant,” Mr. Hunter said. “I’m not trying to promote a meat diet. I have a lot of respect for the vegan diet because I know how hard it is.”
The sign caught the attention of Marni Ugar who runs a dog walking business. Ugar's initial protest was peaceful and in time grew larger.
The restaurant in return tried to promote its vegan sides but that was not enough and after a while Hunter realized he had to respond.
Following his March display, Hunter said he received an email from Ugar who offered to reduce the frequency of protests in exchange for an animal rights sign to be displayed in the restaurant window.
The chef said he now regrets his actions and is working with Ugar on a resolution which includes bolstering the restaurant’s vegan tasting menu and offering to take her and the group on a foraging trip.
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