Chef Tyler Florence distances from poultry farm and animal-rights heat

Celebrity chef and noted San Francisco restaurateur Tyler Florence has distanced himself from Petaluma Poultry, according to the animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere that has accused the Perdue Farms subsidiary of abusing and neglecting birds.

Florence had appeared on Petaluma Poultry’s website, which provided recipes labeled as courtesy of him, but his image and name were absent on pages visited Wednesday.

Berkeley-based Direct Action Everywhere, which claimed since May to have disrupted a series of Florence’s book signings and other events, provided a copy of an Aug. 9 email it said it received from Florence’s company stating “that Chef Tyler Florence and his restaurants no longer serve Rocky & Rosie or Petaluma Poultry” products.

“This action reflects Tyler’s ongoing commitment to exploring partnerships that align with his values and the betterment of the culinary community at large,” the message stated.

"Rocky & Rosie/Petaluma Poultry/Perdue have removed all content of Tyler Florence from their website, marking the conclusion of their professional relationship," it said.

A subsequent email, also apparently from Florence’s company, said that Petaluma Poultry confirmed that “all reference to Tyler has been pulled from their website.”

Florence is known in San Francisco for launching Miller & Lux, a steakhouse in the Chase Center complex where the Warriors basketball team plays, the Wayfare Tavern and two restaurants in Union Square , a patisserie and a rotisserie.

“Rosie the Original Organic Chicken” and “Rocky the Free Range Chicken” are Petaluma Poultry product lines, which the company’s website advertises as “locally raised, fresh organic and free range chicken with ranches in and around Sonoma County.” The company also lists a feed mill and packing operations in Petaluma.

Asked for comment, Andrea Staub of Perdue said via email that her company had no current contract with Florence.

“Several years ago, we contracted with Tyler Florence for recipe creation for our website,” Staub’s note said. “The arrangement ended after the completion of that project.”

Staub called Direct Action Everywhere a “divisive and extremist group” bent on “ending all animal farming in the U.S.,” and which has “resorted to theft and other crimes in an attempt to strong-arm partners as well as Sonoma County to meet these radical objectives.”

Petaluma Poultry is “committed to ensuring animals raised at our farms are treated with dignity and respect” Staub said.

Direct Action Everywhere, which claims it has documented animal mistreatment by Petaluma Poultry, took credit for leading a pressure campaign targeting Florence.

The group said activists disrupted Florence’s American Grill Book tour at seven stops in San Francisco, Corte Madera, Palo Alto, New York City, Atlanta, Ridgewood, N.J. and Greenville, S.C.

In June, activists with the group also disrupted a Florence appearance at the Cookbook Fest Napa Valley and protested outside Florence’s home during a private, paid event, the group said.

In addition, it said that in July activists protested inside Miller & Lux, the steakhouse.

Group member Zoe Rosenberg, a UC Berkeley student who is facing criminal charges after taking some live birds at a Petaluma Poultry facility last year, said Florence’s change of position was a big break after many efforts to get action from grocery chains and Sonoma County officials, and she hopes others will follow the chef.

“I think it’s really big news,” Rosenberg said. “We haven’t had much success until now.”