Chef sues dude ranch owner who allegedly asked for ‘black people food’

In a lawsuit accusing his former employer of racial discrimination, Chef Armand Appling claims that his boss asked him to make “black people food.”

Appling filed suit against Madeleine Pickens, claiming that he was fired in 2014 after complaining about the hostile work environment as well as several discriminatory instances.

Pickens allegedly told Appling that her guests at the Mustang Monument Wild Horse Eco-Resort did not want to eat “white people food,” instead asking Appling to prepare fried chicken, barbecue ribs and corn bread, according to The Associated Press.

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Appling also claimed that Pickens used descriptors like “ox” and “bill” to describe a black kitchen worker and complained that another had “too much personality.”

“We absolutely deny Mr. Appling’s allegations,” Dora Lane, Pickens’ attorney, told The Huffington Post on Monday, adding that even if the allegations were true, it would “reflect a non-racial personality conflict and amount to discourtesy, rudeness or lack of sensitivity.”

Although U.S. District Judge Miranda Wu granted a motion to dismiss the lawsuit last week, saying that Appling had failed to prove that racial hostility was a factor in his firing. However, the judge also allowed Appling to re-file an amended complaint.