Famous Food

Fights have erupted all over the place with the reintroduction of the Popeyes chicken sandwich, and one altercation left a 28-year-old man dead.

The man waiting in line at Popeyes in Prince George's County, Maryland Monday night was involved in an altercation when either someone cut in front of him or he cut in front of someone else. They started fighting and it ended outside the chicken joint with the 28-year-old getting stabbed. He died at the hospital.

The video (above) is of another fight ... this one in Edgewood, Maryland. You see people going nuts in the video ... all over the sandwich which has become the biggest thing since the cronut.

And, there have been other fights around the country where people seemed to be competing rather than just standing in line for a chicken sandwich. The video (above) is in Ellenton, Florida, where some guys in the drive-thru got into a wild fistfight.

McDonald's just sent its CEO packing without so much as a Happy Meal after learning he'd been banging a fellow employee -- a big no-no in the trusty Golden Arches' handbook.

The fast-food chain made the announcement Sunday, saying Steve Easterbrook -- who'd been in charge since 2015 -- had "separated" from the company after a consensual relationship between him and a subordinate came to light. Sounds like he was fired for it.

In a blog post naming Chris Kempczinski as the new chief, they made note that Easterbrook screwed up. Mickey D's says ... "Kempczinski succeeds Steve Easterbrook, who has separated from the Company following the Board's determination that he violated company policy and demonstrated poor judgment involving a recent consensual relationship with an employee."

It's unclear who exactly the employee was, or how the company even heard about this -- but either way ... Easterbrook's out. He also reportedly resigned from the Board itself, and even wrote an email to lower-level employees further explaining his departure.

Easterbrook reportedly wrote, "This (relationship) was a mistake. Given the values of the company, I agree with the board that it is time for me to move on. Beyond this, I hope you can respect my desire to maintain my privacy." BTW, the guy's single ... divorced, it seems.

Considering they're pushing this as a consensual thing, you gotta wonder what the big deal is for McDonald's brass. Ya can't have your apple pie there and eat it too, apparently.

Kanye West and his Sunday Service team were wrongly accused of charging $55 for a lousy brunch plate ... and now the catering company behind it is taking responsibility.

Kanye and crew performed in Baton Rouge Friday night at a "Brunchella" fundraising event held in front of Bethany Church. Guests were charged $55 per plate ... and one documented their meal on social media -- showing pancakes, sausage and a couple slices of bacon -- the post quickly spread, with many comparing it to the meal served at Fyre Festival.

Kanye and team came under fire ... with people accusing him of being the one who was charging for the subpar meal. However, we're told it was quite the opposite ... in fact, Kanye didn't receive any money to perform Friday and covered all travel costs for his choir as well.

The catering company behind the meal, Lauryn's Fine Catering, tells us, "The catering company acknowledges it did not provide adequate food for ONE attendee and a social media post went viral."

They continue, "Kanye West and the Sunday Service collective should be disassociated with such claims surrounding the food at the event."

West has taken his Sunday Service on the road in the last few weeks ... making stops in Detroit, Chicago, New York City and Jamaica. Prior to the Baton Rouge show, Kanye performed his new "Jesus is King" album for thousands at The Forum in Los Angeles.

Cardi B looked ecstatic as she roamed the grounds of Disneyland with baby Kulture.

The duo hit up a bunch of rides Saturday night under the watchful eye of bodyguards. They took in Fantasyland, took selfies on Dumbo and then went for a carousel ride. They also made it over to Pirates of the Caribbean.

There were delectables as well ... cotton candy in particular.

The duo also took in the fireworks and had such a good time they stayed afterward, as most people left the park.

KSI is eating like the Notorious leading up to his rematch with Logan Paul ... hiring Conor McGregor's personal chef to cook his meals leading up to the fight!!

The 26-year-old British internet superstar gave an inside look into his insane training program for the Nov. 9 bout ... revealing he hired combat sports superchef Eric Triliegi to help him get in fighting shape.

"When it comes to cooking, we needed to upgrade the nutrition," KSI said on DAZN's "40 Days: Behind-The-Scenes With KSI" docuseries.

"We needed something more performance-based and that's why we decided to get Eric in."

As we previously reported, KSI says he's spent $300k of his own money on boxing training and other fight preparation expenses ... dude's taking this extremely seriously.

Chef Eric -- who's worked with pro fighters like McGregor, Anthony Pettis and Miesha Tate -- gave a breakdown on the diet he's cookin' up for KSI ... and it doesn't hurt that the food looks BOMB.

"Our main goal is to give fighters food that enhances performance. If we're not doing that, then why are we even here feeding them?"

Logan also kept the cameras rolling for his 'Countdown to Fight Night' docuseries with DAZN ... which shows the intense training he's been putting into the rematch. There's a cool moment where he puts on the 10 oz. gloves for the first time.

"This shouldn't be allowed. I swear to God, this shouldn't be allowed," Logan said ... saying the 2 oz. glove difference from the 12 oz. gloves they rocked in the first fight will give him a huge advantage.

Logan also had Elvis Grant Phillips -- founder of Grant Boxing Worldwide -- over to his mansion to try on a sick pair of silk-lined gloves, which Elvis says is a first of its kind.

"I feel like I am holding a gun in my hand."

LeBron James' Taco Tuesday tradition is making a big impact this week ... the Lakers superstar sent food trucks to the firefighters and first responders working to put an end to the California wildfires.

LBJ -- who was forced to evacuate his Brentwood mansion when fires got dangerously close to his home -- sent his thanks to the people battling the blazes with delicious tacos.

L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti thanked Bron for the gesture ... saying "Thank you, @KingJames, for generously sending a taco truck to support our @LAFD firefighters, first responders, and partner agencies working to fight the #GettyFire."

The King ain't the only celeb chipping in to help ... John Cena has also pledged $500k of his own money towards fighting the California fires.

Of course, Bron is known for being crazy excited to celebrate his weekly ritual ... but this one has to be extra special.

LeBron also spoke about it at Lakers practice, saying "My appreciation and loyalty to the first responders. Those men and women are unbelievable, with what they're doing and their bravery throughout this time."

If Zion Williamson wants to cut out injuries and cut weight ... he NEEDS to cut meat out of his diet ASAP, so says John Salley who says VEGANISM can save Zion's career.

Look, a lot of people think 284 pound Zion is just too heavy to have a long NBA career. He's already missing the first 6 to 8 weeks of the NBA season after undergoing knee surgery.

Enter Salley ... who says Zion can turn the ship around if he turns his diet around.

"My message to Zion? Go vegan, bro. Drink a bunch of water and find out the best way to heal your body, meaning ... not just ultrasounds, not just a hot tub, don't take pills."

The 4-time NBA champ says Zion was destined to become teammates with Jahlil Okafor, who recently made the switch to "mostly" veganism and lost 20 pounds ... and Salley wants Williamson to listen to the vet.

G-Eazy's giving getting saucy a whole new meaning ... after treating 100 fans to a chow down at his favorite chicken joint.

The "Me, Myself & I" rapper corralled 100 of his most fervent fans Friday night in Chicago for a spicy spread at Nando's PERi-PERi Chicken (think Chipotle but with an explosive taste featuring chicken).

G-Eazy kicked off the weekend by asking his more than 8.3 million Instagram followers who wanted to grab dinner. The first 100 to RSVP to the number he posted got directions to Nando's in Chi-Town for a free meal.

The rapper more than delivered ... treating fans to an insane spread of 25 chicken platters (that's about 100 quarter chickens if you're counting), 300 wings, plus tons of sides that included mashed potatoes, fries, spicy rice, macho peas and garlic bread.

The night ended with "Naughty Natas" ... traditional Portuguese tarts served warm with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. G-Eazy picked up the tab ... to the tune of well over $1,000!!!

But, that's not all ... fans also got to mingle with G-Eazy, and also each fan left with a limited edition G-Eazy Nando's sauce bottle. Dude's clearly obsessed with Nando's, an original South African joint that spread like fire in the UK before making its way to the U.S. with 42 locations in D.C., Illinois, Maryland and Virginia.

No, seriously. G-Eazy loves it so much it's practically all he eats when he's in the UK. The obsession's legit ... G-Eazy dropped the joint's name when he made his debut on Charlie Sloth's "Fire in the Booth" segment for BBC Radio.

G-Eazy rapped, "Yeah, PERi-PERi on the Nando's, couple deals on the table, watch me land those." One of Nando's slogans ... "I bring a lot to the table."

Jonathan Cheban -- Kim Kardashian's longtime friend and frequent guest on "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" -- just turned his Instagram handle into his legal name. Chow down!!!!

JC filed legal docs in Florida -- his primary residence, it seems -- asking a judge to sign off on the name change from Jonathan Cheban to .................... wait for it ...

...

...

.... just a little bit more

........... FOODGOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's actually just Foodgod, but you get the idea. And yes, there's no capital G in the name, and the words aren't split up either as some media outlets have stylized it in the past. Sorry about that, holy folks and grammar nerds. Unfortunately for you, the Foodgod has spoken.

TMZ got a hold of the official judgment that was entered last week. It ain't all that fancy -- a name change isn't complicated. But, for Jonathan Foodgod, it carries significant weight.

If you don't know, FG's been all about the eats for a while now -- being a bonafide foodie is kinda his thing, and he proudly showcases it all over his social media pages. Literally, it seems like just about every post is related to good grub ... he even sleeps with food.

And, of course, Jon's been rockin' the @foodgod handle for a minute too. But, if you check out his IG today ... you'll see he's got the registered trademark symbol next to it.

Hooters needs to spread its wings and take care of visually impaired folks looking to purchase gift cards ... so says a legally blind man suing the popular restaurant chain.

Marcos Calcano is suing Hooters on behalf of himself and others with vision disabilities because its gift cards do not contain Braille, and he says he's clamoring to buy one ... according to a new suit.

Calcano says adding Braille to the cards is an easy fix that would make it much simpler for people like him to access the $400 billion gift card market ... and it "would restore the dignity to blind persons."

According to the legal docs ... Hooters informed him it does not sell gift cards containing Braille, and he believes the chain has no intention of doing so.

Hooters isn't alone, either -- Calcano claims to his knowledge, the only store that sells Braille gift cards is Starbucks ... even major retail chains like Walgreens, CVS and Target don't offer them.

At the same time he sued Hooters, he also filed against Domino's pizza.

He says he "intends to immediately purchase at least one store gift card" from Hooters as soon as the Braille is added.

Sounds like the guy's got a hankering for a 10-piece pronto ... or he's Christmas shopping early.

Calcano filed the class action suit seeking unspecified damages and wants the court to order Hooters to Braille up.

Vinny Guadagnino's book signing for his new Keto cookbook got stormed by carb-loving protesters ... led by his good buddy, Pauly D.

The 'Jersey Shore' star's devotion to the keto diet -- which cuts carbs in favor of quality high-fat foods -- has helped him shed some serious weight and look great ... and got him dubbed the "Keto Guido" on the first season of "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation."

Vinny also put out a cookbook as a guide for fellow Keto lovers, and held a signing in Vegas Wednesday night ... which was the perfect opportunity for Pauly to strike.

Pauly and the others marched outside the bookstore holding signs with photos of Vinny eating pizza and other carb-loaded dishes ... accusing him of cheating on the diet. The signs read, "Cheato Guido," "My Carbs My Choice," and "Ain't Nothin Keto About This Guido."

The protest then made its way inside the store and Pauly kept the chants going right in Vinny's face ... all in good fun, of course.

Cameras were on hand too ... so it's safe to assume Pauly's antics will be covered on the show.

Kevin Hart's slowly but surely getting back on his grind, and that includes carving out time to hang with good friends like Jay-Z.

Kev and Jay were out Monday night in Bev Hills with an impressive crew at Avra. The mogul and the movie star kicked it with Murder Inc. honcho Irv Gotti and LeBron James' right-hand man, Maverick Carter.

They all hung out for about 3 hours inside the joint ... where they played poker, broke bread and exchanged hugs on the way out. We're guessing everyone was congratulating Kevin -- who seemed to be moving around well -- on his amazing recovery from last month's scary crash.

As we've reported, Kev continues to get intensive outpatient therapy, and based on this video ... it is definitely working.

Jennifer Lawrence is hours away from saying "I do" on the Eastern Seaboard -- but until then, the meat and potatoes of her wedding venue are still being worked out ... literally.

Preparations for J.Law's nuptials were underway early Saturday morning at the historic Belcourt of Newport estate-turned-museum in Rhode Island -- where the actress will be tying the knot with hubby-to-be Cooke Maroney later today in front of 150 guests.

Caterers for the event were hard at work getting ready for the ceremony -- unloading supplies and wheeling them through the massive doors of the property. But, more importantly ... it appears the actual food that'll be served up was being worked on as well.

From the looks of it ... these guys brought over a slaughterhouse's worth of meat, and it seems they were getting ready to fire it all up in a wood-burning barbecue.

Assuming, J.Law and Cooke didn't make any last-minute changes to their extravagant menu, this would probably be the 5-week-aged leg of beef with forager's sauce -- just one of the two meat options folks can choose from for the main course of their meal.

Based on the size of this one slab here, we're guessing no one will go hungry. Save your appetite, dinner's almost ready!!!

Jennifer Lawrence is about to walk down the aisle this weekend -- but the big scoop here is what she and her guests will feast on ... a smorgasbord of fancy eats and drinks.

We got some deets on JLaw's wedding -- which is going down Saturday at a swanky venue in Rhode Island, 8 months after she got engaged. We gotta say, for a relatively short engagement ... they've put together a pretty elaborate affair.

Clearly, Jen and hubby-to-be Cooke Maroney pulled out all the stops ... hiring celeb wedding planner Mark Seed to do the party for about 150 people.

Let's start with the grub, shall we? According to the menu, folks are gonna have their pick from a variety of hors d'oeuvres ...

-- sweet potato flat cakes
-- brussels sprouts with cured egg yolk
-- smoked pork belly with pickled apple
-- salt cod beignet

Moving on to the main course options -- here's what Jen and Cooke, or their hired help, will be serving up ...

-- either wood-roasted fish with herbs and lemon-infused butter OR ...
-- 5-week-aged leg of beef with forager's sauce.

There are veggies too -- heirloom roasted carrots, smoked new potatoes, whey braised cabbage ... blah, blah, blah. Let's get to the good good.

Dessert's coming in hot!

-- fire-baked sourdough bread pudding with chocolate
-- salted caramel and fresh apple
-- cauldron fritters with bourbon cream and cinnamon sugar
-- house-made marshmallow s'mores.

They have S'MORES, y'all.

As for drinks, specialty cocktails appear to boil down to either a bourbon old-fashioned or gin cucumber lavender champagnes ... served at a cash bar. JK!!!

Like we said, it's gonna be extravagant. Dare we say ... decadent???

Food Network star and celebrity chef Carl Ruiz died from a hardening of his arteries ... TMZ has learned.

A spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Health tells TMZ ... Ruiz died after succumbing to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease -- typically a buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in arteries which restricts blood flow.

The finding confirms the suspicions of Carl's family ... that he died of a heart attack.

Panera Bread got burned by one of its own, according to a former employee who says she got canned for posting a Tik Tok of the restaurant's mac and cheese ... in all its frozen glory.

The video was posted last week and showed someone place a plastic pouch of frozen (😢) mac and cheese in boiling water, remove it and then pour it into a bowl to be served.

Some Panera customers teed off on the clip ... leaving pissed off comments about the chain not dishing freshly cooked fare. Others were more realistic and chalked it up to being standard ops for a fast-food chain.