Late Saturday night, Ramirez took to Twitter and Instagram, where he posts under the moniker @gourmandj, with a close-up of several red smudges on a piece of fabric, accompanied by this note:
"The worst thing about restaurants is that you depend on people... to decide to go to them, to want to pay what you charge for food, to not complain, and on top of it all to not have them stain your brand new cushions with the blood coming out of their vaginas."If Ramirez, a former hedge-fund manager who owns Palmar and the newly opened La Natural and has partnered with Miami luminaries Brad Kilgore and Antonio Bachour in those chefs' endeavors, was looking for sympathy, he quickly learned he'd taken the wrong tack. Many commenters condemned him for period-shaming, while others questioned his assumption that the stain was menstrual blood.
Within 24 hours, Ramirez had deleted the original posts and in their place issued an apology, writing, "I have no excuses. It was wrong. There is no level of stress that warrants this kind of comment. And for that, I sincerly [sic] apologize."
But commenters let it be known that it's a lot easier to remove a stain on a seat cushion than to erase an offensive social-media post.Last night I posted a Tweet that I deeply regret, simply because my comment was toughtless and uncalled for. I have no excuses. It was wrong. There is no level of stress that warrants this kind of comment. And for that, I sincerly apologize. Javier.
— Javier Ramirez (@Gourmandj) December 21, 2020
"I’m sure that person was mortified enough without you posting a photo of that to Twitter for the world to see. Every single person that has had a period has dreaded that scenario for their entire lives," wrote one.
"It’s a shame. Was looking forward to checking you guys out. You just opened, and already ruined your reputation for being an unnecessary douchebag," opined another.
Ramirez faced similar ignominy on Instagram.
The Venezuelan-born finance professional was a hedge fund risk manager for two decades before entering the hospitality industry. He was an opening partner at Alter, the Wynwood restaurant where Brad Kilgore established an international reputation. In 2015, he helped open Bachour Bakery + Bistro in Brickell and backed the opening of Cake Thai Kitchen in Wynwood. (Ramirez is no longer affiliated with Alter or Bachour. Cake Thai Kitchen has since closed.) Ramirez also won a Miami New Times award in 2015 for Best Food Instagram.
New Times tried to contact Ramirez for comment and will update this story with any further information.
