COLUMBUS, Ohio ― A push to rename Columbus in honor of a popular chef is going viral.
What You Need To Know
- More than 20,000 people signed a petition to rename Coumbus "Flavortown"
- It's in honor of celebrity chef Guy Fieri, who is a Columbus native and uses "Falvortown" as his catch-phrase
- Bud Light offered free drinks if it actually happens
A petition on change.org to change the city's name to "Flavortown" has received more than 20,000 signatures.
"Flavortown" is the catch-phrase of Columbus naitve and celebrity chef Guy Fieri.
The petition has caught the eye of national networks—and even Bud Light offered free drinks if it actually happens.
It comes as Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther ordered on Thursday that the Christopher Columbus statue in front of City Hall be removed and placed in storage.
While it's unlikely to ever become reality, Tyler Woodbridge, the central Ohio native who started the petition, says he still hopes it could be the impetus for change.
"I think coming in swinging with something like 'Flavortown' and just busting the gates of discourse wide open, that's going to serve as a trojan horse for perhaps some more understandable and more down-to-earth names that better give tribute to indigenous communities such as Tecumseh, Hopewell or Shawnee," said Woodbridge.
Woodbridge calls Fieri "very charitable," noting that he has helped raise more than $20 million for restaurant workers during the pandemic and officiated over 100 LGBTQ weddings.
"That kind of optimism and charitable work embodies more of what Columbus, Ohio is about rather than the tarnished legacy of Christopher Columbus," said Woodbridge.
Woodbridge says the name "Flavortown" doesn't only honor Guy Fieri, but also celebrates the different cultures that call Columbus home.