Chef Marilyn’s restaurant is serving its customers again after a public dispute over legal ownership of the restaurant and brand.
Chef Marilyn, whose real name is Marilyn Ann Cole, reopened the restaurant last month after temporarily closing its doors on April 20.
Cole told The LA Local last week that she appreciated the community’s support and plans to continue strengthening her brand.
“I never wanted to fight these young ladies,” she said, during a rally, referring to the two attorneys in the dispute. “I love cooking and making people happy, but it’s gotten way out of hand and too far for us to salvage.”
Cole opened her namesake restaurant on Crenshaw Boulevard 38 years ago. When the restaurant fell on hard times, Cole said she struck a deal with attorneys Channing B. Smith and Cierra Carter in February to keep it afloat. Cole told The LA Local she didn’t fully understand the deal.
“It was my understanding that we were going to be partners in this business,” Cole told The LA Local in front of the restaurant during an April rally held by the Africa Town Coalition, a community activist group.
At the center of the conflict is the question of ownership and legal agreements. Cole frames the situation as exploitation, elder abuse and loss of legacy. On the other hand, the attorneys argue it was a legitimate business intervention during a financial crisis.
Smith and Carter denied any wrongdoing, and explained in an Instagram post that they took steps to make the restaurant financially sound again when they entered into an agreement with Cole.
Cole regained physical possession of the restaurant in May but the attorneys’ publicist told The LA Local that although Cole had regained possession, their legal issues remained unresolved.
The LA Local reached out to Carter’s publicist for comment about the restaurant reopening but did not receive a response.
What led to the business partnership breakup
Cole told The LA Local she stopped cooking at the restaurant on April 9 after a spat with Smith about money, and that Smith and Carter closed the restaurant on April 20.
On April 20, activist Najee Ali posted a video of Cole explaining that she believed she had been taken advantage of by the attorneys. In the video, she urged customers not to return to the restaurant unless she’s there.
“You can call me naive, you can call me whatever you want, but I was just hoping and praying that these two women were going to be the perfect business partnership,” Cole told The LA Local in April.
Smith and Carter also announced in an April 20 Instagram post on the Chef Marilyn’s restaurant page, which has since been deleted, that there is now new ownership of the restaurant.
“We asked Chef Marilyn if she wanted to be a member of this new business structure and she said no. She told us she only wanted to be a chef,” Smith said in the April 21 Instagram video.
Smith and Channing said they held a private meeting with Cole on April 23 and days later, Smith and Channing made another post to announce they’d decided to close the business and pay any remaining balance owed to Cole.
“Marilyn left the meeting saying she wanted to sleep on the business discussions but said she would prioritize bringing down the tension. Instead of returning to discussion, we got yet another misleading, one-sided video filled with untruths designed to harm our reputations in our careers and our community,” the post read.
The rally and fundraiser held for Cole highlighted the deep support she continues to receive from some in the community.
Smith and Carter made their last Instagram post on May 18 and Carter’s publicist did not respond to our request for comment.
