UPDATE 2/18/2022
Since our last report, more claims of fraud as well as public displays of bullying and harrassment have been alleged against Cooks. As of this posting, it appears the AirBnB “cook’s” Twitter account have been deleted. This story is still unraveling, but in the interim, you can read the latest via our beloved Black Twitter here.
You can also follow this writer’s reports on this story via his Facebook page here.
Stay tuned…
Originally published 11.12.2021
Let me preface this piece by saying that I, nor anyone on staff at Black Is The Standard ever looks to tear down any legitimate Black business OR person. That includes celebrities, influencers, or any other sort of public figure. I wanna see us ALL win.
However, I personally have absolutely NO problem pointing out, or “exposing” those amongst us who take advantage or violate their own people in any sort of way. Especially our children & women. That being said, lets get into this story.
So called “Celebrity Chef” Darius Williams, better known as Darius Crooks, came under fire a few years ago due to several allegations from other chefs saying he steals recipes, and from some of his own fans for not sending merchandise they paid for. Not to mention assault. (We will get into that a lil later)
Despite all that, the dude has more than 1 million loyal followers on Facebook who call themselves ‘The D HIVE’, and I can tell you from personal experience, they are a highly aggressive bunch of folk who will blindly defend Darius; regardless of how many receipts are presented to them.
Regardless of how many fans the tainted chef has, people like Kiara Ross, one of his former employees at his now closed down ‘Soul Crab’ restaurant who worked as a server, turned to social media to tell her story, claiming that Cooks once assaulted and dragged her from his establishment when she asked him about her pay.
This dude isn’t even a classically trained chef and has been known to brag on social media about how he has become a millionaire by using his grandmother’s cooking techniques; which on the surface, is impressive.
However, one does have to wonder, if DCW is so well off, then why be so pressed, petty, vindictive, and violent when the people who put in time and work for him ask for their earned pay?
But, let’s move on from that. Another business of his that promised to repair people’s credit was hit with a six-figure fine in Georgia. The $145,000 settlement with the state accused him of operating an illegal credit repair business, where he accepted money before providing services or misled consumers about how he could actually help them.
There have been 42 customer complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau, of which 31 have been filed within the last year
https://www.bbb.org/us/ga/atlanta/profile/online-retailer/dariuscooks-llc-0443-28094835
Honestly, there’s nothing more I need to write that hasn’t already been written. Just go on any of the major social media platforms and search the hashtag #DariusCrooks. The rabbit hole goes fairly deep.
