A Columbus-area French restaurant and bakery canceled an event planned Friday for Ohio governor candidate Casey Putsch, citing past comments he's made that it says sympathize with Hitler and Nazis.
La Chatelaine Bakery & Bistro posted a statement on Facebook announcing the cancellation. The event was originally planned as a meet and greet at the Worthington location.
"We unequivocally denounce those who express pro-Nazi opinions and beliefs, and will not host individuals who are at odds with our stance," the statement said. "After discovering opinions Casey Putsh, a candidate running for Ohio governor, has made regarding Adolf Hitler, Nazis, and the Holocaust, we will not host him at a recently announced event at our business."
Restaurant CEO Charlotte Harden told WOSU the restaurant received backlash after the event went public, with some criticizing the restaurant for hosting Putsch and calling them neo-Nazis. Harden explained the restaurant hosts political candidates all the time across the political spectrum, but wasn't aware of Putsch's previous comments.
"This gentleman really likes to ruffle people's feathers. People spoke out and with our beliefs and what we stand for as our family and our employees, we couldn't have that," Harden said.
Putsch is running in the Republican primary for Ohio governor against Vivek Ramaswamy and Heather Hill. The winner is likely to face former Ohio Health Director and Democratic candidate Dr. Amy Acton in November.
Putsch has gone viral after posting a video where he asked X's AI chatbot, called Grok, to list good things Hitler did for Germany. Putsch criticized the chatbot after it prefaced the answer by stating everything Hitler did was defined by the Holocaust.
Putsch also tried organizing a "beer hall rally" in Toledo on April 9 at Patron Saints Brewery, according to the Toledo Blade. Many believed this was a reference to the Beer Hall Putsch, which was a failed coup led by Adolf Hitler in Munich that eventually led to his imprisonment, where he wrote his autobiography Mein Kampf.
Putsch's campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. On Facebook, he posted that he canceled the event, rescheduling it for Friday at 5:30 p.m. in Goodale Park. After the meetup, he said the group plans to move to a "SECRET LOCATION."
"Due to extreme harassment from the Left and Vivek SHILLS Casey has decided to relocate the Friday event to protect the French restaurant owner," Putsch said.
Putsch says he will play the electric guitar into a Dodge Viper and "nuke" his speakers.
Harden said the restaurant celebrates World War II veterans and Putsch's comments go against their values.
"I mean everyone has their opinion. We have freedom of speech here in America. That's the beautiful part of our country, but we don't align with those thoughts so we had to pull the plug on it. And he understood," Harden said.
Harden said the restaurant should have been more vigilant, but that they can't background check every customer who comes in.
Harden said former governors, including John Kasich and John Glenn, and former congressmen, including Ohio Chamber of Commerce CEO Steve Stivers, have been customers at the restaurant. She said people are allowed to dine there regardless of political beliefs, but they shouldn't bother anyone else.
She said the restaurant has received comments criticizing both the actual business and its food, with some calling their croissants and baguettes the worst in Columbus. She said that while it is hurtful this will inspire La Chatelaine to work on improving their food.
"We're in a hot social climate right now. America is a little bit upside down and everything, you know, there's so many things going on. We only sell croissants. We do the best we can. We serve our people. We love them," Harden said.
