Edmonton baker goes viral responding to cultural appropriation allegations
An Edmonton baker has gone viral after a disagreement over a bánh mì-inspired croissant sparked an online debate over cultural appropriation and representation.
The Better Baker, located in Old Strathcona and owned by Vinny Rozhdestvensky, recently introduced a new menu item called the “cro-mi.” The sandwich combines a croissant with fillings inspired by bánh mì, a Vietnamese sandwich traditionally served on a baguette.
An Edmonton influencer contacted the bakery privately with concerns about the new menu item. In messages later posted publicly, the influencer said the name and sandwich fillings did not accurately represent bánh mì and suggested calling it a “bánh mì-inspired croissant” instead.
The influencer also questioned why the bakery had chosen a non-Vietnamese creator to promote the sandwich, suggesting that a Vietnamese creator could have added additional cultural context.
@yegbesteats/Instagram
In response to those points raised, the Better Baker said it chooses creators based on personal relationships and respect for their work, and not race or ethnicity.
But the two sides disagree about how the exchange escalated.
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The influencer alleged that the bakery accused them of racism for requesting Asian representation.
@yegbesteats/Instagram
“You don’t get to turn a request for representation into racism simply because you don’t like being questioned,” the influencer later wrote on Instagram.
Rozhdestvensky posted a response yesterday, and as of writing, that video has been viewed more than 3.6 million times. It has also amassed more than 6,000 comments.
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In the video, Rozhdestvensky said the criticism had become an attempt to “cancel” the business, interpreting the influencer’s request as saying the baker should not work with a white creator.
He also mentioned that the two had previously collaborated, but claimed the relationship had soured following a disagreement several years ago.
Rozhdestvensky alleges that the influencer “sent an army of trolls” to criticize the business.
“But, you know, it’s hard enough already to run a business in Edmonton. Businesses are going down by the second,” he said.
“Do we really need another influencer who doesn’t actually support businesses to just try and cancel them over the fact that we don’t want to change the ingredients for her liking or that I didn’t choose someone Asian to work with?”
The disagreement has attracted significant attention online, with some expressing support for Rozhdestvensky, others on the side of the influencer, while other comments under the video say the situation was handled poorly overall.
Daily Hive has contacted the influencer for comment but had not heard back at the time of publication.