Oct 21, 2024
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) -- The restaurant chain &pizza rolled out an item menu that it says "may not be the perfect dessert, but they're the perfect dessert for D.C." Cora Masters Barry, wife of the District's former mayor, Marion Barry, had other words for it Monday: "racist and disrespectful." WASHINGTON DC - NOVEMBER 18: Cora Masters Berry talks about Marion Berry and thanks the audience during the ceremony for the renaming of Good Hope Road to Marion Barry Ave in Washington DC on November 18, 2023. (Photo by Robb Hill for The Washington Post via Getty Images) The dessert's name is "Marion Berry Knots," which bears close resemblance to Masters' late husband's name, "Berry" taking the place of "Barry." Barry, who died on Nov. 23, 2014, was elected Mayor of the District of Columbia in 1978. He served three consecutive terms and was elected to the office again in 1994. He served in other roles, including as Ward 8 councilmember. Barry's reelection in 1994 came after he served time for possession of crack cocaine. He gained national notoriety at the time for that and other reasons. DC’s Marion Barry Avenue officially opens to traffic When it comes to "Marion Berry Knots," the company describes its limited-time item as "doughy dessert knots" that "are stuffed with deliciously sweet marionberries and topped with a creamy vanilla icing drizzle." Information shared by BML Public Relations, which handles publicity for the chain, goes on to explain: "For a good time, it’s the powder that’s the ultimate headline grabber. The Marion Berry Knots have enough powdered sugar that will have customers bumping elbows to order and even force the DEA to look twice." The news release pertaining to the dessert's introduction includes other drug references and innuendo. Images shared do the same. In the case of one picture, which also can be found on the company's website, the knots are pictured with a small pile of white powder alongside them. Marion Berry Knots at &pizza (BML Public Relations) Masters Barry, who told DC News Now &pizza had not contacted her about the similarity in name to her husband's, said, "I just think it's racist. In this city, it is outrageously racist. You can print that. It's racist and disrespectful." DC News reached out to BML Public Relations for a response to any criticism people, including Masters Barry, may have of the restaurant's new item. BML Public Relations provided this statement from Mike Burns, CEO, &pizza: We’re talking about a marionberry, that’s spelled with an ‘e’. We stuff that into a knot, drizzle it with icing and then top it with powdered sugar.  It’s delicious – we can’t wait for D.C. to try it. Mike Burns, CEO, &pizza
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