Chef and cookbook author Darius “Cooks” Williams, better known as Darius Cooks, opened up about allegations of him stealing money, illegal credit repair practices, bullying Black women, ripping off business partners and more, Black Enterprise reports. 

Due to the number of accusations, particularly stemming from chef and food blogger Angela Davis, also known as “The Kitchenista,” Williams was dubbed “DariusCrooks.”

“I am not a bully,” Williams told Black Enterprise. “I think what’s happening is, it’s the people who may not be familiar with my brand, because some of the hate mail I’m getting… you know, stop abusing Black women, keep your hands off Black women…and I’m openly gay but I don’t come across as gay.”

“So, my speech, my mannerisms look to be that of a straight man,” he said. “So, if you’re not familiar with me, and you just see my content, you would automatically assume, Black man hitting (on) a Black woman. In reality, I’m openly gay. I talk about sex and a lot of stuff on my Instagram. I talk about dating. I talk about things women want to discuss. I’m like their best friend.”

According to an exposé published by Southern Grit Magazine, Davis began publicly sharing information regarding Williams’ misconduct at the beginning of June, detailing complaints against the food  personality from the Better Business Bureau.

Kiara Ross, a former employee at one of Williams’ restaurants, Soul Crab Atlanta, which has since closed, said she was “triggered” by the former restaurateur. 

“I just wanted my money. This is two years ago,” Ross, who also filed a police report for assault against Williams, said. “I don’t know Angela. I started going through the thread and I wanted to tell my story. I’ve been sitting on it for so long and it has to stop. I didn’t know how much it triggered me until now.”

Screenwriter Kevin Fredericks, also known as KevOnStage, who interviewed Williams on the visual podcast show Ask A Millionaire in 2019, disavowed Williams' actions and said he was unaware of the allegations against him until recently. 

“I wanna say clearly, I do not support Darius Cooks. I believed the stuff he said like most people,” Fredericks revealed. “At the time of the Ask A Millionaire interview, I saw his Shopify screenshots, I saw his Dining With Darius stuff, I saw the amount of money that he was posting and I believed him.”

“I should have done more diligence and more research to make sure those claims were credible and I did not do that and I apologize,” he continued.

Williams also owned two other restaurants, Soul Crab Chicago and Greens and Gravy in Atlanta, which are also no longer in business. The restaurants closed after Williams’ company, Above 701, Inc., agreed to a settlement totaling $145,750 due to illegal credit repair activity, Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported. 

Ultimately, despite a myriad of allegations, Williams contends that he never participated in any wrongdoings. 

“All I want to do is fry chicken and make macaroni and cheese, that’s it,” he said. 

However, Davis and other accusers are stopping at nothing to make sure Williams is held accountable for his actions. 

“It’s okay to let people know that you were scammed or taken advantage of, even as a business owner,” Davis wrote in a tweet. “You don’t have to feel guilty for what an abusive person did. I will not suffer in silence from what other people did to me. Not anymore. I hope that other women are encouraged.”

Angela-DavisDarius-Cooks