Famous Food

The chef who told the NFL that Antonio Brown faked his COVID vaccine card is now planning to sue the Buccaneers star ... saying the wide receiver still owes him $10,000.

Steven Ruiz spelled it all out to TMZ Sports this week ... saying after the NFL ruled he wasn't lying about Brown's bogus vaccine card --- he's planning to move forward with a lawsuit against AB.

"The game plan now is to file a lawsuit and take it from there," Ruiz said. "People provide a service and you've got to pay for it. That's it."

As we previously reported, Ruiz said he cooked for Brown regularly this past year ... but when it came time to pay a bill for it all, AB balked.

Ruiz said Brown owed him $10K, but he couldn't get the cash from the football player -- even after talking with Brown's attorney.

So, Ruiz ended up going public with his claims that Brown had sought and obtained a fake vaccine card and then later submitted it to the NFL.

The league investigated the claims ... and said it found Brown did misrepresent his vaccine status, and then suspended him three games without pay, costing him over $100K in lost salary.

Ruiz tells us if Brown had just paid up, he probably would've stayed quiet.

"If he had just probably paid me, you know what? He probably would still be getting paid in the NFL right now," Ruiz said. "He'd probably be playing the games that he could be playing and none of this would have even happened."

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are helping their kids give back ... working hand in hand with their daughters to help fight hunger in the community, and doing the grunt work.

It was a joint effort over the Thanksgiving weekend at Ben's home in Pacific Palisades, where they hosted a food drive for Rise Against Hunger.

As you can see, Ben and Jen were tasked with unloading a huge truck and hauling 50-pound sacks of rice and goods into the house ... and he flexed his muscles, even slinging 2 bags over his shoulders at a time.

J Lo was pretty impressive too, doing it all in high heels!!!

Ben's oldest daughter, Violet, appeared to be leading the effort ... and his other daughter, Seraphina, was doing her part too along with Jen's daughter, Emme.

Food insecurity and hunger is a huge issue nationwide ... and Rise helps provide food and support to local communities.

If your short stack has been feeling a little dry lately due to a lack of (affordable) syrup -- that's all about to change ... because Canada is tapping its stockpile of sweet nectar.

Quebec Maple Syrup Producers -- a quasi-government-sanction agency accounting for over 70% of the world's maple syrup production -- just announced they're going to start draining upwards of 50 million pounds of syrup from barrels they have in their strategic reserve.

Yes, strategic reserve ... just like the ones we're about to tap to help lower gas prices here in the States. Apparently, Canada has a sea of this condiment at the ready for emergencies.

Welp, that emergency is here ... as the global economy deals with a supply crisis -- due, in part, to the pandemic among other factors -- QMSP says it's time to dip into what they have on hand to make sure countries around the world, especially its #1 customer in the U.S., can keep on drizzling their waffles and pancakes with ease and within reasonable price ranges.

Word is ... this harvest season made for a bad batch of syrup, meaning not nearly enough was produced due to a warmer/shorter spring season ... the ideal conditions for which are needed to see a solid yield. Add in the fact more people are cooking from home right now -- and you have a lopsided supply/demand equation ... hence them going to the reserves.

This will be the most syrup they've tapped since 2008. A rep for the org says, "The reserve is there to make sure that we are always able to sell and offer this product."

Channing Tatum is logging some quality time with his daughter ... selling lemonade by the side of the road and serving a very famous customer in Zooey Deschanel!!!

The "Magic Mike" star helped his little girl, Everly, open a lemonade stand Friday in Los Angeles ... wrangling in customers with some homemade signs and balloons.

Channing and Everly, who he shares with estranged wife Jenna Dewan, are calling the pop-up stand Evie's Lemies ... and daddy was dancing around and twirling their painted yellow and purple sign.

The dude's got skills ... Channing's sign-twirling looks like it caught Zooey's eye ... the actress stopped by for some fresh lemonade with her boyfriend, "Property Brothers" star Jonathan Scott.

TMZ broke the story ... Channing and Jenna finally worked out a parenting schedule in February 2020, putting an end to one of the nastier parts of their divorce, and they alternate holidays.

Antwain Fowler -- the viral kiddo who famously asked "where we bout to eat at?" -- could soon have a restaurant opened in his honor ... that's the big plan from the late kid's mother.

Christina Burns, Antwain's mother, tells TMZ ... his GoFundMe was created in March during one of his many stays in the hospital and it's now raised $72,000, with $22k being donated since he passed away on Sunday. She wants to put the money towards keeping his legacy alive, in the form of a restaurant called, "Where We Bout To Eat At."

Antwain's mom says the $22k raised in the past few days will be put towards kickstarting the business, with the other $50k helping pay off Antwain's hospital bills and other family expenses. Christina says she will help create the menu, but needs help managing the other aspects of a restaurant. The menu will be versatile with seafood, chicken and other grub -- so you won't have to look much further when you're asked "where we bout to eat at?"

The viral sensation had a ton of catchphrases, which will be reflected on the menu ... for example, Antwain's mom is already planning some "You Have Cheese Like Me" mozzarella sticks.

After Antwain went viral, his mom says she tried starting a seafood truck biz ... but after mapping things out, she just didn't have the time to commit to getting the biz up and running because she was busy taking care of him and her other 3 children.

As we reported ... Antwain died Nov. 21 after fighting a rare autoimmune deficiency his mother says caused him to be consistently in and out of the hospital ever since he was 4 months old. He was only 6.

His mom is shedding more light on his death ... she says Antwain was home when she heard his ventilator sounding off an alarm. Typically, Antwain alerts his family when he's experiencing pain or has trouble breathing, but this time he was silent.

Antwain's mom says police and an ambulance responded to their home and attempted to resuscitate him, but had no luck ... he was taken to a hospital where doctors fought to keep him alive, but were ultimately unable to.

Tiffany Haddish spent ThanksGIVING ... GIVING.

Tiffany served up some turkey dinners for some of the folks who were struggling this holiday at The Laugh Factory in WeHo. She knows their situation all too well ... Tiffany has been homeless and she's never forgotten people in her past situation.

Our photog wanted to know how the supply shortage is affecting her XMAS, and she has an interesting take. Tiff doesn't give traditional presents, because she thinks it misses the point.

When you listen ... it's clear her focus is on the less fortunate, and the things she gives are necessary and clearly appreciated.

Well, there's one present that's homegrown that may be for everyone in her life ... supply chain crisis be damned!

BTW ... lots of other comedians joined Tiffany at The Laugh Factory -- Dane Cook, Paul Rodriguez, Tom Dreesen, Thom Tran and Frazer Smith.

Bobby Shmurda is celebrating Thanksgiving outside prison walls for the first time since 2014 ... and doing so by giving back to those less fortunate.

The rapper was in Brooklyn Wednesday night to help distribute 300 turkeys at the Marlboro Houses, an area with residents in desperate need of assistance. We're told Bobby spent several hours there, chatting it up and taking pics with volunteers and those who came through for groceries.

Following the bird giveaway, Bobby made his way to an outreach program in Ridgewood in Queens to talk with troubled teens. Bobby, joined by Rowdy Rebel, talked to the kids about their experiences in prison and just how important it is to stay out of trouble.

As for how the whole night came to be, we're told Bobby and his team first reached out to Maurice Ballard, who runs a nonprofit called Game of Life.

Bobby was first taken into custody in December 2014, but copped a plea deal in 2016 to conspiracy to possess weapons and possession of a weapon. He got credit for around 2 years of time served before the sentence.

YFN Lucci and Allison Mack are spending their first Thanksgiving behind bars and they're about to get a crash course in what R. Kelly, YNW Melly, Suge Knight and Harvey Weinstein learned the hard way ... the turkey tastes better on the outside.

TMZ's obtained prison and jail menus from across the country, where locked-up stars are being treated to your typical Turkey Day faire ... turkey, stuffing, gravy and pie.

Here's a breakdown of their Thanksgiving feasts:

Kelly at MDC Brooklyn:

-- Roast turkey or roast eggplant, turkey gravy, cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, biscuit and pie

Mack at California's FCI Dublin

-- Roasted turkey with pan gravy, country ham, mashed potatoes or baked potato, candied sweet potatoes, cornbread stuffing, steamed green beans, cranberry sauce, turkey gravy, dinner roll and pie

Lucci at Georgia's Fulton County Jail:

-- Sliced turkey, cranberry sauce, cornbread stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes, dinner roll and dessert

Suge at San Diego's Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility:

-- Roast turkey, green salad with dressing, cranberry sauce, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, dinner roll or biscuit and pumpkin pie

Melly at Florida's Broward County Jail:

-- Turkey breast, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, breadsticks and bread pudding

Weinstein at Los Angeles County Jail:

-- Roast turkey, mashed potatoes, brown gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans, tossed salad with dressing, dinner roll and pumpkin muffin

Tom Brady assiduously avoids caffeine, sugar, dairy, tomatoes, eggplant, even mushrooms ... but on Thanksgiving day ... f*** it!!!

Tom and Oprah had a chitchat, but this one was different because it was Tom mostly asking the questions. O jumped on Tom's SiriusXM show, "Let's Go," and it was only a matter of time before she took the reigns.

Oprah wanted to know what we were thinking ... what the hell does Tom eat on Turkey day ... given his aversion to food that causes inflammation.

Tom revealed Thanksgiving is his cheat day ... "That's the one meal where I'm just like, 'screw it, let's go for it."

The convo pivoted to retirement, and Tom seems to have that in his head. He told Oprah, "Thanksgiving, there's a lot to be thankful for, but you only get 4 hours to enjoy it. Practice usually ends at about 1 or 2. You eat about 3:30, then you're getting ready for the next day of practice.  Same with XMAS."

He went on ... "I'm looking forward to the time when I'm done playing football, so I can have those more normal holidays that I had growing up that were important where the family's all together."

The reality ... the 44-year-old QB is on a roll, with the Bucs Super Bowl Win this year. He's threatened to retire at 45, but sometimes threats are hollow.

Ever wonder how quickly two competitive eaters could take down a Thanksgiving turkey??

Well, you're in luck ... 'cause Major League Eating stars Miki Sudo and her fiancé, Nick Wehry, just ate it on camera -- and, check out the clip, they devoured the big bird in 7 minutes!!!

Sudo and Wehry took on the holiday challenge just a few days ago ... grabbing a 21.6-pound turkey for the occasion.

The two dug in without any silverware -- and they ate it all the way down to the bone in a matter of minutes!!

Of course, the super-speedy meal should come as a surprise to nobody -- Sudo is the #1-ranked female eater in the world, while Wehry is the #6-ranked male eater.

In fact, Sudo and Wehry have both impressively eaten alongside Joey Chestnut for years at the famous Nathan's 4th of July hot dog contest.

The two have feasted on Thanksgiving before -- they famously ate a meal prepped for 12 in right around 20 minutes back in 2020.

No matter how you cook it ... celebrity turkey shots are just a little juicier than your at-home fowl photos.

Celebs like Hailey Bieber, Beau Smart, Don Benjamin, Shonda Rhimes ... and many more ... have passed up on a pardon and put their best-looking birds on social media for you to carve into.

Set your oven and baste your way through the Hollywood turkey shots to see who has brined and dry-rubbed like a pro and reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Kodak Black is still finding a way to give back to his community while he's in rehab ... helping folks in Florida make sure they have food on the table this Thanksgiving.

The rapper dropped $14,500 for more than 5,000 turkeys and had his team distribute them through a Thanksgiving tour of sorts across several South Florida communities ... according to Kodak's attorney, Bradford Cohen.

We're told Kodak's turkey giveaway made 7 stops in 3 days, with his team coming through in rental trucks to hand out the birds.

With Kodak's help, folks in the Sistrunk and Sunland neighborhoods will be able to have a nice Thanksgiving dinner ... as well as those in Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, North Miami, Little Haiti in Miami and of course, Golden Acres, where Kodak grew up.

Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon has an idea of how folks across the world can have a much better Thanksgiving -- take the mac and cheese and throw it in the trash can!!

Judon was speaking with reporters ahead of the annual turkey holiday ... when he was asked what his favorite side was ... and well, he was very emphatic about his disdain for one famous holiday dish.

"We gotta get macaroni and cheese off the table," Judon said. "It's just cheese and noodles and it's not that good."

There's more ... Judon added "Let's be honest, guys. Everybody probably here is a little lactose. So, it messes up our stomachs."

"We gotta get it off the table. It's probably one of the most overrated dishes," he continued.

Sheesh, man!!

Of course, Judon's statements aren't going to go over well with the masses ... as many people tend to enjoy mac and cheese as a side dish all the time -- not just at Thanksgiving.

He did, however, tell the reporters that his favorite dish was dressing ... before making sure to add one more time for good measure that mac and cheese has to be eliminated from the mix.

Judon ain't the only Pat with a controversial take -- rookie QB Mac Jones ruffled a few feathers when he shared what he likes to eat on Turkey Day ... 'cause he admitted that he doesn't like any kind of pie -- no pecan, no apple, nothing!!

Young Dolph was brutally murdered, but his efforts to lift his community up are still going strong, including one act of kindness he was supposed to complete the day he was killed.

Dolph was behind a series of charity events all this week, handing out turkeys and groceries to families in need. He was supposed to show up at one of those events Wednesday, but that plan was tragically cut short when two men opened fire hours earlier, killing the rapper.

While still devastated, reps from Dolph's Paper Route record label rallied to get the charity event back on track for Friday ... and giving out hundreds of birds to needy families on a day when Dolph would have done it himself.

Dolph had previously established the IdaMae Family Foundation -- named for his grandmother -- and we're told those closest to him know he would've wanted the event to continue, despite his absence.

As we reported, police have released photos of the alleged shooters and their getaway car ... but no arrests have been made and suspects have not been released.

Mookie Betts showed off his big heart at a Thanksgiving charity event on Wednesday -- and then he showed off his dance moves ... and it was all awesome!!!

The MLB superstar was out at Algin Sutton Recreation Center in South L.A. -- just a few miles from Dodger Stadium -- giving away turkey dinners with a side of moves.

The 29-year-old passed out birds and all the fixin's to those in need ... and then he hit the Wobble with a bunch of people in attendance.

Check out the footage, it's clear the dude can play baseball well AND dance at a high level too!!!

As for the event, it was a Brotherhood Crusade affair that officials say Mookie had a hand in inspiring.

The giveaway included whole turkeys, vegetables and corn bread dressing -- and it ain't hard to see everyone there was stoked for the free dinners.

Some scalding hot justice for the woman who threw soup at a restaurant worker in Texas ... she's been arrested more than a week after the attack.

Amanda Martinez was just picked up by cops on a warrant for assault causing bodily injury, law enforcement sources say she'll be booked into Bell County Jail.

TMZ broke the story, restaurant manager Jannelle Broland -- who took the face full of soup -- said she planned on pressing charges after the attack at the Temple, TX Mexican restaurant earlier this month.

As for what led up to the attack ... Broland says Martinez placed an order to go, and came back a short time after picking it up, complaining there was some plastic in the soup. Broland says she offered a full refund or item swap for the soup, but apparently, that wasn't enough for Martinez, who cussed up a storm, tossed the soup and bolted.