This Viral Brunch Receipt Has A Powerful Message To Share

It's a fact that immigrants play many integral roles in the restaurant industry, but one Brooklyn-based chef and restaurant owner is making it a point to remind his customers. GrubStreet reports that Mark Simmons, who fans will remember from Top Chef, printed a short political statement on the bottom of the receipts at his restaurant Kiwiana in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. The line reads, "Immigrants make America great (they also cooked your food and served you today)." The note was noticed yesterday by writer Mary Emily O'Hara after she finished her brunch at Kiwiana. She tweeted a picture of the receipt, and it has already received 145,744 likes. It has also been retweeted 54,331 times.

According to the restaurant's website, Chef Simmons was born and raised on a sheep farm in New Zealand and has traveled around the world picking up international culinary skills and knowledge. Eventually, he settled in New York City, where he shares cuisine from his native New Zealand with New Yorkers. So, not only is Simmons himself an immigrant, but his identity as an immigrant clearly inform his work in the kitchen. GrubStreet also notes that Simmons, "no doubt, like everyone else in the industry, has a variety of nationalities represented in his kitchen." Since we don't see what goes on behind the doors of the kitchen, it can sometimes be easy to forget who's responsible for bringing us such expertly prepared and delicious meals. Chef Simmons' note is a welcome reminder and one that people clearly want to share.