Over 45,000 Guy Fieri Fans Are Petitioning to Rename This Ohio City 'Flavortown'

A new petition on Change.org is seeking to rename the city of Columbus, Ohio to Flavortown in honor of celebrity chef, Guy Fieri, according to USA Today.

Only last week, the mayor of Columbus, Andrew J. Ginther, announced that the city would be removing the statue dedicated to Christopher Columbus outside of city hall, Fox 28 reported.

“For many people in our community, the statue represents patriarchy, oppression, and divisiveness. That does not represent our great city, and we will no longer live in the shadow of our ugly past,” Ginther said in a statement announcing the statue’s removal. “By replacing the statue, we are removing one more barrier to meaningful and lasting change to end systemic racism.”

Not only is Guy Fieri a native Columbus resident, he also is a polar opposite of the controversial namesake of the city. The chef and Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives host is all about friendship and community, as proven by his substantial contributions for struggling restaurant workers during the coronavirus pandemic, according to CBS. He is, in fact, the “real deal.”

The online petition, which has accrued over 45,000 signatures, argues that while the city is getting rid of its statue, why not take it to the next level by honoring Columbus’ best celebrity?

“Why not rename the city Flavortown? The new name is twofold. For one, it honors Central Ohio's proud heritage as a culinary crossroads and one of the nation's largest test markets for the food industry,” organizer Tom Woodbridge wrote in the petition description. “Secondly, cheflebrity Guy Fieri was born in Columbus, so naming the city in honor of him (he's such a good dude, really) would be superior to its current nomenclature.”

The name Flavortown comes from one of Fieri’s many maxims that he’s coined over the years, according to The Wrap, “I just, unfortunately, run at the mouth. I just say things. Ten-plus years ago, I’m there in a diner, and I said to the guy — he made a pizza, I think — ‘That looks like a manhole cover in Flavortown.’ Because of how big it is,” Fieri told The Wrap. Since then, fans have dubbed him the ‘Mayor of Flavortown.” Of course, if the petition goes through, it stands to reason that Mayor Ginther will be given that honor too.

The petition must have 50,000 signatures by June 30 in order to be delivered to city hall. From there, it’s up to city officials to decide whether or not to make the change.

More information can be found by visiting the petition’s campaign on Change.org.