Pete Evans has been lobbying Robert F. Kennedy Jr to use his paleo recipes to create a “Make America Healthy Again” government website should Kennedy be confirmed as US secretary of health and human services.
The disgraced Australian chef-turned-conspiracy theorist made the claims on a QAnon-promoting podcast late last month while promoting a new children’s recipe book he wrote for a Kennedy-linked anti-vaccine organisation.
Evans has long been an ardent supporter of both Trump and Kennedy, the latter of whom is set to face a confirmation vote for his appointment to the Trump cabinet this week.
The two men’s connection dates back to at least 2020, when Evans interviewed Kennedy on his podcast. The former celebrity chef has privately told people since 2023 that he was working on a cookbook with Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine and anti-fluoride non-profit organisation that Kennedy chaired from 2015 to 2023.
In an interview with the podcast X22 Report (which Evans frequently promotes) first reported on by Media Matters, the Australian shared his pitch to Kennedy about creating a US government website that would publish his recipes.
“I’ve spoken to Bobby Kennedy about this and said, ‘Why don’t we create a government website or a Make America Healthy Again website?’” Evans said.
“I’m not huge on government, as you understand — less government, the better. But while we do have a government system in place, why don’t we get the correct information out there about dietary advice?”
Evans, who noted that Kennedy has yet to take him up on the offer, expressed enthusiasm about Kennedy’s potential appointment, stating that he has “a feeling of what [Kennedy’s] priorities are.”
He hinted that Kennedy might end government subsidies for high-fructose corn syrup, one of the most subsidised farm products, or products that use pesticides, favoring instead organic food and produce made with regenerative farming practices. “Throughout the United States, here in Australia, and most parts of the world … cereal crops, seed oils, high-fructose corn syrups, and similar products seem to have received government subsidies … but perhaps we’re seeing a turning point now,” he said.
Evans’ cookbook for Children’s Health Defense, titled Healthy Food for Healthy Kids: 120 Simple, Nourishing, Gluten- and Dairy-Free Recipes Your Whole Family Will Love, is set to be published tomorrow. Its recipes are described as “paleo- and keto-friendly meals that your kids will love”, and include recipes for baby broth — similar to the one that led Evans’ publisher to drop a 2015 cookbook after health groups warned it could harm or even kill infants.
The new book marks Evans’ first major project since 2020, a year in which he shared QAnon-esque conspiracy content and posted a cartoon featuring a neo-Nazi symbol (although he claimed that latter post was “misinterpreted”). Evans has been gradually returning to public life, making appearances on mainstream media outlets like 2GB and even regaining access to Facebook and Instagram, despite having been banned from the platforms in 2020 and 2021, respectively. (Meta has been contacted for comment.)
This resurgence has coincided with the election campaigns of Trump and Kennedy, with Evans having taken to social media and podcasts to express his excitement about what the pair could achieve.
“I dare say that if Bobby gets in — or when he gets in — we will see some solutions happening pretty rapidly,” Evans told X22 Report.
Evans was approached for comment but did not respond by deadline.
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