Latham Business In Trouble For Racist Comments

On Tuesday the Capital Region was shocked to learn of the death of a young boy from Menands. Originally Harbe Nagi was reported missing late Sunday night only to be found deceased early Tuesday morning. The entire community is in shock and mourning.

While nearly every single comment was supportive of the family and voicing how heartbroken they were, one local business went in the opposite direction and left a racist comment on Kumi Tucker's Facebook post about the update on finding the boy. The comments were filled with racist ideology and anti-Muslim statements.

Taste of Italy Owner Speaks Out

After the comment went viral on Tuesday the owner, Frank Cappello, spoke to CBS 6 and said that he did not write the comment, but knew who did. He blamed it on the fact that multiple people run his social media account.

Later after the interview Frank's wife, Alyssa Cappello, admitted that she was the one who made the comment in an off air statement to CBS 6. She said she didn't mean to write it from the restaurant page. Which means she either intended to write it from her personal page or a "burner account." .

Community backlash

People around the Capital Region began circulating the comment on social media. That resulted in people going into Taste of Italy to voice their displeasure in the situation and let others know about what they were intending to support while being inside of that restaurant.

Police were called to Taste of Italy Tuesday after one incident was posted to social media. Many are now calling for a boycott of Taste of Italy and the other businesses that the Cappello's own, such as She's-Yar Lash and Beauty Bar.

This is not the first time that Taste of Italy has found themselves surrounded by controversy. Their social media is filled with content that some might find offensive and off-putting. Last summer they got into a major battle with 518 Foodies that resulted in lawsuits being filed.