Publican restaurants executive chef Cosmo Goss was fired Monday by the restaurant’s parent company One Off Hospitality, amid allegations that Goss “failed to take disciplinary action when a ‘personal’ and ‘inappropriate’ photo of a female employee was shared among staff without her permission,” several media outlets are reporting today.
In addition, Antonio Molina, the general manager of Publican Anker was also fired.
According to Eater.com:One Off Hospitality Group, said “Goss should have reported this instance of harassment to human resources or fired the employee who shared the photograph. One Off hired a legal firm to investigate the matter before firing Goss and a second employee — Antonio Molina — the general manager of Wicker Park’s Publican Anker.”
“The two were fired for helping foster an atmosphere where women felt uncomfortable working at the restaurant, according to One Off,” the story goes on to say.
“It’s our responsibility to address instances of inappropriate workplace conduct thoroughly and with zero tolerance,” One Off said, according to DNAinfo.com. The story goes on to say:“Goss said he was shown the photo ‘without warning or invitation,’ but acknowledged that the ‘seemingly fleeting moment was wholly unprofessional and unacceptable.’ I regret not doing enough to address the issue. When this incident happened, I was in a position to make a difference, and did not rise to the occasion.”
One Off Hospitality restaurant group is also the team behind such tony Chicago eateries as Violet Hour, Avec, Blackbird, the new Publican Tavern O’Hare and Nico Osteria. Partners in One Off include Donnia Madia,Kimberly Galban, Eduard Seitan, Rick Diarmit and Peter Garfield.
An official statement, signed by all the partners and released Monday, stated in part: “Recently, we found out about a situation in one of our restaurants that violated a staff member’s privacy and respect. We acted quickly, and after uncovering the specifics, we chose to terminate the employment of the individuals responsible for this inappropriate workplace conduct. We based that decision on an unwavering commitment to protect every person on our team. But this incident isn’t the heart of the problem – it’s a symptom of something much larger in our society that we need to address, which is that any degree of disrespect or misconduct is unacceptable to us, regardless of your position within the group.”
John Besh | Brad Barket/Invision/AP, File
In another instance of inappropriate workplace behavior in the culinary industry, Associated Press Monday reported that New Orleans celebrity chef John Besh stepped down from management of the restaurant group that bears his name after a newspaper reported that 25 women who are current or former employees of the business said they were victims of sexual harassment by male co-workers and bosses. New Orleans media outlets said Besh’s departure from the business he co-owns was announced to employees Monday.
The story further states: “John has decided to step down from all aspects of operations and to provide his full focus on his family,” Shannon White, the woman who is stepping in as CEO, said in an email to staff.
