'Inappropriate' Photo Sharing Leads To Firing Of Publican Executive Chef, General Manager

CHICAGO, IL — The executive chef of Chicago's Publican restaurants, Cosmo Goss, and the general manager of Publican Anker in Wicker Park, Antonio Molina, have been fired by the award-winning restaurants for allegedly not taking appropriate actions in response to an incident involving an "inappropriate" and "personal" image of a woman who formerly worked at the restaurant that had been shared among staff. The Publicans' parent company, One Off Hospitality Group, said the two had contributed to an atmosphere where women were not comfortable working at the restaurant and should have fired the employee responsible for the harassment or reported the incident to human resources, according to Eater Chicago, which first reported the firings.

According to the report, the incident took place in late 2016 at Publican Anker. Another employee showed Goss the photo, which "violated a staff member's privacy and respect," the restaurant group said in a statement. The incident was not reported to the company's human resources department until earlier this fall, when One Off opened an three-week investigation and brought in outside lawyers. The employee who initially shared the photo had already been fired for issues unrelated to the incident, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The restaurant group issued at statement saying it was important "to understand the full scope of the allegations to ensure the team member’s wellbeing and security," according to Eater. "One Off has an open-door policy, and it’s our responsibility to address instances of inappropriate workplace conduct thoroughly and with zero tolerance."

Goss described the incident as a "fleeting moment that was wholly unprofessional and unacceptable” and apologized to woman in the photo and others affected by the situation. He told Eater he only saw the photo for a few seconds and said such incidents were "not the norm," but admitted he "was in a position to make a difference, and did not to rise to the occasion."

A spokesperson for One Off told the Tribune it is "actively counterproductive to perpetuate" the idea that such behavior is just part of "kitchen culture," and even though Goss thought it was just a "fleeing incident" he didn't report it but instead discussed it with other employees.

Goss has worked for the company for seven years and had been the head chef of One Off's five Publican restaurants since July 2016. He announced plans earlier this year to leave Publican to open up a new restaurant with another former chef at a One Off restaurant called Pacific Standard Time. The restaurant group said it continues to support the project but the operating agreement and Goss's position in it are now under review, Eater reported.

Sexual harassment and abuse at work in a variety of industries has been highlighted by the #MeToo social media hashtag, in which those who have been the subject of workplace and sexual harassment have shared their stories in the wake of the allegations against disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. Recently, they have spread to the restaurant industry.

An story published by the New Orleans Times-Picayune last weekend contained allegations of sexual harassment by more than two dozen current and former employees of celebrity chef John Besh's Besh Restaurant Group.

By Monday, Besh stepped down, apologized, and said he was "entirely responsible for his moral failings," according to Food & Wine.

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_{Top photo: Cosmo Goss | Youtube}