Latest news with #FrancisRockcliff
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Michelin chef wins £20,000 payout after boss ranted about 'unreliable Mexicans' and 'threatened to call the Home Office'
A head chef has won £20,000 for racial and sexual orientation harassment after his boss ranted that 'Mexicans were not reliable people'. A tribunal heard the comments came after head chef Cesar Omar Perez Vargas walked out of a busy Sunday shift because he had been given an 'unreasonable' 60 customers to cook for - more than he was contracted to serve. Musician and then owner of the business Francis Rockcliff said that he would call the Home Office to make sure he was 'sent back to the country that you belong'. He also said he would tell officials that 'you have been sexually harassing all the male staff.' Mr Perez Vargas took the upmarket Pot Kiln gastropub in Thatcham, West Berkshire, to a tribunal. During the proceedings, Mr Rockcliff denied that a social media post referring to Michelin trained chefs as 'people with sautéed egos' was 'directed' at the chef. But a panel found that anyone who was aware of the circumstances around the end of the chef's employment may consider that this is 'exactly who they were referring to'. The judge upheld Mr Perez Vargas' complaints of unfair dismissal and race and sexual orientation harassment and awarded him £20,444.24 in compensation. The tribunal, held in Reading, heard that Mr Perez Vargas starting working as a chef for the Pot Kiln in November 2019. But in April 2022 an 'extra burden' was placed on kitchen staff when the Pot Kiln went from having four chefs to two. Mr Perez Vargas said things 'came to a head' on a busy shift that August. The tribunal panel heard that after walking out, Mr Rockcliff followed the chef outside and the pair ended up having a heated conversation on the street which left Mr Perez Vargas feeling 'shocked, threatened, insecure'. The chef claimed his boss told him: 'I knew that you Mexicans were not reliable people. I will call the Home Office and make sure that they send you back to the country that you belong. I will also tell them that you have been sexually harassing all the male staff.' He also alleged Mr Rockcliff told him that he will 'make sure that no one will give you a job anymore'. Mr Rockcliff - a musician who goes by the professional name of 'Rocky Rockcliff' - denied making those comments. That evening, Mr Rockliff went to the chef's home and collected his keys. Reading employment tribunal, where a panel upheld Mr Perez Vargas' complaints of unfair dismissal and race and sexual orientation harassment and awarded him £20,444.24 in compensation The following day, Mr Perez Vargas - who felt as if staff were being 'overworked' - handed in a letter of resignation. It was heard that Mr Rockcliff sent a text message to staff the following day on how he was 'changing the kitchen culture'. 'I finally lost all the dinosaurs/old brigade chefs to my great relief,' he wrote. The director also wrote that he was 'not sure that Eastern Europeans or Latin Americans have an innate understanding of English regional cookery and/or Mediterranean classic cuisine'. It was heard that Mr Rockliff also made a social media post referring Michelin trained chefs as 'people with sautéed egos who have lost their mojo for the love of cooking and who have overcooked their wallets for fame over food'. During the hearing, Mr Rockcliff was 'emphatic in stating that he is not racist'. The tribunal said that while Mr Rockliff has a 'tendency to talk about people in stereotypical terms', they concluded he did not discriminate against the chef. Employment Judge Andrew Gumbiti-Zimuto said that while the way the boss had expressed himself was 'problematic' and 'offensive, he added: 'We are quite satisfied that the reaction that Mr Rockcliff had to the events on 7 August was a sort of reaction that he would have had with anybody regardless of their race or sexual orientation. 'It was, in our view, a natural response on the part of Mr Rockcliff to be offended by the fact that an employee had walked out on the service.' But, they said that his behaviour after Mr Perez Vargas walked out of the shift could amount to harassment and was 'conduct which had the effect of violating' the claimant's dignity. EJ Gumbiti-Zimuto said that because those comments were clearly related to his race, 'we are satisfied that it related to the protected characteristic of race'. He added: 'Because the comments made reference to (Mr Perez Vargas') sexually harassing all male staff, that it also made reference to his sexual orientation and therefore, in our view, was related to sexual orientation.'
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Telegraph
Chef quit gastropub after boss threatened to have him deported
A Michelin-trained chef resigned from an upmarket gastropub after his boss threatened to have him deported, a tribunal has heard. Cesar Omar Perez Vargas left his role as head chef at the Pot Kiln, in Thatcham, West Berkshire, after the pub's owner threatened to call the Home Office during a heated row in August 2022. Mr Perez Vargas also accused Francis Rockcliff, the business owner, of saying 'Mexicans were not reliable people' and claimed he would tell officials that his chef, who has a husband, had sexually harassed male staff. The chef has since been awarded more than £20,000 in compensation after a judge upheld his complaints of unfair dismissal and race and sexual orientation harassment. The tribunal, in Reading, heard that Mr Perez Vargas started working as a chef for the Pot Kiln in November 2019. The gastropub specialises in Basque cuisine and is run by Mr Rockcliff and his partner. The panel heard that Mr Perez Vargas's employment in the kitchen was initially 'a success' and he was promoted to joint head chef. But in April 2022 his colleague resigned from the business and the kitchen at the Pot Kiln went from having four chefs to two, meaning there was an 'extra burden' on the remaining employees. Mr Perez Vargas said things 'came to a head' on a busy shift in August 2022 when he had been expected to prepare food for 60 people – more than he was contracted to serve. The chef 'could not bear the pressure any more' and spoke with Mr Rockcliff and his partner. He told the tribunal the pair had dismissed what he had said and asked him to continue working. As a result, Mr Perez Vargas walked out. The panel heard Mr Rockcliff followed the chef out of the restaurant and the pair had a heated conversation on the street, which left Mr Perez Vargas feeling 'shocked, threatened, insecure'. The chef claimed his boss told him: 'I knew that you Mexicans were not reliable people. I will call the Home Office and make sure that they send you back to the country that you belong. I will also tell them that you have been sexually harassing all the male staff.' He also alleged Mr Rockcliff told him that he would 'make sure that no one will give you a job any more'. Mr Rockcliff denied making the comments. That evening, Mr Rockliff went to the chef's home and collected his keys to the restaurant. The following day, Mr Perez Vargas – who felt staff were being 'overworked' – handed in a letter of resignation. It was heard that Mr Rockliff later made a social media post referring to Michelin-trained chefs as 'people with sautéed egos who have lost their mojo for the love of cooking and who have overcooked their wallets for fame over food'. Mr Perez Vargas sued the business for unfair dismissal, race and sexual orientation discrimination and harassment related to race and sexual orientation. Mr Rockliff told the panel that his social media post was not 'directed' at the chef. But Employment Judge Andrew Gumbiti-Zimuto said that while this may be the case, anyone who was aware of the circumstances surrounding his end of employment may consider that this was 'exactly who they were referring to'.
