Latest news with #Meehan
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Ice cream parlour worker pestered for dates by colleague gets €5,000 for sexual harassment
A former employee of popular Dublin ice cream parlour Spilt Milk, who said she quit after months of sexual harassment from a colleague a decade her senior, has secured €5,000 in compensation. Leni Shanahan was awarded the compensation on foot of her complaint under the Employment Equality Act 1998 against LN Ice Cream Ltd, the operator of the shop on Drury Street in Dublin 2. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) heard that Ms Shanahan was a 21-year-old student at Trinity College Dublin when she was among the first five workers hired for the opening of the shop in March 2024, under the joint branding of Spilt Milk and Roots Acai. She told a hearing in May that, within a month of starting work together, an older colleague told her they had 'sexual chemistry', asked her out and remarked that he 'thought that sex with me would be electric'. Representing herself before the WRC, Ms Shanahan said she primarily had contact with Mr A, her alleged harasser, who was aged in his early 30s, when they were rostered to work together in the shop's basement production kitchen, where there was no CCTV. In the first week of April 2024, she said Mr A asked her to 'go out with him for a drink' in the course of what she called a 'very inappropriate conversation'. The following week, Mr A 'initiated a conversation about sexual experiences with her'. 'He stated that we had sexual chemistry and he thought that sex with me would be electric,' Ms Shanahan said. In late May of that year, Mr A 'made comments about my physical appearance and commented on my white skin, my light eyes, my hair, my lips and my body, my weight and what I wore – and continued the conversation like that, after I expressed discomfort', she said, before outlining a further series of interactions in the same vein. On her last shift before leaving to take holidays in August 2024, she said Mr A gave her a hug and asked her when she was due back, before telling her: 'I hope next time I see you, you won't be here,' before winking at her. The tribunal heard Ms Shanahan did not return to work as planned and resigned on September 10th that year before writing to her employer complaining of sexual harassment and then filing her WRC complaint. Ms Shanahan said a key factor in her decision to quit and pursue a claim at the WRC was hearing that her alleged harasser had made a remark to her boss, health food entrepreneur Dave Meehan, about becoming 'physically aroused' by her 'flirting'. She said she was told while she was away on leave that Mr Meehan had brought up the remark while talking to another employee, Mr B. 'As it was relayed to me, a comment was made [by Mr Meehan] about how [Mr A] would 'get hard' in conversations with me,' Ms Shanahan said, as she cross-examined her former employer. Mr Meehan said in evidence that, since Ms Shanahan's complaint, he had taken training in human resources. 'It's my first time having a shop in the city centre with such responsibility,' he said. 'I'd like to think for the most part I've led with love and care. I've made mistakes along the way like any other human being. Now I'm better equipped to deal with situations like this. That's all I can say – again, I've apologised, and I really do mean it,' he said. Ms Shanahan said she had 'no idea' there was a complaints process for harassment, as she was 'never shown' any policy document in that regard. She confirmed that she was not alleging sexual harassment on the part of Mr Meehan personally. Steven Murphy, another company director, said Ms Shanahan declined to be interviewed for his internal investigation. 'It was a tough situation, something I've never done before. Leni said one thing, [Mr A] said the other,' he said. There was 'no factual evidence we could find to uphold the complaint', he said, and Mr A had 'refuted' her allegations. In his decision, adjudicator Pat Brady wrote that the business could not rely on the statutory defence of having taken 'reasonable and practical steps' to prevent sexual harassment because there were 'no measures of any sort' in place. He wrote that Mr Murphy's investigation finding that Ms Shanahan's complaints did not meet the criteria of sexual harassment were 'only true if no weight is attached to [her] statements… or less weight than is attached to an alleged perpetrator's denial'. Mr Brady said it was 'unhelpful' that Ms Shanahan had declined to participate in the company probe and 'difficult to understand' why she had not complained sooner. 'These factors provide no comfort to the respondent, whose liability is not diminished, but I propose to take them into account in making my award of compensation,' he added. Upholding the claim, he awarded the worker €5,000.
Eater
17-07-2025
- Business
- Eater
Kali's New Menu Recalls the ‘Mad Men' Era With Steaks and Martinis
The return to a la carte isn't without precedent. Kali didn't become a tasting menu restaurant until about two years in, and when it had already collected rave reviews from Garrett Snyder in LA Weekly, and the late Jonathan Gold in the Los Angeles Times. Meehan and partner Drew Langley eventually adjusted a la carte options to a tasting menu as Gold had recommended in his review, which helped it earn the coveted Michelin nod. But Meehan ushered in a full reset this year, temporarily closing the restaurant on January 20, to facilitate a remodel. The closure also allowed Meehan and his staff to focus on the January 29 opening of Koast, a polished seafood restaurant just a mile down Melrose Avenue. With the writers' and actors' strikes, January wildfires, and the economy in flux, Meehan acknowledged that the demand for tasting menus at Kali had fallen over the past few years. Inspired by what he liked to eat on off days — simple, well-cooked food that didn't require much thought — Meehan renewed the lease for 15 years with the idea of bringing a familiar, easy steakhouse with an energetic bar to this part of town. 'I want to take away the pretentiousness of fine dining, which I did for nine-and-a-half years and excelled at. We needed to pivot, and this is something I enjoy eating every day,' says Meehan. 'The menu will have the same quality ingredients, but it won't be esoteric.' The menu certainly offers dishes that Don Draper and Peggy Olson would recognize, like Parker House rolls, wedge salad, and jumbo shrimp cocktail washed down with strong martinis. Kali's mushroom risotto remains on the menu, while a mushroom Wellington layered with spinach and portabella mushrooms would look unfamiliar to Manhattan advertising executives in 1963. Meehan has always had a way with steak, using top-tier purveyors like Flannery. Cut options include rib-eye, New York strip, hangar, bone-in rib-eye, and a porterhouse served with Kali steak sauce, bearnaise, horseradish cream, brandied pepper, and chimichurri. After tasting through steaks from every major LA-area vendor, he landed on Creekstone Farms for its choice-plus meat, which allowed him to price the 16-ounce rib-eye at $75 versus $95 for something prime-grade. Kali has multiple dry-aging fridges on the premises to develop the flavor of the steaks. To accompany the steaks, there are six different potato preparations, including fries, pomme puree, and roasted fingerlings. Other sides include Brentwood corn, macaroni and cheese, and roasted mushrooms. The bar will also bring back Kali's burger using a dry-aged blend from Flannery beef, topped with black garlic, caramelized onions, and cheddar for a reasonable price. During Dodgers games, the bar will also feature a Japanese wagyu hot dog wrapped in pastry and topped with togarashi. The move to a mid-century steakhouse menu also comes with what Meehan says is the 'coldest martini we can craft,' while the sleek, minimalist environs give way to more lush velvet-lined booths and dim lighting. Given its Hollywood-adjacent location, it's no mystery that Kali recalls the timeless celebrity haunts of Musso & Frank and Dan Tana's, hoping to capture their elegance and decades-long success. And while the Michelin Guide might not see this throwback vision as something star-worthy, Meehan's is more than comfortable just feeding more folks with the kind of familiar and satisfying fare that has always worked. 'I don't think we'll get a Michelin star next year because it's not that kind of restaurant anymore. This pivot is crucial for my restaurant to endure and to take care of a huge team. I just want to make it easy for everyone,' says Meehan. Kali reopens July 18 and will be open from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday, with reservations on OpenTable. It's located on 5722 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90038. Grilled porterhouse. Wonho Frank Lee Mushroom Wellington. Wonho Frank Lee Chilled martini and pickles with a sidecar at Kali. Wonho Frank Lee Eater LA All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
South Wales Guardian
17-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Meehan seeking stamina answers with Steventon contender Rashabar
A shock 80-1 winner of the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer, the Holy Roman Emperor colt went on to finish second in two French Group Ones before the end of his juvenile campaign and kicked off the new season by finishing second to Jonquil in Newbury's Greenham Stakes in April. He has since chased home the brilliant Field Of Gold twice, placing fourth in both the Irish 2,000 Guineas and in St James's Palace Stakes ahead of a first attempt at a mile and a quarter at Listed level this weekend. Meehan said: 'He's very well and we're on a finding-out mission to see whether he'll get the trip. 'There was never any question mark about whether he'd get the mile, if anyone had doubts about that they were obviously watching a different horse to me, but the mile and a quarter is unknown territory. 'I've always felt he would stay and we're doing it try to open up more possibilities for him. He's a Group One horse and he needs to have different bullets in his arsenal really, to give him options to try to get that Group One win. 'He ran very well in the Irish Guineas and I was happy with his run at Ascot. He was hampered twice by two different horses up the straight and I felt he ran a very solid race.' With rain forecast, conditions could ease at Newbury, which Meehan admits may not be ideal given the question marks over his stable star's stamina. He added: 'I don't think cut in the ground bothers him, but I don't know how I'd feel about soft ground on a fact-finding mission over this trip.'
Rhyl Journal
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Meehan seeking stamina answers with Steventon contender Rashabar
A shock 80-1 winner of the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer, the Holy Roman Emperor colt went on to finish second in two French Group Ones before the end of his juvenile campaign and kicked off the new season by finishing second to Jonquil in Newbury's Greenham Stakes in April. He has since chased home the brilliant Field Of Gold twice, placing fourth in both the Irish 2,000 Guineas and in St James's Palace Stakes ahead of a first attempt at a mile and a quarter at Listed level this weekend. Meehan said: 'He's very well and we're on a finding-out mission to see whether he'll get the trip. 'There was never any question mark about whether he'd get the mile, if anyone had doubts about that they were obviously watching a different horse to me, but the mile and a quarter is unknown territory. 'I've always felt he would stay and we're doing it try to open up more possibilities for him. He's a Group One horse and he needs to have different bullets in his arsenal really, to give him options to try to get that Group One win. 'He ran very well in the Irish Guineas and I was happy with his run at Ascot. He was hampered twice by two different horses up the straight and I felt he ran a very solid race.' With rain forecast, conditions could ease at Newbury, which Meehan admits may not be ideal given the question marks over his stable star's stamina. He added: 'I don't think cut in the ground bothers him, but I don't know how I'd feel about soft ground on a fact-finding mission over this trip.'
North Wales Chronicle
17-07-2025
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Meehan seeking stamina answers with Steventon contender Rashabar
A shock 80-1 winner of the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer, the Holy Roman Emperor colt went on to finish second in two French Group Ones before the end of his juvenile campaign and kicked off the new season by finishing second to Jonquil in Newbury's Greenham Stakes in April. He has since chased home the brilliant Field Of Gold twice, placing fourth in both the Irish 2,000 Guineas and in St James's Palace Stakes ahead of a first attempt at a mile and a quarter at Listed level this weekend. Meehan said: 'He's very well and we're on a finding-out mission to see whether he'll get the trip. 'There was never any question mark about whether he'd get the mile, if anyone had doubts about that they were obviously watching a different horse to me, but the mile and a quarter is unknown territory. 'I've always felt he would stay and we're doing it try to open up more possibilities for him. He's a Group One horse and he needs to have different bullets in his arsenal really, to give him options to try to get that Group One win. 'He ran very well in the Irish Guineas and I was happy with his run at Ascot. He was hampered twice by two different horses up the straight and I felt he ran a very solid race.' With rain forecast, conditions could ease at Newbury, which Meehan admits may not be ideal given the question marks over his stable star's stamina. He added: 'I don't think cut in the ground bothers him, but I don't know how I'd feel about soft ground on a fact-finding mission over this trip.'
