The Executive Chef of the Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel, Eric Hara has been accused of sexual, culinary and physical harassment, according to the New York Post.
Melissa Rodriguez, 27, a pastry chef at the upscale restaurant filed a lawsuit that alleges he subjected her to daily harassment from June 2010 until April of this year.
According to the lawsuit, Hara called Rodriguez a whore and told kitchen staff, “that all he to do was get one drink in me and I would go to bed with him.” Hara also told her that she was one-night stand material and not the type of woman a man would marry. These are just a couple of examples listed in the lawsuit. Rodriguez enlisted a sexual harassment attorney to file the suit and a complaint has been filed with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Hara also subjected Rodriguez to physical abuse. He would put cream and chocolate in her hair and threatened to ruin her career if she tried to leave the kitchen.
Hara denies any of her allegations and stated, “It’s a money move. I have been a cooking for 16 years and never had a problem.”
Rodriguez also said that the only other woman working in the kitchen was also subjected to harassment. Rodriguez and her sexual harassment lawyer decided to speak out about the abuses, but the other female member of the staff has not filed a suit.
Rodriguez complained to management, but they assured her Hara would no longer be her boss. She, however still makes deserts for Hara’s new restaurant 9. She decided to hire a sexual harassment attorney to end her abuse.
