The story of a star Arizona chef, and the sexual assault allegations that followed him

Chris McKinley has long been considered one of the Valley's rising stars, a talented and versatile young chef with a reputation for edgy cuisine.

But in July 2015, McKinley's contract as a consultant was terminated by Phoenix-based restaurant giant Fox Restaurant Concepts after two co-workers accused him of sexual assault.

McKinley moved on — first to California, back to Arizona at Chico Malo in downtown Phoenix and, finally, to Second Story Liquor Bar in Scottsdale.

The women did not move on. They shared their story with friends and family, who eventually circulated it in the restaurant community. One of the women aired her allegations in a blog post, and later both spoke to members of the media.

As a result, a whisper network trailed McKinley to those high-profile roles at the Phoenix-area restaurant groups. He got jobs and then lost them as the word spread.

McKinley has repeatedly denied the allegations, including in an interview with The Republic. He was not charged with a crime. But the women's allegations raised concerns within an industry grappling with harassment questions, along with the rest of the nation, because of the #MeToo movement.

Sexual-assault accusations become public

The whispers became public knowledge after two women, Chanel Godwin-McMaken and Brianna Romano, detailed an assault they say occurred in 2015 while the three were on a business trip. Their accusations were first published in the Phoenix New Times last month.

The women filed a report with the Los Angeles Police Department in 2015.

McKinley's firing in late January from Second Story Liquor Bar was a result of the same 2015 sex-assault allegations, the company said.

A FoxRC spokesperson confirmed that McKinley had been working as a consultant with the restaurant group in 2015.

“This person was a consultant (more than) two years ago,” FoxRC's chief legal officer said in a prepared statement to The Republic. “When our employees made us aware of the incident, we immediately terminated the contract. We've had no affiliation with this person since."

FoxRC is a nationally acclaimed restaurant group run by Sam Fox, with concepts in 10 states. Its Phoenix restaurants include Arrogant Butcher, Culinary Dropout, and Zinburger Wine and Burger Bar.

McKinley also had worked as a FoxRC employee previously but left of his own accord in 2012, a company spokeswoman said, adding that no one at Fox was aware of any similar claims during that time.

'No one seemed to care'

McKinley’s accusers, Godwin-McMaken and Romano, said the assault occurred while the three were on a business trip for FoxRC to El Segundo, California.

They were part of a team of nearly two-dozen people sent to train restaurant staff at new FoxRC locations.

The women accused McKinley of sexually assaulting them in their hotel room after a night of drinking. Romano said McKinley penetrated her with his fingers, and Godwin-McMaken said McKinley attempted to penetrate her with his penis.

Godwin-McMaken and Romano spoke to The Republic about that night; their allegations echoed their statements to Los Angeles police. The Republic typically does not publish the names of people who have alleged sexual assault, but the women agreed to using their names.

A spokesman with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office told The Republic that prosecutors declined to file charges because of insufficient evidence.

Godwin-McMaken said she had been disheartened to watch McKinley’s career flourish, even after her story circulated among the restaurant industry. Godwin-McMaken said she would often comment that McKinley was a "bad guy," and those close to her who knew the details told others.

McKinley has traveled the country doing consulting work, including a project at a Hollywood hotel and events featuring Food Network star Guy Fieri.

His recent return to the Phoenix area in October 2017 generated buzz among those who recalled his work at Atlas Bistro and the Local, earning Second Story Liquor Bar mention in The Republic, and a favorable review in the February issue of Phoenix Magazine.

For a while, Godwin-McMaken said she shut down.

“I kept pretty quiet about everything,” she said. “No one seemed to care. I thought, ‘Well, Chris has armies.' "

Chef denies the allegations

McKinley denied the allegations in a Jan. 30 interview with The Republic and repeatedly stressed that the case did not proceed in the criminal justice system.

"Nothing was followed through legally," he said. "The case was dismissed, there was no criminal charges, and there was no proof of anything."

McKinley said he has attorneys reviewing what has been said of him.

He said the women's account was fabricated and there was “zero sex involved.”

“Everybody was drinking alcohol and having a good time and blowing some steam off," McKinley said when asked what happened that night. "But other than that, I can’t really speak on that subject."

He said the allegations have damaged his career.

"I’m getting harassed now because every time I get a new employer, I have part of those groups calling those employers and harassing them,” he said. “So it’s time that I need to stand up, as well."

A party night in Los Angeles

The actions in question occurred in the early-morning hours of July 19, 2015, and were centered at the Westin Hotel on Century Boulevard in Los Angeles.

The FoxRC group had been in Los Angeles for about five days, mostly working long hours. But July 18 was a Saturday. The employees had the next day off and decided to go out for drinks.

The group visited several bars in El Segundo. Romano and Godwin-McMaken said they had a few whiskey drinks, but not enough to feel intoxicated.

The women left the bar around 1 a.m. with three friends, not including McKinley, and went back to Romano and Godwin-McMaken's hotel room to wind down.

Soon, they heard loud music coming from down the hall and found McKinley and a large group who wanted to continue the party.

The women let the group into the room, and they mingled until about 3 a.m., when hotel security told the group either to disperse or continue the party in a downstairs conference room. The group went downstairs, and about 4:30 a.m., Romano and Godwin-McMaken called it a night.

They returned to their hotel room, followed by McKinley and a few others who had left items there earlier.

Both women said they were extremely tired, changed into their pajamas and fell asleep right away.

'Get him out of the room'

Both women said they awakened to assaults, according to the report they filed with Los Angeles police.

Romano said she woke up with McKinley on top of her.

"It was a really weird, foggy feeling," she said in a recent interview with The Republic.

Romano said she felt his fingers inside of her, pushed him off, and ran to the bathroom. Romano said she still wasn't alert enough to understand what was going on, so she pulled on some shorts that she had in the bathroom and went back into the other bed with Godwin-McMaken.

Romano told The Republic she woke up around 9 a.m., and it was not Godwin-McMaken in the bed with her but McKinley.

Godwin-McMaken wasn't in the room at that time.

Romano called her to figure out what was going on.

Godwin-McMaken "was really distraught," Romano said of the phone call. "She was like, ‘I tried calling you. Get him out of the room. Get him out of the room now.' "

Godwin-McMaken said she had awakened to an assault earlier in the morning.

The first time, she told The Republic, she felt something touch her between her legs. Like Romano, Godwin-McMaken also described being in a dreamlike state, telling herself it wasn't real, and going back to sleep.

She woke up a couple of times more and then realized her pants had been removed, she said. She then saw McKinley attempting to have sex with her, she said.

Her statements tracked with what she reported to Los Angeles police investigators.

Godwin-McMaken told The Republic she went to find help and repeatedly tried calling Romano's phone. She enlisted other people in their group to call McKinley's phone, and they eventually got him out of the room.

Godwin-McMaken said when she was at last able to speak to Romano, "I told her, 'I have to tell you something,' and she said, 'Me, too.' "

She said the two started piecing together the night's events.

A police report, but no charges

Godwin-McMaken said her employers asked if the women wanted to go to the police.

"We were so scared and sick to our stomachs. ... I felt like I was in a dream for I don’t know how long," Godwin-McMaken said.

The two filed a police report more than a week later, on July 28, 2015.

"Both victims decided to come forward today because they know what the suspect did was wrong and they (want) him prosecuted," the report states.

The report goes on to note that the women "were not transported to a hospital, nor (was) a rape kit performed due to the incident occurring over nine days ago."

The investigation continued after Romano and Godwin-McMaken returned to Phoenix. Godwin-McMaken said it seemed like she was on the phone with someone from California every other day. She was hurt when she learned prosecutors wouldn't be pursuing the case.

"I felt like my judicial system should have taken better care of me," Godwin-McMaken said.

Chef gets job in Phoenix, only to lose it

Godwin-McMaken said she was taken aback when a friend, Teddy Myers, opted to hire McKinley at his new concept, Chico Malo.

She said she had worked with Myers at FoxRC and told him in detail about what happened.

In a recent interview with The Republic, Myers denied that Godwin-McMaken had shared details with him personally. He said he was her superior at FoxRC at the time and that he sent Godwin-McMaken straight to the HR department.

When Myers was ready to open Chico Malo, he said, it was two years later and McKinley had won Dish It Out, an annual Valley charity event featuring live competition between popular chefs. Myers offered him the position as chef at Chico Malo.

Just before the opening in April 2017, Myers said he was made aware of a graphic blog post Godwin-McMaken had written about McKinley.

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Godwin-McMaken published an account of the incident on "The reality of sexual assault in the cocktail community," a blog launched in October 2016 to bring attention to the alleged abuses of a prominent, unnamed member of the Los Angeles bar industry and address the general issue of sexual assault in the profession.

More than a dozen women — some using their actual names, some pseudonyms — detailed their experiences in Los Angeles. Later, the blog included stories from elsewhere in the country, including Godwin-McMaken's.

Myers said the details in her story persuaded him to make a change.

"When I read that, we immediately ended Chris’ employment and kind of threw our opening into a disarray," Myers said. "We decided we couldn’t be involved with somebody that had accusations like that against them."

Myers said McKinley offered a different side of the story.

"He told me that everybody had been drunk, and they were skinny-dipping in a pool, that there were drugs in involved," Myers recalled. "He told me that they threw an after-party in the room, he was blacked out, that they were partying together ... and that everything was consensual.

"But it wasn’t enough to sway me."

The closing words of Godwin-McMaken's blog post suggest her hope that other restaurateurs tempted to choose talent over potential trouble would choose otherwise.

"I am not looking for anything for myself, but rather to help the women that are affected," she wrote. "Attackers do not just attack once, as shown by his actions with my roommate and I."