Celebrity chef, Embarcadero restaurant sued for harassment

Michael Chiarello

Michael Chiarello Photo: John Storey, The Chronicle Photo: John Storey, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close Celebrity chef, Embarcadero restaurant sued for harassment 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

Two lawsuits were filed Tuesday against the high-end San Francisco tapas restaurant Coqueta and its celebrity chef/owner, Michael Chiarello, alleging sexual harassment and refusal to pay employees their due wages.

Both lawsuits were filed by former Coqueta waitresses Katherine Page and Asja Sever, who worked at the restaurant for three and two years, respectively.

They allege that the work environment at the Embarcadero restaurant was “hostile, sexually charged and abusive.” They say the chefs and managers “engaged in a pattern and practice of inappropriate sexual comments, touching and other sex-related abuse.”

Chiarello’s spokesman called the allegations “unfounded” and “against his core beliefs.”

Chiarello is a high-profile fixture in the culinary world, and currently hosts a cooking show on the Food Network. Coqueta, which means flirt or infatuation in Spanish, opened in April 2013.

According to the lawsuit, Chiarello made comments such as “Martinis are like tits. One is too few, three is too many.” He also allegedly told Coqueta managers to use the hiring policy: “If you don’t want to f— them, don’t hire them.” And the lawsuit states that on one visit to the restaurant, Chiarello “held a baguette to his crotch while making stroking motions over the bread with his hands in an overtly sexual manner.”

The lawsuit also accuses other other chefs and managers at the restaurant of inappropriate touching and remarks.

Kelly Armstrong, the women’s attorney, said her clients “are hopeful that in having the courage to stand up for their rights and come forward, they can send a strong message that this type of treatment will not be tolerated.”

In a statement, Chiarello’s spokesman, Terry Fahn, said the chef intends to “vigorously defend himself.”

“This claim flies in the face of who Mr. Chiarello is and how he has lived his life.”

A second lawsuit by the women alleges that the restaurant did not pay the women for all the hours they worked, including overtime, systematically denied meal and rest breaks to employees and issued false wage statements.

Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @emilytgreen