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Metro
13-06-2025
- Metro
Chef wins £20,000 payout after boss 'ranted about unreliable Mexicans'
The former head chef of a gastropub has been awarded £20,000 after his boss allegedly threatened to get him deported and made comments about 'unreliable Mexicans'. Cesar Omar Perez Vargas, who is of Mexican origin, walked out of the Pot Kiln in Thatcham, Berkshire, after things 'came to a head' during a busy shift in August 2022. A tribunal heard the kitchen had recently gone from four chefs to two and he was told to serve 60 diners one day after agreeing to cook for no more than 45. He told owner Francis Rockcliff the workload was 'unreasonable' and he 'could not bear the pressure anymore', walking out after Mr Rockcliff dismissed his concerns. Mr Perez Vargas said the owner followed him out of the premises and 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.' The chef, who has a husband, also claimed Mr Rockcliff threatened to tell officials he had been 'sexually harassing all the male staff'. Mr Rockcliff returned to the restaurant to see out the shift but later drove to Mr Perez Vargas' home to collect keys for the restaurant. Mr Perez Vargas' husband told the panel he went to the door to hand the keys over while his partner remained inside, saying Mr Rockcliff then screamed: 'He doesn't belong here. I will report to the Home Office and make sure he'll be deported back to his country,' Mr Rockcliff denied making racist comments, but admitted he told Mr Perez Vargas that if he 'was so unhappy, which was something that I did not understand, why didn't he go back to Mexico'. He also accepted saying 'something along the lines that he had heard the claimant had been sexually harassing staff', the panel heard. The tribunal found neither man was 'likely to be a reliable narrator of the events'. But the judges said they were 'satisfied that something along the lines of the things that the claimant complains about occurred' on the basis of Mr Rockcliff's responses to the panel. The panel heard he sent a text message to another member of staff the day after the fallout saying: 'I'm changing the kitchen culture. I finally lost all the dinosaurs/old brigade chefs to my great relief. 'I'm not sure that Eastern Europeans or Latin Americans have an innate understanding of English regional cookery and/or Mediterranean classic cuisine.' He also wrote a social media post saying classically-trained chefs were 'people with sautéed egos who have lost their mojo for the love of cooking and who have overcooked their wallets for fame over food'. More Trending While Mr Rockcliff denied the comments were 'directed' at Mr Perez Vargas, the tribunal found anyone who was familiar with the situation would know 'exactly who they were referring to'. The tribunal accepted Mr Rockcliff was not racist and did not discriminate against Mr Perez Vargas. But it said his behaviour was 'offensive' and 'problematic' and found it amounted to harassment related to race and sexual orientation. Mr Perez Vargas, who had worked at the Pot Kiln for nearly three yeras, was was awarded £20,444.24 in compensation. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page.
The Independent
13-06-2025
- The Independent
Chef wins £20,000 payout after boss ranted about ‘unreliable Mexicans' and threatened to get him deported
A chef has received a £20,000 payout for racial and sexual oriented harassment after his boss ranted that people from his home country of Mexico were 'not reliable' and threatened to get him deported. An employment tribunal heard the claims after Cesar Omar Perez Vargas, former head chef of five star restaurant Pot Kiln in Thatcham, West Berkshire, walked out of the restaurant during a busy Sunday shift in which he ended up serving around 60 customers, when he originally agreed to cover no more than 45 on a Sunday. The chef claimed that he felt he was being imposed upon and given an 'unreasonable workload'; when Mr Rockcliff was confronted with this, he denied it and asked the chef to carry on working, which led him to walk out. Mr Perez Vargas alleged that Mr Rockcliff followed him on his way home as he walked out and said: '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.' The chef, who started his career at Banyan Tree Mayakoba in Quintana Roo, Mexico, said he was left feeling 'shocked, threatened, insecure and that his body was shaking' following the confrontation. He also said Mr Rockcliff warned he would 'make sure that no one will give you a job anymore' and approached the claimant at his home. Mr Rockcliff not only denied making these statements to Mr Perez Vargas, but refuted claims that a social media post he made about 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' was about the chef. The tribunal found that these comments may have led Mr Perez Vargas, or anyone who knew him as an employee of the Pot Kiln, to believe they were about the chef. Mr Perez Vargas first brought claims against the business in November 2022, three months after he left the Pot Kiln's employment. He made complaints about unfair dismissal, direct discrimination on the grounds of race and sexual orientation, and harassment related to race and sexual orientation. He also made complaints about notice pay and other money claims. The court found that Mr Perez Vargas's complaint about harassment related to race and related to sexual orientation was well-founded and succeeded, as was his claim of being unfairly dismissed. Judge Gumbiti-Zimuto said that Mr Rockcliff's conduct was 'unwanted' and violated ' the claimant's dignity and creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading or humiliating and offensive environment for the claimant'. They added: 'because those comments were clearly related to his race, we are satisfied that it related to the protected characteristic of race. And because the comments made reference to the claimant's sexually harassing all male staff, that it also made reference to his sexual orientation and therefore, in our view, was related to sexual orientation.' Mr Rockcliff has been ordered to pay a sum of £20,444.24 to Mr Perez Vargas. This accounts for a basic award of £1,142, a compensatory award of £500 as well as £2,073.28 for a loss of earnings post notice period of four weeks. He received six weeks notice pay of £3,109.92 for the breach of contact, as well as £663.32 for accrued holiday not taken, £821.36 for unpaid wages between 2020 and 2022, as well as £11,000 for injury to feelings and £1,134.36 in interest to that.
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- 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
12-06-2025
- 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'.
