Celebrity chef John Besh, 49, steps down from his restaurant company amid sexual harassment allegations and claims that he presided over a toxic work environment in which women were made miserable

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Celebrity chef John Besh, best known for his appearances on Top Chef among other series, has left the restaurant company he founded amid sexual harassment claims.

Besh, 49, 'has decided to step down from all aspects of operations and to provide his full focus on this family,' according to a letter from Besh Restaurant Group (BRG) to its staff that was obtained by The Advocate.

The move comes two days after an eight-month-long investigation by a Louisiana newspaper revealed claims of sexual harassment by Besh, and allegations that his restaurants did little to discourage male staff from harassing women.

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John Besh (pictured on Top Chef with Padma Lakshmi) has quit Besh Restaurant Group after claims that he performed oral sex on a drunk woman and presided over a toxic workplace

The expose, released on Saturday by NOLA.com and the Times-Picayune, said some 25 women had made allegations against either Besh or the restaurants under his command.

The most shocking claim came from a former employee of Besh's, who said he 'insisted [she] drink heavily' in 2015 then approached her in her hotel room, when she was 'easily overwhelmed', and performed oral sex on her.

Besh, who is married, said that the pair were having a consensual - but regrettable - affair. He denies all claims of sexual harassment and allowing a toxic work environment.

Others said that male staff of Besh Restaurant Group had committed a litany of offensive acts - including groping, threatening assault and asking to drink a pregnant woman's breast milk - with no, or insufficient, action being taken.

The resignation letter obtained by the Advocate does not say what Besh will do with his ownership stake in BRG, or whether his name will remain in its title.

However, it did announce that BRG would now be run by new CEO Shannon White, who said an outside expert has been hired to 'independently investigate whether any unreported claims exist.'

Besh (seen here in an episode of Tonight With Seth Meyers) left on Monday, a letter to staff said. Complaints by 25 women about Besh or his company had emerged just two days earlier

She said that 'ramped up' sexual harassment training was now in place, a complaint hotline and counselors were being brought in and the sexual harassment policy was being revised.

White also announced the formation of an employee advisory committee that will 'reflect the full diversity of our team members.' 

'Our goal is to earn your trust and for you to know that we take all concerns seriously,' she wrote. 

Besh is alleged to have pressured a woman into a relationship, during which he performed oral sex on her while she was blackout drunk. Besh says their relationship was consensual and denies all abuse claims

Besh Restaurant Group owns more than 10 restaurants and bars in the New Orleans area, and he himself has made guest appearances on several shows, including Tonight With Seth Meyers and the dramas NCIS: New Orleans and Treme.

The accusation about Besh performing oral sex on the unnamed former employee came in her Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filing from December.

She alleges that she had a sexual relationship with him for months while working under him, and that he had 'continued to attempt to coerce (her) to submit to his sexual overtures.'

In one instance, she said, during a work trip to LA in the summer of 2015 Besh 'insisted' that she down a great deal of alcohol before she retired to her hotel room.

In the filing, in which the chef was repeatedly referred to as 'JBesh', she said he then turned up at her door and started to 'fondle' her.

The woman, who is not being named, alleged that she 'was barely conscious, and easily overwhelmed by JBesh, who engaged in oral sex and fell asleep,'

That incident, which occurred when she was 24, came around the beginning of what she described as a 'long-term unwelcome sexual relationship' that ended in May 2016. 

Besh (seen with Michelle Obama at an event in 2015) has been replaced by Shannon White, who says the group will now revamp its complaints procedure and harassment protocols

Responding to the allegations on Sunday, Besh characterized their relationship as a 'consensual' one that he had 'thoughtlessly' engaged in.

'I also regret any harm this may have caused to my second family at the restaurant group, and sincerely apologize to anyone past and present who has worked for me who found my behavior as unacceptable as I do,' he said.

'I alone am entirely responsible for my moral failings. This is not the way the head of a company like ours should have acted, let alone a husband and father.' 

Lindsey Reynolds, who was the company's social media manager for six months, said Besh 'hit on basically every woman in the office who was young and pretty.'

She made the second of two EEOC filings against the 12-year-old company.

She complained of 'vulgar and offensive comments, aggressive un-welcomed touching and sexual advances were condoned and sometimes even encouraged by managers and supervisors'.

She said she was harassed 'virtually every day' and left without recourse because the company didn't 'have a decent HR person'. Besh denied the claims.

Some women said men at Besh's company groped, insulted and harassed them without fear of recrimination. BRG admitted on Saturday that its HR could have done more

Another complainant was Madie Robison, who was hired out of college, aged 22, to be a graphic designer at the company.

She said that scheduled work days at a senior employee's pool turned 'involved drinking in our swimsuits and the male chefs/Octavio coming to visit us at the pool.'

Madie Robinson was hired when she was 22; she said scheduled pool sessions during workdays involved her sitting around in a swimsuit, drinking with other employee

She also said Octavio Mantilla, co-owner of the Besh Restaurant Group, touched her 'excessively,' saying 'first it was your leg and then it was your lower back... In my mind, it always got a little worse.'

Mantilla said the pool sessions were 'constructive', although he only attended one and left as soon he was done there, adding: 'I don't remember touching [Robison] at all, not on intention or anything.

In pizza restaurant Domenica, a waitress who did not wish to be named said an unnamed male colleague had harassed her, including showing her photos of his penis, over two years.  

She quit in 2015, just before her first child was born; she said the man had asked repeatedly for a sample of her breast milk 'because he wanted to drink it.'

Another waitress there, Allison Consoli, said the same member of staff would 'always talk about anal sex with me or using toys on me or me being a "backdoor beauty."'

She said she tried, and failed, to report him four times, and on a fifth occasion, management watched as he reduced her to tears.  

Chef Alon Shaya, who oversaw the restaurant, said he 'was being inappropriate to some of the female servers. I recall making the decision to fire him with that manager.'

Shaya was also linked to alleged problems at the restaurant that bears his surname, which he opened in collaboration with Besh.

Chef Alon Shaya, who co-ran three restaurants in Besh's group says he told Besh to get a HR system in place so complaints would be dealt with. Besh's associate says Shaya's just covering his back. Complaints have been leveled at Shaya's management too, but he denies them

One line cook, who resigned from Shaya in January, said in her resignation letter: 'While working as a line cook at Shaya, I heard daily "jokes" about rape, including one joke about pedophilia.'

They 'would call grapeseed oil "rapeseed" and use that as an opportunity to joke about rape,' she said.

That cook didn't want to be named for fear of hurting future job prospects; one of her colleagues there, line cook Elizabeth Campbell, said she also heard such remarks.

She also said she was fired for crying in the restuarant. 

Shaya provided NOLA with documentation showing that disciplinary action had been taken against the man who showed photographs of his penis, and said he 'regretted' that she had still quit. 

He also said that 'we worked to help [Campbell] with her situation' but her crying was 'disrupting the customer experience in the restaurant.'

Shaya, who was chef at Domenica, Pizza Domenica and Shaya, said he had attempted to get a proper HR department set up, and that he was fired from BRG in October 'for talking ... and for standing up'.

'Alon never requested an HR Department, let alone on multiple occasions,' Raymond Landry, general counsel for Besh and BRG, said.

Mantilla said that the reasons for his firing were complex, and added: 'I think [Shaya] saw this article was hurting him, and he wanted to distance himself.'

Besh denies all claims of harassment made against him. It's not clear if his name will remain on the company or what he will do with his majority stake in it

Issues were reported at restaurants outside of Shaya's control. Meghan Wright was a server at Franco-German brasserie Lüke; she said her 'banter' with two male co-workers spiraled into them 'grabbing' her.

When she complained thy told her she had better 'watch her back,' forcing her to have her boyfriend accompany her to and from work. 

Attempts to transfer out were refused, and promises to put her on a different shift to the men was unfulfilled, she said.  

In a statement, Landry said the company had done what was legally required, but would 'do more' to support staff.

Landry added that 'we believe going forward that everyone at our company will be fully aware of the clear procedures that are now in place to safeguard against anyone feeling that his or her concerns will not be heard and addressed free from retaliation.' 

A BRG spokesman also stressed that around 60 of the company's 140 managers are women, and that 'In addition, 15 women hold senior executive positions as general managers, heads of departments, Chief Operations Officer, or owner/partner.'