A well-regarded San Francisco chef is out in any respect three of his celebrated eating places after a vogue influencer publicly posted abusive messages he allegedly despatched her.
Geoffrey Lee’s downfall apparently was sparked final month, after content material creator Kat Ensign mildly criticized his hamburgers after she ate at considered one of his eating places, the San Francisco Commonplace reported Friday.
Lee was the star behind Ju-Ni, a 10-year-old omakase restaurant that for 5 years was given one Michelin star, and the extra low-key Handroll Venture and Hamburger Venture, each of which opened in late 2024.
“Efficient instantly, Geoffrey Lee is relieved from his position as Govt Chef at Hamburger Venture, Handroll Venture, and Jū-Ni,” the corporate wrote on Instagram.
“Transferring ahead Geoffrey will not have any involvement within the operations of those eating places. We’ve got zero tolerance for the conduct he has exhibited in current weeks,” in keeping with the put up. “As an organization, we unequivocally condemn all types of bullying and harassment whether or not on-line or in actual life. This conduct is a stark distinction to the values and tradition that we attempt to uphold in our companies.”
Ensign dissed Hamburger Venture’s meals on Instagram and TikTok, and Lee then referred to as her out on social media.
Ensign took screenshots of the messages, and shared in a Dec. 23 put up that has greater than 100,000 views.
“She is so bizarre, it appears unstable,” Lee stated in a single missive, screenshots of which have since additionally been shared on Instagram. She has “probably the most annoying Karen voice,” he added, advising her to cease going to Golden State Warriors video games so the group received’t lose.
Ensign stated she ate at Hamburger Venture on Dec. 10 and posted a mildly destructive assessment, calling the smashburger “good however not nice” and “not for me.”
Two weeks later, Lee started randomly commenting on her content material.
“It was random issues on each put up, responding to individuals’s feedback — my weight, my look,” she instructed The Commonplace. “Nothing about my expertise [at Hamburger Project].”
Lee instructed The Commonplace he by no means commented on Ensign’s appears to be like.
“There’s been accusations that I body-shamed her,” he stated. “That’s fully fabricated so she will management the narrative.”
Because the backlash intensified, Lee made his social media personal after which his choice to depart all three of his eating places was made public Friday.
“I realized a lesson,” Lee stated. “I shouldn’t have replied again. However I don’t imagine that simply because I’m a chef-owner, my voice needs to be silenced. What I used to be making an attempt to determine is what makes this influencer exempt from my critiques, however she’s allowed to come back into my home, my restaurant, to criticize my meals.”
