on the Friday morning after the episode aired, Statesman reported that [the chef] “admitted to having a consensual sexual relationship” with a female staffer during the summer of 2020. When he returned to the restaurant after filming the series in the fall, he cut down her work hours “based on her performance,” but “continued to communicat[e] with her in an unprofessional manner.” He likened his actions to reprimand the employee as “bad decisions” that were “discriminatory.”
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Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi addressed social media comments about [the chef] with a tweet last night, writing, “As someone who has been sexually harassed, this topic is a serious one and merits openness.” She claims that the show wasn’t aware of the allegations against [the chef] and calls for the show’s network channel Bravo to investigate what happened.
From Olympian to 'Top Chef' finalist: How Dawn Burrell's athletic career fueled her culinary stardom
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Before becoming a chef and emerging as a breakout star on Season 18 of “Top Chef,” Burrell made a name for herself in track and field, where she represented the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
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Burrell was inspired to take up track and field by her older brother, Olympic gold medalist and two-time world-record holder in the 100M sprint, Leroy Burrell.