Susan Clairmont: Sexual misconduct allegations surface against Hamilton restaurant owner and former Chopped Canada winner

Warning: This story contains graphic content which may be upsetting or triggering to readers.

In a city that loves good food, chef Manny Ferreira is an icon.

He is the hometown boy who won Chopped Canada," a TV cooking competition, then used his winnings to open a popular taco and tequila restaurant, Mezcal, as well as a downstairs bar, Uno Mas.

Ferreira's success has been, in many ways, a Hamilton success story - a narrative of overcoming hardships, pursuing dreams and giving back to the community.

But dig deeper and the story changes. Within the city's restaurant industry, Ferreira has a different, darker reputation, stemming from allegations of harassment, sexual harassment and sexual assault.

During an eight-month investigation, The Spectator has spoken to 13 people about Ferreira. Some worked for him, others knew him socially or dated him. Eight agreed to be interviewed for this story.

They each say they have either witnessed his unwanted behaviour or have been the victim of it. Two women accuse Ferreira of sexually assaulting them.

Twice, employees have taken complaints of sexual harassment by Ferreira to the Ministry of Labour.

Speaking publicly about their interactions with Ferreira has been difficult for everyone in this story and they have done so at great personal risk. Some fear retaliation. Some believe they may never find work in Hamilton's restaurant industry again. Others have talked about the impact reliving their experience has had on their emotional and mental health. Most worry they will be publicly shamed and blamed.

Yet all say they have come forward in the hope of preventing anyone else from being affected and to send a message to all men - as is the foundation of the #MeToo movement - that this behaviour will not be tolerated.

The Spectator laid out the allegations in this story to Ferreira ahead of publication. They range from slapping butts to grabbing a woman's crotch, sending an unwanted video of himself masturbating to an employee, exposing himself to a customer in his restaurant and having intercourse with a woman who says she told him No."

The Spectator asked Ferreira, 42, for an interview.

He declined the request, instead responding through a letter from Hamilton criminal lawyer Peter Boushy.

Mr. Ferreira denies the defamatory allegations made against him," the letter states, adding that the allegations come from disgruntled staff and former friends."

Mr. Ferreira's charitable works, pre and during covid(sic), are widely known in the Hamilton community; and his reputation in the restaurant industry in his hometown of Hamilton is in stark contrast to the substance and tenor of the complaints made against him."

Ferreira is not facing criminal charges nor is The Spectator aware of any criminal investigation.

I want to make everybody proud'

Immigrating from Portugal, Manny Ferreira's parents settled in Hamilton to raise a family.

His father worked in a steel mill, his mother worked at a candy factory.

In a 2016 video created by the YMCA, Ferreira talks about his difficult upbringing.

My father was abusive. (He has since died.) My brother, he ran away from home. That really hit me hard. Something inside of me snapped. I started to really rebel and then I started getting involved with the wrong crowd and started doing a lot of drugs, a lot of alcohol to kind of numb the pain."

He also ran away and became homeless.

A sign in the window of Hamilton's YMCA Employment Services changed his life. He called the number and got an interview for an entry level cook position at a pub.

From there, he moved to the kitchen of the upscale Ancaster Mill.

Owner Jeff Crump was impressed by Ferreira.

Everyone likes him. He's a jokester," Crump says in the video.

When Crump opened his Earth to Table Bread Bar restaurant on Locke Street South, he made Ferreira the sous chef.

In 2015, Ferreira became the Food Network's Chopped Canada" winner. It made him a culinary celebrity. He did newspaper interviews and demonstrated his skills on TV morning shows.

Winning Chopped Canada' was a way for me to show my son he has a dad he can be proud of," Ferreira says in the YMCA video. I want to make places like YMCA, my dad, my family, my friends, God - I want to make everybody proud."

A big man with a scruffy beard and tattooed arms, he seemed at ease in the spotlight.

With his $10,000 Chopped" prize and the backing of investors, Ferreira opened Mezcal on James Street South. It offers artisan tacos and high-quality tequila and its tag line is cooking with a conscience."

Downstairs, he has Uno Mas, for tapas and cocktails.

Both were instant hits. They were packed with families at supper and a party crowd after that. Critics gave great reviews and Ferreira's place in the Hamilton food scene was solidified.

Riding his success, he ventured further, opening nightclubs Black Rabbit and Baroque, neither of which exist any longer.

In the beginning, cooks, bartenders and wait staff rushed to work for Ferreira. He was well-known, creative and cool."

But it wasn't long before that public image of Ferreira tarnished.

Within Hamilton's tight-knit food industry, rumours of his alleged sexual misconduct were gaining volume.

I broke down in the washroom'

At Mezcal's grand opening, Alycia Gallagher was serving.

She had worked in several Hamilton restaurants and her friends were largely from within that scene.

It's a pretty tight circle of people," she says. It was a fun time."

Alycia, now 31, met Ferreira on that shift - which turned out to be her only shift at his restaurant.

I was in awe of him," she says, describing him as charismatic" and engaging."

But working at Mezcal wasn't a good fit" and she didn't last. There were no hard feelings about it and for a while she maintained a friendly relationship with Ferreira.

We were buddies," she says. We were always happy to see each other...We would drink together and party."

Ferreira partied hard, she said.

He drank to get obliterated," Alycia says, adding that they also did cocaine together.

When drunk or high, Ferreira's demeanour changes, she says. He becomes mean."

On Sept. 21, 2017 Alycia was waitressing at a restaurant on Locke Street. At dinner time, Ferreira and a group of guys sat in her section.

Alycia had partied with Ferreira the night before at his apartment, along with Mezcal employees. She left at dawn and now she suspected Ferreira hadn't slept. He still seemed wasted.

He rolled in like a f-ing bowling ball."

She went to take his order.

He full out grabbed my vagina in front of the whole table," she says. She was wearing pants that day.

I shoved him off and said What the f-? Would you do that at your own restaurant?' "

Alycia says she made eye contact with an older woman having dinner.

The look of shock on her face ... The shame that I felt ... I felt like a piece of meat."

Ferreira and his friends laughed.

It was almost like I was a joke. An object. A prop to them to make them laugh. It was so demeaning. And I thought he was my friend."

Alycia describes Ferreira's actions as sexual assault.

I don't cry often. I broke down in the washroom."

Alycia traded Ferreira's table to another server and continued working. She say she didn't tell management what happened because they were friends with Ferreira. She feared she would lose her job and get blacklisted" if she called Ferreira out.

Later in her shift, he walked by her.

He grabbed my hand and put a bag of cocaine worth $40 to $80 in it."

The gesture appeared to be an apology.

Alycia chose not to report the alleged sexual assault. Her mother was dying of cancer and she didn't want to burden her.

Sometimes, it's easier to not say anything," Alycia says.

It's years later and I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that someone sexually assaulted me in the middle of my workplace."

In early June 2020, Alycia learned of a private Facebook group involving what several members say was approximately 75 women, some of whom alleged they were harassed, sexually harassed and sexually assaulted by Manny Ferreira.

Alycia realized she wasn't the only one to have had bad experiences with him.

I was finding out how many women he's done that to," she says. That gave her courage to speak to The Spectator for this story.

I just want to be able to show women can come forward and be honest about what happened to them."

The Facebook group has since been deleted, apparently after concerns that a woman in the group was leaking its contents to Ferreira.

I was afraid I'd get fired'

Working in Mezcal's kitchen, Stephanie Pluim had a front-row seat to the antics of her boss, Manny Ferreira.

Her experience led her to file a sexual-harassment complaint about him to the Ministry of Labour.

Stephanie, 23, worked for Ferreira from Feb. 10 to Aug. 25, 2017.

When he interviewed her for the job, she left with a good first impression.

He was really professional," she recalls. He's very outgoing."

He seemed cool and edgy, which Stephanie liked.

But once she started the job, Ferreira's behaviour became less professional.

He was often drunk at work and frequently on cocaine, Stephanie alleges.

He'd do a line on his office desk or on the counter at Uno Mas when it closed," she says.

Sometimes he'd try to cook when he was wasted and staff would have to step in to do it properly, Stephanie says.

Mezcal's small, busy kitchen became a parade route for women Ferreira hit on.

Stephanie talks of Ferreira scoping out customers and sending free drinks and food to women. Sometimes, he'd bring those women through the kitchen and into the awkwardly situated public bathroom right beside it.

It happened at least once a night," Stephanie recalls.

At least twice Ferreira and women were doing blow" in the bathroom. Stephanie says she knows this because she went in afterward to clean up the residue.

Once, I heard him having sex in the bathroom," says Stephanie. It was during business hours.

Stephanie voiced her displeasure to Ferreira. He told her to mind her own business.

The problem was, it was everyone's business. Many employees The Spectator has spoken to referenced women traipsing through the kitchen.

They also say it was routine for Ferreira to touch his kitchen staff while they worked.

He'd do the whole grind-up-against-me-while-I-was-on-the-line thing," says Stephanie. But I got over that. I let it slide, because he's in charge...He was my boss. I was afraid I'd get fired."

Sometimes Stephanie would be asked to leave the kitchen to take on hostess duties. She says Ferreira would order her to wear skimpy" clothes and hike her skirt up. She says she did what she was told.

Ferreira's sister, Kristy Ferreira, was the administrative manager responsible for Human Resources for Mezcal and Uno Mas. So that meant any complaint about Ferreira - his substance abuse, his sexual harassment - would have to be made to his sister. That was a deterrent to Stephanie.

I didn't want to say anything because HR is his sister."

The Spectator sent Kristy Ferreira an email request for an interview. She responded by calling The Spectator's director of human resources to complain that she is being harassed" by the newspaper.

In July 2017, Stephanie and Ferreira were on a break outside behind Mezcal when Stephanie says he asked: Would you ever have sex with me?"

Her answer was no.

It was very awkward," she says. I was not happy about it."

Not long afterward, a former Mezcal employee posted on Facebook about working for an unnamed terrible boss. Stephanie believed the post was about Ferreira and she liked" it.

According to Stephanie, Ferreira saw that and fired her.

He didn't feel it was respectful that I liked the status."

Stephanie filed a complaint with the Ministry of Labour on Aug. 20, 2017. It said Ferreira sexually harassed her by asking if she would have sex with him. She also claimed Mezcal owed her $800 in unpaid wages and tips.

The Spectator filed a Freedom of Information request and obtained the Ministry of Labour documents related to Stephanie's complaint.

Though Mezcal was informed of the complaint on Nov. 6, 2017, more than a month later it had still not conducted any kind of investigation.

The records show that along with Stephanie's primary complaints there were also concerns raised that: reports of Fererria's alleged sexual harassment were supposed to be made to his sister; the business's 35 staff members were unsure" if there was a harassment/violence" policy in place; workers had no training in harassment/violence policies.

A ministry Occupational Health and Safety inspector was sent to the James Street South business on Dec. 13, 2017. Five orders were issued and a note pointedly made that the supervisor, manager or person conducting the (internal) investigation must not be the alleged harasser and must not be under the direct control of the alleged harasser; the person must be able to conduct an objective investigation."

The orders were complied with by Jan. 12, 2018, according to the ministry.

For Stephanie, the results of the entire process were unsatisfactory. She feels as though the actual substance of Ferreira's sexual harassment was never properly investigated by anyone - although the ministry reports show Kristy Ferreira's signature and a check mark beside a line marked compliance" in reference to an internal investigation.

Stephanie says Mezcal paid her $150 for the wages and tips she was owed.

A month after the ministry's probe into Stephanie's sexual harassment complaint was closed, she received a message from Ferreira through her Instagram account which featured photos of her modelling.

This looks really good," Ferreira messaged.

Hey Manny," she messaged back.

Do I know you?" he replied.

As other women have noted, after allegedly being harassed by Ferreira, he seemed to have forgotten all about it.

A very big hothead'

While Stephanie's sexual harassment complaint was still active, another sexual harassment complaint was filed to the Ministry of Labour against Manny Ferreira by an employee.

The Spectator has interviewed the employee several times and obtained copies of his ministry documents through a Freedom of Information request.

Though the employee agreed to being identified in this story, he died, at age 31, before it could be published. Out of respect for his family, The Spectator has chosen not to use his name.

Manny is a good chef," he told The Spectator. He did teach me."

An aspiring chef, the employee worked at Mezcal in two spurts, the first from 2015 to early 2017, then again from September 2017 to June 2018. It was his first kitchen job and he rose from cook to acting sous chef by the time he quit.

He quit because of Ferreira's trigger temper.

He turned into a very big hothead," the employee said.

On his first shift, he was told to chop 50 litres of onions for pickling. He asked Ferreira if there was a trick to doing it without crying.

Yeah, don't be a little bitch," Ferreira allegedly answered.

The employee's recollections of the kitchen echo what others have told The Spectator.

Manny would rub up on the servers," he said. He'd rub his genitals on the (kitchen crew's) bums as they're cooking."

He said Ferreira did it to him.

We all looked at each other in horror. But he's the boss and he pays the bills."

Once, he saw Ferreira pants" a worker who was doing food prep, pulling his pants and underwear down in the busy kitchen for all to see. The man was embarrassed and upset," the employee said.

Again, the fact that Ferreira's sister was the human resources supervisor was a barrier to making a harassment complaint. Or reporting that the chef's cocaine use in the workplace was rampant.

It was a constant thing," according to the employee, who alleges Ferreira offered cocaine to him, and Ferreira's drug dealer weighed cocaine in the kitchen. Everybody knew what was going on."

Like others in this story, the employee saw Ferreira hit on customers with regularity.

He'd see a table of beautiful women, he'd comp their meals and drinks, and then he'd try to get them to go home with him."

It happened every Friday and Saturday night."

On Sept. 21 or 23, 2018, the employee went out behind the restaurant for a smoke break around midnight.

Ferreira came out too and allegedly urinated in the lane way.

The employee said Ferreira asked him: Did you ever see a big fat Portuguese dick?"

I looked away," the employee said. But Ferreira told him to watch."

Chef, no thank you," he replied.

I'm your boss. You have to look at me when I talk to you," Ferreira allegedly said.

I'm pretty sure he was drunk," the employee said. He was upset by the incident.

He exposed himself inappropriately to me without my consent."

On Oct. 1, 2017, the employee filed a sexual harassment complaint with the Ministry of Labour over the incident. Like Stephanie, he also said he hadn't received his share of tips.

The same ministry inspector who investigated Stephanie's case was assigned to the male employee's file. On Nov. 22, 2017, the ministry informed Manny Ferreira of the complaint. The inspector visited Mezcal Feb. 27, 2018 and again on March 1.

It was determined Mezcal never investigated the employee's complaint. The inspector issued an Occupational Health and Safety order because the employer has not conducted an investigation into the complaint."

It is unclear from the documents obtained by The Spectator if the order was complied with.

Like Stephanie, the employee didn't feel the alleged sexual harassment was ever actually dealt with by Mezcal or the ministry.

Mezcal did pay him about $100 for tips he was owed.

He quit soon after.

A shot on the house'

She met Manny Ferreira when he briefly dated her sister.

We were in the same social circle," she says.

She patronized his businesses. They crossed paths at parties.

This woman, 30, did not want her name used in this story because she is afraid Ferreira will retaliate."

He seems very quiet at first. But when he gets into his partying mode he gets very sketchy."

Particularly when he used cocaine, she alleges.

He would feed it to people around him and feed it to himself and offer it like it's a buffet."

She says Ferreira kept cocaine in a little vial that, with a tiny spoon, hung from his necklace. Others describe the same necklace.

He would snort cocaine at the Uno Mas bar while customers were around, she says.

When high, Ferreira became aggressive, flashing his brass knuckles" - again, something that other people in this story also mentioned.

She describes Ferreira trying to pick-up female customers.

He'll pick out a girl who is the most attractive in the room and go after her," she says, and he'd give her a shot on the house" before inviting her home.

It's a pattern with him."

She alleges Ferreira committed an indecent act in front of her a year ago, just before the pandemic began.

She and a girlfriend got together at home and each had two glasses of wine and two shots of vodka.

Nothing crazy," she says.

They took a cab to Uno Mas and ordered Margaritas, then a second round.

We had a buzz, but nothing outrageous."

They decided to split a bottle of vodka. They each poured a glass but left it on the table while they went outside for a cigarette.

When her friend returned to their table, the woman headed to the washroom.

I just remember standing in the washroom and turning around and the door was halfway open and Manny was right there," she says. He was exposing himself to me.

I glimpsed very quickly and realized what was going on and looked away kind of in shock, like Oh my god. What are you doing? Put that away!' "

Oh? That's not what you're looking for?" Ferreira said, according to the woman.

She went back to the table, sipped her drink and didn't tell her friend what just happened.

I was embarrassed."

That's where her memory of the night ends.

All of a sudden, it was just black," she says.

She was told she yelled at Ferreira and he kicked her out. She lay on the sidewalk.

She believes her glass of vodka was roofied" (had a drug slipped into it) although she has no way of knowing for sure.

She says she wasn't hungover the next morning and so she doesn't think she blacked out from alcohol alone.

She never reported the alleged indecent act to police. I just wanted it to go away and pretend it didn't happen," she says.

It still bothers me. I still dread the day I walk by him or walk by his establishment. It turns my stomach. I felt that I did something wrong. That it was my fault."

She found the Facebook group of women alleging they were harassed and assaulted by Ferreira.

Oh my God. I'm not the only one," she thought. This isn't just a one time thing."

I don't want to work in a coke bar'

Matthew alleges that during his time working for Manny Ferreira, he confronted him about his drug use and harassment in the workplace more than once.

From October 2016 to May 2017 Matthew, now 30, tended bar at Mezcal and Uno Mas.

He has requested that his last name be withheld because he is struggling with social anxiety" and the thought of being out there like this will not do me well."

At the same time, he wants to tell his story and support the others who have spoken out.

Two weeks into his job, on a Sunday night at Uno Mas, Ferreira used cocaine at the bar, Matthew alleges. And Ferreira's dealer was selling it there.

I told him I don't want to work in a coke bar.' "

Ferreira lost his temper and yelled at Matthew.

He is a very unhinged person," he says. I believed if I wronged him in any way I'd never get another job."

Like others, Matthew says Ferreira was often too high to cook.

Matthew says he is a recovering drug user and tries to avoid tempting situations. He admits twice taking Ferreira up on invitations to snort cocaine with him in the Uno Mas bathroom. Another time, partying at Ferreira's home with other Mezcal and Uno Mas workers, Matthew again accepted Ferreira's offer of cocaine.

Like other former staffers, Matthew says Ferreira gave away a lot of alcohol and food to attractive women.

Women who rejected Ferreira's overtures were insulted by him afterward - sometimes within eashot.

He would say things like That girl's a stupid c---' if a woman wouldn't go with him," says Matthew. That's definitely not a one-time occurrence."

At Uno Mas one night, around 11:30 p.m., Ferreira approached the hostess, who Matthew says was younger than most of the staff members.

Matthew wasn't there to witness what happened next, but he heard about it immediately after. Ferreira allegedly grabbed the young woman's shirt collar and pulled it down to expose her skin. The hostess, visibly upset, walked away.

(The Spectator reached out to the former hostess, but she declined an interview, saying she wasn't comfortable speaking publicly about what happened. She also said she is eager" to read The Spectator's investigation into Ferreira because she wants to see the truth be put out there.")

Within minutes of the incident, Matthew says he confronted Ferreira.

F- off, or you'll never work again," Matthew recalls him shouting.

The two men were alone at the time and Matthew says he was scared" because Ferreira was so volatile. On another shift, Matthew says he saw the chef throw a plate against a wall, smashing it to pieces, because he was upset with a server.

Ferreira allegedly touched the young hostess in another incident as well.

Did you paint those pants on?" he asked and slapped her butt, according to Matthew.

Slapping staff on the butt was a routine gesture for Ferreira, according to multiple sources interviewed by The Spectator. Matthew says women were regularly targeted, but he received a number of unwanted slaps, too.

The most disturbing incident for Matthew was when Ferreira allegedly sent an unwanted video of himself masturbating to one of the female servers, who was Matthew's friend.

The server quit because of it.

The Spectator has spoken to the server. Although she did not want to be interviewed for this story, because she is trying to move on with her life, she confirmed Ferreira sent her a masturbation video.

The Spectator has seen a screen grab from that video and text exchange.

Like others, Matthew was reluctant to report Ferreira's behaviour to the human resources manager because that position was held by the chef's sister. Instead, Matthew quit.

He has leadership in the Hamilton restaurant industry," says Matthew. He hasn't had to take responsibility for his actions."

I put the pain deep, deep down'

Elysse Cook alleges she was raped by Manny Ferreira.

She never reported it to police because she says she doesn't trust them.

The 27-year-old is speaking out because she wants to lend credibility to the stories of the other women and men who have been interviewed by The Spectator.

I put the pain deep, deep down," she says.

Elysse worked in the kitchen at Mezcal from March 2015 until that October.

She was interviewed for the job by Ferreira. Though she'd never worked in a kitchen before, he hired her. They joked that with her tattoos of an avocado and a sugar skull, she was destined to work at a taco and tequila joint.

He was kind of flirty, but he seemed nice ... He was like a cool-looking boss to have. He had tattoos, he seemed really chill."

The first shifts at the city's hot new restaurant were incredibly busy.

It was crazy," she says, recalling how she was trying to learn on the fly.

Immediately she was put off by Ferreira's behaviour in the kitchen. Profanity and crudeness were rampant.

Female customers, walking through the kitchen to reach the bathroom, were evaluated by the chef.

Oh, I'd f- her," he'd allegedly announce.

Ferreira would give Elysse a hard time about eating during breaks, she says, so she started taking food into the bathroom. He caught her once, and he lost his f-ing mind."

After that I was on a constant anxiety trip ... I was always on the brink of tears." Elysse says she has a panic disorder.

Elysse suspects some of Ferreira's outbursts were fuelled by cocaine. It made him twitchy". She has seen him use it - in large quantities at bars and parties.

Railing cocaine like I've never seen," she alleges.

She says she was afraid of Ferreira's temper. She had seen the brass knuckles he flashed around. Anything could cause him to pop off."

She likens it to turning into The Hulk.

When a spice shelf was accidentally knocked down in the kitchen, Ferreira freaked out, yelling at everyone. When Elysse offered to help clean up the mess, he shouted Shut the f- up," she says.

He had a habit of getting right in a person's face to shout at them. She says it was aggressive" and scary."

He would f-ing corner me in the back hallway. He'd point in my face and scream in my face - like, spitting in my face. He's just towering over me and I'd be shaking ... He talked to me like he owned me."

Sometimes he acted that way too, she says, grabbing her butt or rubbing his genitals against her behind while she cooked.

I don't think I ever said, No, don't do that.' I didn't want to lose my job...He would have fired me in a split second."

One summer day, Elysse reported to work wearing a white tank top with no bra. Before she could change into her kitchen uniform, she says Ferreira sprayed cleaning solution all over her chest and said Wet T-shirt contest!"

It burned my skin," she says. Ferreira laughed.

Sometimes Ferreira would shut Elysse in the walk-in refrigerator and turn the lights out, she says.

Though Elysse feared Ferreira, she enjoyed working with the other people in the kitchen. As she got more comfortable with them, she shared that she is pansexual.

When Ferreira learned this, he would point to customers through the kitchen en route to the bathroom and ask which ones she'd have sex with.

He made me feel like it was wrong and then he made fun of it. That was the beginning of the end."

Elysse didn't report any of it to human resources.

It was his sister," she says, referring to the fact that Kristy Ferreira was in charge of human resources.

Elysse believed she wouldn't have my back."

On Elysse's last day at work, she had a row with Ferreira and she quit.

She says he dragged her out of the restaurant by the arm.

It felt like I was breaking up with someone ... You know when people are so toxic and unhealthy and they scream at each other and sh-? That's what it felt like. It felt like a break-up more than me quitting a job."

It was two years before she saw him again.

It was at a house party. She was drunk. He followed her into the bathroom and closed the door, she alleges.

He pulled my pants down and put his penis in my vagina."

Elysse says she told him No. No. No. ... Don't do this. Get away from me."

He allegedly said: It's fine. It's fine. I just want to see what it feels like."

He stopped quickly.

It was very shocking. I felt violated."

Though there is no doubt in Elysse's mind that she was raped, she didn't report it to police.

F- no," she says, when asked.

When she was 16, Elysse sent nude selfies to her boyfriend. He posted them online. Police investigated.

They made me feel like I was the criminal. I'll never again go to police."

Stand up and turn around'

This is a woman who is upfront about her life.

She has worked as an escort and she likes to party. She finds it hard to trust police.

The woman, 36, has told The Spectator her story because she wants to support the others who have come forward.

It was a difficult decision for her and she has struggled with it over many months of speaking with The Spectator. She fears retaliation. At times she wanted her full name used. At others she considered not being in the story at all. In the end, to protect the privacy of her family, she has asked not to be named.

In June 2016, the woman and her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend went to dinner at Mezcal.

She is a foodie. She took photos of her meal and posted them to Instagram. Mezcal and Manny Ferreira started following her account.

Ferreira sent her a private direct message: I have a weakness for blondes."

She took it as a compliment and responded. The next day they talked by phone. He invited her to meet at Radius - a restaurant across the street from Mezcal - to talk food.

She accepted.

They had barely been seated when she says Ferreira asked her to stand up and turn around" so he could take a look at her.

She did as he asked.

After some drinks, they headed to a club where they could dance.

Throughout the night I'm getting drinks thrown at me all the time," she says, before getting back into his car and going to his place on Herkimer Street.

The next thing she remembers, she says, is waking up the next morning in his bed. She was bleeding.

Was it consensual sex?

I was drunk, but yeah," she says. Obviously, it was clouded judgment. I don't think I was in my right mind because I was really drunk."

They didn't talk again for more than two years.

On Sept. 3, 2018, she had consensual sex with him at his apartment during a party with coke all over the table." She saw him again toward the end of that year when she and a friend went to Uno Mas for a drink.

Ferreira gave the women free drinks and asked her to come into the kitchen. He took her into the walk-in freezer where they were joined by Jesse Chiavaroli, a friend of Ferreira's who was frequently a part of his entourage.

Chiavaroli was also in the bar and restaurant business. He and Ferreira owned the short-lived Baroque nightclub together on John Street South. He had also operated nightspots Heist, Ora and Trust in Hamilton and a bar in St. Catharines.

Ferreira allegedly asked her to show her breasts to Chiavaroli. She complied, but balked when Ferreira took cocaine out of the vial he keeps on his necklace and tried to put it up her nose.

She calls her encounters with Ferreira distressing."

She no longer has contact with him.

As for Chiavaroli, the story doesn't end there.

He is under investigation by the Victoria Police Department in B.C. after more than a dozen allegations of sexual assault surfaced on social media.

Most of the accusations come from customers at Chuck's Burger Bar where Chiavaroli bartended. Chuck's originated on Locke Street in Hamilton and moved to B.C. after shutting down here in 2015.

Victoria Police say they have been overwhelmed with calls about their investigation from women in Victoria and in Hamilton.

The investigation is active and ongoing and no charges have been laid.

The Spectator's efforts to contact Chiavaroli and Chuck's Burger Bar have been unsuccessful.

He was definitely horrible to me'

There is a video the woman took of her then-boyfriend Manny Ferreira at a party.

It is nine seconds long. He yells and swears at her, his finger pointing into the camera. It ends with him knocking the phone out of her hand.

You're going to take a video of me? F- you!" he says.

The 29-year-old woman says she filmed him because she thought he was going to hit her (he didn't), and because his explosive temper had erupted a few times already in their relationship.

She asked The Spectator not to name her in this story. She is trying to move on from her time with Ferreira.

He was definitely horrible to me," she says.

Her relationship with the chef started in February 2019 when she and a girlfriend went to Uno Mas.

It was a pretty crazy night," she says.

She had met Ferreira a few times before. They had a mutual friend and Ferreira frequented a restaurant where she used to work.

He gave her free drinks that night and spent a lot of time at her table.

She went back to his place and they had sex. Although she says she was drunk, she believes the sex was consensual.

She snuck out of his place the next morning because she regretted sleeping with him, she says. They didn't talk again until May.

That's when we started hanging out," she says.

They dated from then until the end of August.

It was very dramatic and very toxic," she says. They drank a lot together and he was doing tons of drugs."

Ferreira would snort cocaine right at the bar" at Uno Mas while there were customers around, or in the kitchen at Mezcal.

He had a little vial. He'd take it out and snort a little bit."

She says they had only one or two dates alone. Most of the time Ferreira had an entourage around him and he was always talking to other girls."

He frequently referred to women as sluts, whores and bitches," she says.

He was just very degrading."

She says she felt sorry for women who worked for him. She says she witnessed him screaming at a female staffer in front of the restaurant. He made sexual comments" to women employees.

Those women rarely complained, she says, because they felt you just have to take it if he's your boss."

So how would she describe his demeanour?

Abusive."

Toxic culture

Kitchen culture is known for abuse.

There is Chef Gordon Ramsay screaming F-bombs at staff - something we've come to consider entertainment. Chef Mario Batali faces criminal charges related to allegations from female staff that he sexually harassed and sexually assaulted them.

Many women servers are expected to wear sexy outfits and flirt with customers - as well as put up with harassment from bosses.

The toxic restaurant bro culture" of sexism and bullying flourishes - despite a surge of women chefs who refuse to run their kitchens that way.

In the 20 years leading up to 2016 in the United States, more sexual harassment claims were filed by restaurant workers than employees in any other industry, according to the U.S. Equality Employment Opportunity Commission.

Never a dull moment'

On Mezcal's website, Manny Ferreira describes his passion for food like this:

I chose cooking because it allowed me to be creative, show my personality, and create something that others enjoyed which in turn satisfied my entertainer' side.

There's never a dull moment in the kitchen."

Susan Clairmont is a Hamilton-based crime, court and social justice columnist at The Spectator. Reach her via email: sclairmont@thespec.com

SACHA (Sexual Assault Centre Hamilton and Area): 905-525-4162

Hamilton Police: 905-540-5553 or hamiltonpolice.on.ca

McMaster University Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office: svpro@mcmaster.ca

SAVIS (Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services of Halton): 905-875-1555