A former waiter at award-winning Arrowtown restaurant Amisfield says the manager chef made repeated feedback about eager to “f***” her, prompting her to lodge a proper harassment criticism that she believes was swept underneath the desk.
Isabella Garland labored at Amisfield when she was 22 years previous, from October 2015 to June of 2016. The American says government chef Vaughan Mabee was “degrading” to entrance of home and kitchen workers throughout her time there; throughout one shift she alleges he informed a colleague he would “f*** the lesbian out of her”.
She is considered one of three girls who’ve labored with Mabee, who’ve spoken to Newsroom about their experiences. One in all them laid a criticism in 2020, describing Mabee making offensive feedback to her workers and telling her he had been “snorting traces within the rest room”.
Amisfield chief government Simon Toneycliffe issued a terse assertion on Friday, confirming solely that Mabee had resigned from his function on the firm in February and had since left the restaurant.
A press release from Amisfield proprietor John Darby acquired after this story was printed says Mabee was “instantly eliminated” from the office following newer complaints about his conduct, whereas an investigation was carried out.
It comes quickly after Amisfield was named one of many world’s 100 greatest eating places, and had been tipped by some media as a frontrunner for New Zealand’s first Michelin star this yr.
Garland took the function at Amisfield earlier than it gained its accolades; she took the function upon arriving from New York on a working vacation visa. The restaurant wasn’t as well-known then as it’s now, she says, however its vineyard was well-known and the restaurant was busy.
Mabee, who had been there since 2012, was government chef on the time.
When he walked into the kitchen, Garland says the environment would change; he would commonly converse inappropriately about feminine workers members’ appearances. However he loved an “untouchable” standing as a consequence of his shut relationship with government workers.
At some point at work in January 2016, she was talking with a colleague about her expertise with an sickness, which has since been identified as endometriosis, when Mabee joined the dialog.
“I used to be overtly speaking to considered one of my co-workers, saying: ‘Oh, I really feel sick, one thing’s happening.’ And he was like: ‘Oh, you have to be pregnant.’ I stated: ‘Not that it’s any of your small business, however I truly battle to get pregnant, so I would favor you not saying something’.
“He then checked out me, he was like: ‘Effectively, that’s good to know that I may f*** you with no condom.’
The incident occurred in entrance of quite a few kitchen workers, Garland says. A number of months later in April, the day earlier than Garland was as a consequence of take annual go away, she alleges Mabee requested of her plans and whether or not she was coming again.
“I replied with my return date and his response was: ‘Oh good, as a result of we have now to f*** earlier than you permit for good’.”
‘On the night time itself, Vaughan obtained drunk fairly early and informed me he had been snorting traces within the rest room. He was troublesome to handle and fairly impolite.’
Katie Duncan
“I used to be 22, I had simply moved right here from New York,” Garland says. “It was my first job abroad, and I used to be simply attempting to slot in and make all of it work.
“I made a decision to not keep at Amisfield however as an alternative to go to the UK, to do one thing over there. However earlier than I left, I used to be gonna deliver this as much as the HR, as a result of it was nonetheless occurring, and I used to be listening to from different girls about what he was saying to them.”
Believing she had the help of a number of different cooks, Garland lodged a criticism in regards to the incident and despatched it by e-mail to a human assets supervisor on June 17, 2016. Newsroom has a duplicate of the emailed criticism, which particulars the alleged verbal harassment together with Garland’s worry of coming ahead.
“This being a criticism about somebody in the next place than myself, I used to be scared about coming ahead and talking to somebody about it,” Garland stated in her criticism.
“I’m scripting this letter as a result of Vaughan Mabee wants the right punishment for sexual harassment and this can’t go on for any longer. I’m pleased to talk with anybody about this matter and any additional info you might require on the incident.”
Garland says she didn’t obtain an e-mail in response however that the human assets supervisor spoke to her in regards to the criticism both in individual or by textual content message.
A gathering with HR adopted, however nothing else; Garland says she didn’t ask for an apology from Mabee and didn’t need him to search out out what she had stated, as she “wasn’t within the psychological state”.
Newsroom has heard from a second individual, who says she raised issues with Amisfield’s chief government, however was informed “what can I do about it, my palms are tied”.
‘It’s a disgrace, as a result of Amisfield and what it represents may very well be so superb, and it’s so unhappy that they’ve backed somebody like this for thus lengthy. It took too lengthy. I do know extra girls than simply me who got here out and tried to make a distinction.’
Isabella Garland
And a 3rd individual, former White Tie Catering director Katie Duncan, confirms she too laid a criticism in 2021, about alleged homophobic and anti-Jewish slurs, offensive feedback to girls within the kitchen, and drug use at an trade occasion in Christchurch.
Within the assertion acquired on Sunday night time, Amisfield proprietor John Darby says: “Amisfield is conscious of historic complaints from 2016 and 2022 involving Vaughan. At these instances, the problems had been investigated and resulted in formal written warnings. We clearly outlined that any additional breach would lead to dismissal.
“Following newer complaints concerning Vaughan’s conduct, he was instantly faraway from the office whereas an impartial investigation was carried out. Following the conclusion of that investigation, Amisfield accepted Vaughan’s resignation in February, ending our skilled relationship with him.
“We don’t tolerate inappropriate behaviour of any sort, and all issues raised by workers are all the time totally investigated and adopted up with applicable motion. Whereas we function in a high-pressure atmosphere, we categorically reject outdated concepts that justify a poisonous tradition.
“Our focus is now fully on supporting our workers and making certain a protected, inclusive atmosphere. We’re deeply grateful to the workers members who got here ahead; their braveness is important to the optimistic transformation of our office.”
Mabee has not responded to questions in regards to the allegations.
The White Tie Catering occasion came about late in 2020 on the Christchurch Artwork Gallery, a collaboration with the gallery basis and different firms.
Duncan communicated her unhappiness to Amisfield after the occasion, and lodged a proper criticism the next November. In it, she stated she was “extraordinarily uncomfortable” with Mabee’s behaviour main as much as the occasion and throughout the occasion itself and recommended he get “help and coaching”.
The issues began quickly after he arrived on the Christchurch venue, a day forward of the large occasion. “They had been within the kitchen for half an hour earlier than I needed to ask Vaughan to not seek advice from his workers as ‘fag’ and ‘retard’. This occurred in entrance of our workers and me, and we had been moderately greatly surprised,” Duncan wrote.
“The next morning after I was absent from the kitchen, he apparently made a ‘Jew joke’ that the workers weren’t pleased about.
“On the night time itself, Vaughan obtained drunk fairly early and informed me he had been snorting traces within the rest room. He was troublesome to handle and fairly impolite.”
Mabee later requested Duncan in regards to the stylist, and Duncan defined she was unbelievable at her job, but in addition that her husband had died instantly simply months earlier than on the age of 43, leaving her with two younger kids. Regardless of that, she pushed herself to make the Artwork Gallery dinner the primary job she did after her husband’s loss of life.
“To which Vaughan replied, ‘oh she’s single? I’d pound the f*** out of her’. Clearly I discovered that extremely gross, distasteful and upsetting. I informed him that.
“I used to be referred to as over comms at one stage by our Head Chef to pop into the kitchen as a result of he was uncomfortable with the way in which Vaughan was talking to the younger feminine workers. Nothing like that has ever occurred within the many 100s of collabs we have now accomplished through the years.
“Lastly, in his speech to the room when he was auctioned for a non-public dinner, he informed the visitors he was ‘up for something’ as a result of once you purchase him for a dinner, he’s ‘25 % chef, 75 % man whore.’ He then informed all of the visitors he was purchased for $32,000 at an public sale the earlier yr in opposition to Peter Gordon who obtained $15,000.
“He informed the room when Peter congratulated him for the way a lot he raised, Vaughan informed him: ‘Yup it’s cos you’re homosexual.’ Which truly resulted in audible gasps from the visitors. A number of have since raised it with me.”
Within the criticism, Duncan stated Mabee was “very clearly” drunk and excessive when talking to the room.
Duncan tells Newsroom she didn’t obtain a response from anybody in Amisfield’s administration staff.
Nevertheless a number of weeks later, the day earlier than he was introduced as decide on Masterchef New Zealand, she acquired a name from Mabee himself through which he informed her he was going to Alcoholics Nameless and remedy periods. She says he additionally informed her: “I virtually misplaced my job due to you.”
This was not the primary time there had been issues raised about Mabee’s ingesting. A number of years earlier, he was convicted of drink-driving after crashing his Toyota Hilux right into a ditch beside Arrowtown-Lake Hayes Rd about 1am, then fleeing the bloodied wreck to the close by house of his boss John Darby.
Police discovered him there two hours later, the place he breath-tested over the restrict – then challenged the conviction all the way in which to the Court docket of Enchantment, with out success.
In an announcement supplied to media on Friday, Mabee stated his departure was deliberate.
“I resigned my function as government chef at Amisfield early this yr so as to have the ability to spend extra time with my younger household whereas additionally pursuing a number of abroad alternatives.”
In 2025 Amisfield, the place a lunch tasting menu begins from $395 per individual, positioned third in Meals & Wine’s World Tastemasters awards. Amisfield was additionally named Restaurant of the 12 months in Delicacies journal’s 2025 Good Meals Awards.
In 2023 Mabee was named as one of many world’s prime 100 cooks by The Finest Chef Information; he was additionally named Delicacies Chef of the 12 months in 2019.
Earlier than becoming a member of Amisfield, Mabee labored for a number of years abroad, together with at Michelin-starred restaurant Noma in Copenhagen.
The Danish restaurant’s former head chef René Redzepi resigned in March of this yr, following a report by the New York Occasions through which witnesses informed of abuse together with bodily violence and episodes of public shaming.
Former Amisfield meals runner Garland is now again in Queenstown, the place she is engaged on constructing a girls’s cycle well being app, and as a meals photographer.
“It’s a disgrace, as a result of Amisfield and what it represents may very well be so superb, and it’s so unhappy that they’ve backed somebody like this for thus lengthy.
“It took too lengthy. I do know extra girls than simply me who got here out and tried to make a distinction.
“It’s all about them being profitable and their credibility and nothing else. This might have been mounted 10 years in the past, when me and these different girls had been sturdy sufficient to say one thing, after which all these individuals who labored there for the final 10 years wouldn’t have needed to undergo the identical issues that we went by.
“I’m pleased he’s lastly gone.”
You possibly can contact journalist Alice Peacock by emailing [email protected].
