Seattle chef Edouardo Jordan responds to sexual misconduct allegations in Seattle Occasions report

Celebrated chef Edouardo Jordan responded to a Seattle Times story published on Sunday detailing the accounts of 15 women accusing him of sexual misconduct or unwanted touch.

Here is Jordan’s full answer, posted on his Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts on Sunday.

“This is a place where I’ve shared triumphs and pains, made calls to this community to get better and change the norms – to change practices and systems that have no place in our world, and to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.

It all starts with me.

An article recently appeared in the Seattle Times suggesting that sometimes I missed out. I am deeply sorry if my behavior has ever offended or made someone uncomfortable. I’ve had moments when I’ve made decisions that negatively impacted people I’ve worked with – and I never intended to be part of or condone a workplace culture that made colleagues or employees feel like To be “less than”. While I know what it feels like to be viewed as “less than”, I know that women experience different hardships in the workplace and that no one should silence their voices.

While I deny many of the reported allegations, every woman who has shared her experience with me has a voice that deserves to be heard. I hold myself responsible if my actions have ever caused someone to feel disrespectful, devalued, or uncomfortable. It was and never will be in my character that someone feels threatened, insecure or personally hurt – whether I’m walking down the street or working in the kitchen with me. Women in the hospitality industry have a strong voice, tremendous talent, and must be respected and have a harassment-free work environment. They should be recognized for their contributions and talent – and nothing else. I always believed that.

I acknowledge that the restaurant industry has a reputation for promoting sexual harassment at times, and I have worked hard to ensure that such behavior does not have a place in any of my restaurants.

Harassment of any kind in the workplace or the sexualization of women is not a culture that I promote. It’s not who I am or what I’m about, and I stand behind it.

This is another moment in our industry that can move us in the right direction – to change what has long been considered acceptable in the hospitality industry and what has not. We need to address the gray area and make sure it’s in black and white.

How I show up for work each day is a definition of who I am. The most important things in my life are my family, my team, cooking and sharing food which has a bigger meaning. To share the stories of those who came before me. I know that I am not perfect. But I stand behind the work culture and environment that I belong to in Seattle and that I’ve created in my restaurants over the past six years, and that’s a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of harassment.

Since the first day Salare opened, I have put in place workplace harassment protocols to ensure that my employees felt they had a space to share any issues about me or other employees. That was important to me – my past and current employees know the logs for reporting problems. The protocols have evolved over time as we’ve grown as a company and as I’ve grown as a business owner. We have had an external HR officer since 2019 who deals with employee concerns and complaints.

Where do I go from here? I step back a little. I don’t make excuses. I listen and learn. I continue to ensure that my workplaces are safe and fair environments for all employees and that they are free of toxic behavior. I am increasing the talents of the incredible team that is currently working with me. They are true stars who bring to life the restaurants I started. I have to stick to the highest standard myself and also stick other chefs to that standard. I will continue to work hard and fight for the diverse voices in the catering and hotel industry and continue to grow as a business owner, father, partner and chef.