Chef settles harassment case with Weslodge

A pastry chef who alleges she was sexually harassed by three bosses in a high-profile Toronto kitchen has agreed to a confidential settlement.

Kate Burnham’s case against Weslodge restaurant and three of its former chefs was resolved recently through mediation.

Burnham’s lawyer Tatha Swann, of Levitt & Grosman LLP, says her client has “no comment” about the case, which was filed earlier this year at the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. Swann says she cannot divulge any details of the settlement, which is being kept confidential.

Elaine Quan, spokesperson for INK Entertainment and ICON Hospitality, which own Weslodge and many other eateries and clubs around the city, wrote to the Star in an email that “unfortunately, due to the terms of the settlement, we will not be able to publicly comment on this matter.”

A Star story about Burnham’s allegations, which included being badgered about her sexuality and touched without consent, ignited a nation-wide discussion about kitchen harassment, even sparking a conference in early September called “Kitchen Bitches: Smashing the Patriarchy One Plate at a Time.”

Burnham, a Toronto resident, worked at Weslodge on King St. W. between July 2012 and January 2014.