Gabe Erales was recently crowned as the Dawn Burell and prestige Japanese cook, Shota Nakajima in the season finale that aired on Thursday, July 1. The Texas-based chef made history by being the first Mexican-American to win the Bravo competition series. "One of the biggest things that has really warmed my heart is knowing that I am the first Mexican Top Chef," he said during the episode. "I'm happy to be representing my culture, my cooking, and also a group of people that, really, operate the kitchens across the U.S."
However, Gabe's historic win quickly went from celebratory to controversial overnight after reports began to circle social media of his firing as executive chef from Comedor, an upscale Mexican restaurant based in Austin, Texas. He was fired two months after the filming of Top Chef wrapped. The Austin Chronicle reported that Gabe's firing was announced by the restaurant's co-owners, Philip Speer and William Ball, via email in December 2020. The co-owners stated that Gabe's firing was due to "repeated violation of our policies and for behavior in conflict with our values." While the co-owners didn't give specific details as to why Gabe was fired, rumors are circulating that it was due to sexual harassment with another co-worker.
The Austin-American Statesman reported that Gabe was fired for repeatedly violating the restaurant's harassment policies. Gabe itted to the publication that he had a "consensual sexual relationship" with a staff member at the restaurant. Gabe also said that when he returned to Comedor after filming Top Chef, he cut the staffer's hours because of her performance. However, Philip Speer told the Statesman that Gabe's reasoning was insufficient. "After I returned from 'Top Chef,' I made some business decisions as a manager that affected this employee and were found to be discriminatory, and I realized that those were bad decisions. I've spent the last six months really reflecting on these mistakes and taking the necessary steps to be a better husband, a father, a chef, and a leader, through therapy, through spirituality," Gabe told the Statesman.
After the news broke, fans and previous Top Chef contestants took to social media, expressing their take on the news. Some fans expressed they wanted to know more about the allegations. Others expressed their disappointment with Top Chef not addressing the news to viewers. One person wrote, "Top Chef not addressing Gabe being fired from his job and the allegations against him AT ALL is really irresponsible (via Host Pa Lakshmi took to Twitter, explaining that the crew was unaware of Gabe's allegations and pointed out that filming took place in October and Gabe was fired in December. She also explained that she was a sexual harassment victim and stated the issue with Gabe should be investigated, and the network should consider its best action.
Fans still think Top Chef producers aren't being honest about not knowing the claims against Gabe. They don't understand how Gabe's public firing remained unknown to the show's producers. There are no charges filed against Gabe, and the issue remains convoluted. It certainly is a setback from otherwise a great season highlighting diversity and inclusion.
Source: The Austin Chronicle, KristenBOOKS Twitter, Austin American Statesman, Pa Lakshmi Twitter