Aspiring teen’s chef dream shattered by ‘harassment’
A teen chef who aspired to be on Junior MasterChef has given up his hospitality dreams after alleged harassment at a western suburbs venue.
The teen’s mum said he experienced harassment and sexual comments while working as an apprentice chef, including talk of paedophilia and “kiddie porn”
He had dreamed of being a chef from a young age, but has now hung up the apron at age 18.
“Even when he was just nine years old he would cook meals at home and was so excited to learn about different techniques,” mum Rachael said.
“He was always making videos of himself cooking, making blood orange tarts and all sorts of stuff — showing off his capabilities.”
Sam auditioned for Junior MasterChef in 2020 and impressed the judges. He did his first school-based chef apprenticeship in 2023, while still in high school.
Rachael said her son was quickly exposed to “inappropriate comments.
“One of the chefs kept mentioning to Sam that he had a friend who was in prison for paedophilia and had been barred from being around schools … it made him feel very uncomfortable.
“He would speak about watching ‘kiddie porn’ while Sam was around him.
“One of the other chefs actually pulled Sam aside and said: ‘You know, he never speaks about this when you’re not here, right?’.”
Sam was only 17 at the time and was constantly the point of conversation about his sexuality.
“They would make jokes about him being ‘gay’ because he was friends with LGBTQI+ people at school,” she said.
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These comments would happen in the kitchen all the time, just going and going and going.
“One night he actually walked out and left. He told the venue manager: ‘I’m out of here, I can’t stay here through this’.”
Sam raised his concerns with management, but was labelled a troublemaker and offered just 15 hours a week of work.
Adelaide’s flailing hospitality scene during and post covid also had an impact in his views.
“It really disillusioned him. After that he said: ‘Mum, I think I just need a chance to think about what I’m going to do because I really feel like I’m just burnt out’,” Rachael said.
“It was absolutely heartbreaking for me to watch.”
The mother-of-two said her son was now training to enter the police force, believing the harassment he had endured had pushed him away from the industry.
“It’s just so disappointing that it ended this way.
Recently, an Australian-first study led by advocate Jamie Bucirde found that harassment and assault in the hospitality industry was high.
The study showed more than 50 per cent of women reported being harassed, with over 40 per cent saying they had been assaulted.
A United Workers Union survey in 2012 found 89 per cent of the 306 respondents had experienced sexual harassment at work.
Jonathan Jackson, 29th May 2024
